Paul Scarr (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Multicultural Engagement) Share this | Hansard source

Language does matter, but so does action. I pity Senator Stewart that she has to come into this place and defend the Albanese Labor government, who have just been too slow to act in relation to the reign of antisemitism we are experiencing in this country.

Senator Urquhart referred to the hate crimes bill. I am the deputy chair of the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee. I sat on the inquiry that looked into the hate crimes bill. Consider this: the hate crimes bill improved some of the key pieces of legislation in our Criminal Code dealing with hate crimes. Most of it is an absolute no-brainer. In fact, my additional comments in relation to the bill were 2½ pages. I proposed an amendment but agreed with the bill, as does the opposition. Tell me this, Senator Urquhart—through you, Deputy President—why was it that the Privacy and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2024 was referred to my committee on 12 September last year, 2024, to report on 14 November, two months later, but the hate crimes bill, dealing with, in my view, a very easy amendment, was referred on 19 September to report by 12 December. Why was the AML bill, the bill dealing with anti-money-laundering, referred to my committee on 18 September, about the same time as the hate crimes bill, but its report was due on 13 November, a month before the hate crimes bill, when the AML bill was dealing with far more complicated matters? Why was it that the Family Law Amendment Bill was referred to the legal and constitutional affairs committee on 12 September, to report by 31 October, less than two months later, when the hate crimes bill was referred on 19 September, to report by 12 December? We didn't even get the chance to debate the hate crimes bill during 2024. That could have been in place now. It should have been in place over a year ago. This is the issue with the Albanese Labor government: it's too slow to act. It's having devastating consequences for our Jewish community.

You can't tell me that introducing anti-money-laundering red tape on our real estate agents, lawyers and accountants was more important than protecting our Jewish community in the face of this torrent of antisemitism. Was it more important to introduce the statutory tort of privacy, which has been kicking around for over a decade, than it was to protect our Jewish community? Was it more important to introduce amendments to the Family Law Act dealing with the custody of pets than it was to protect our Jewish community? But these are the priorities of the Albanese Labor government, so don't come into this place accusing the opposition of weaponising this issue. We are doing exactly what we were elected to do—that is to keep the government to account, especially in circumstances when there is a very vulnerable minority in this country, our Jewish communities, who are suffering this outrageous explosion in antisemitism.

I want to read to you an excerpt from the additional comments I made in relation to the Criminal Code Amendment (Hate Crimes) Bill, which should have been passed 18 months ago. It should have gone through this place 18 months ago—an absolute no-brainer. I want to tell you the story of Dr Max Joseph. He was actually in Berlin during Kristallnacht—the night of broken glass—which occurred on 9 and 10 November 1938. He was in Berlin when the synagogues were attacked, burnt to the ground, and Jewish businesses were attacked. Some 91 Jews were murdered. He was actually in Berlin and then found refuge in Australia. He brought with him a foundation stone from a synagogue that was burnt to the ground in Berlin and placed it in the foundation of a synagogue in Sydney. He passed away in 1971. I wonder how Dr Joseph would feel to know that in 2024 and 2025 Jewish synagogues and childcare centres are being attacked in the country in which he found refuge. That is why we are so strong on this issue, and we make no excuses for it whatsoever.

Question agreed to.