Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to address the decision that the Greens took to oppose the motion to suspend Senator Thorpe from this place, of which she is a member and in which, I note, tomorrow morning she is scheduled to have a private member's bill debated in her name, a bill that addresses issues of genocide, which I know we all feel very strongly about. I want to make it clear that the Greens do not condone the use of physical violence. I'm pretty sure people would know that that is our position. And we do not think that the behaviour of Senator Thorpe, in tearing up the paper and sending that in the direction of Senator Hanson, was a behaviour that we would like to see repeated. It's not a behaviour that we think is appropriate. We also do not think that the approach of denying her for an entire day the ability to exercise her vote in this Senate is an appropriate and proportionate response to that action. I want to make it clear that we do not support the action that was taken and nor would we wish to see it repeated.

I would like to add that a number of people in this place often feel unsafe in this workplace. A number of our senators feel unsafe due to the conduct of Senator Thorpe, and a number of senators in this place feel unsafe due to the conduct of Senator Hanson. Let us all reflect on how we behave, but let those of us who live with white privilege remember that institutionalised racism doesn't affect us as it does people of colour. I believe we have an obligation to think and consider what is an appropriate response in this situation. We do need to set the standard, and I acknowledge that folk have been feeling unsafe in this place, but context is important.

I'm sure anyone who was in the chamber would realise that the behaviours that were undertaken this morning came about following an attempt by another senator to exclude a different senator of colour, and it was in the context of a debate that had racially charged overtones. I acknowledge that, in a proceeding taken by Senator Faruqi, Senator Hanson has recently been shown by a court to have breached the Racial Discrimination Act. That is the context in which we have approached our response to today's behaviour.

In conclusion, whilst we don't support the behaviour of Senator Thorpe, we were not willing to support suspending her from this chamber. We acknowledge that, as a society and as a chamber, we have a lot to do to confront racism, and we must all actively seek to do that every single day.