Malcolm Roberts (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Hansard source

As a servant to the people of Queensland and Australia, I'm opposed to the emergence of all violent extremists, both far-left and far-right, particularly those featuring despicable, inhuman racism, corrosive, antihuman hate and the vile antisemitism that we have recently seen in our Australian communities. The inhuman atrocities that Hamas cowards inflicted on innocent Israeli men, women and children remain a stain on humanity. Yet, here in Australia, extremist Palestinians celebrate Hamas's horrific, inhuman atrocities cowardly inflicted on defenceless citizens. The celebration of Hamas's actions remains a stain of shame on Australia's reputation for fairness and tolerance. This bill, as I read it, is designed to prohibit the public promotion of hate symbols, including those of the historic Nazi regime during the 1930s and 1940s. Yet history is real and should not be buried or denied. Those ignorant of history are condemned to repeat it. Former president of the United States Harry Truman, a very widely read American president, said, 'The only thing new in the world is the history you haven't read.' In other words, it has all happened before. Denying history cannot diminish the Holocaust horrors. History shows that ignorance or wiping of history only brings ignorance, which in turn begs the repeat of atrocities, and we don't want that.

There are many people in Australia interested in preserving history during the period of World War II and preserving items of significant historical interest. These genuine collectors of militaria and historical items are not extremists, nor do they wish to promote extremist or violent views. Their intent is to preserve items of historic and military significance. These genuine collectors, academic researchers and historians should be excluded from the prohibition provisions, and they are. Genuine collectors are often well read and actively research their areas of interest and should not be prevented from maintaining their interests nor run the risk of being punished for preserving the history during a time of historic turmoil. The amendment that I have proposed would exclude and protect genuine collectors from the prohibition provisions of this bill. I commend it to the Senate. By leave—I, and also on behalf of Senator Hanson, move One Nation amendments (1), (2) and (3) on sheet 2307 together:

(1) Schedule 1, item 5, page 9 (line 12), after "academic," insert "collecting militaria,".

(2) Schedule 1, item 5, page 15 (line 29), after "academic," insert "collecting militaria,".

(3) Schedule 1, item 5, page 24 (line 19), after "academic," insert "collecting militaria,".