Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am pleased to participate in this debate, and I remember that some time ago I participated in a previous discussion on this issue when the coalition were proposing to change section 18C, which is all about offensive behaviour because of race, colour or national or ethnic origin. At the time, I spoke about my upbringing in Scotland and the issues that cause discrimination in Scotland. That was mainly about religion at that time, and the religious discrimination was quite severe on the west coast of Scotland, where I come from. Catholics and Protestants were divided across religious lines, and I do not think much of it was about religion either

So I come with the view that there should be no place for any discrimination and that no-one should be offended, insulted or humiliated because of their race or religion. My experience was that all it does is create great disharmony in the community. My wife was brought up as a Roman Catholic and I was brought up as a Presbyterian. I know what it was like to live—for a short period with my wife's parents, who were practising Catholics—in what was basically a Catholic village outside Glasgow. It was a village where because you were Presbyterian or Protestant terrible religious discrimination went on. I do not think that is something that I want to see here. In fact, one of the reasons we emigrated to Australia was because Australia had a great deal of tolerance in religious practice.

I am not religious at all. I do not have any religion. I was brought up Presbyterian but I am an atheist. My wife was not a practising Catholic so we had the issue of our children and their religion. We took the view that if they wanted to be religious, that was something that they could take up but we did not want the pressure either from my family or my relatives or my wife's family or her relatives to try and force my children to be brought up in one religion or the other. I think the best thing I have ever done was come to Australia where that pressure was never brought on. I can be an atheist, I can be treated respectfully and that is something that you do not get in some areas in Scotland or in Northern Ireland—it is still a big problem. I think racial discrimination has to be treated very carefully, not just racial discrimination but religious discrimination or any discrimination at all.

I have been discriminated against in here. People have said that I need to learn to speak 'Australian'. I did not know there was such a language as 'Australian' but I was told, 'You have to speak Australian.' I have been told that I am incomprehensible by coalition senators. They know what I am saying, they understand me but that is the sort of discrimination that has been placed on me. When I first came to Australia, I worked at Garden Island dockyard as a fitter. I remember a newly arrived migrant like myself, a Greek guy, saying to me, 'Doug, why you no speak good English like me?' And that is a true story. I went home to Elaine that night and I said, 'I do not think we are going to make it in Australia because nobody can understand me.' But now that I have got an Aussie accent, I think everything has turned out not too bad. But seriously, if you come here and you do not have English as your native language or if you are not white Anglo-Saxon then there are challenges. There are real challenges for some Aboriginal Australians.

My background is one where you have to have a legislated opposition to this kind of cultural discrimination. You cannot rely on people doing the right thing. You cannot rely on people not being offended because the people who are discriminated against here are migrants, Aboriginal Australians and even people like myself from time to time—but being from a white Anglo-Saxon background, hey, I do not have a problem. But I cannot really imagine what it is like for many people who are discriminated against. You see it in the newspaper reports and you see it in the reports on the television news where people are attacked because of their racial background both verbally and physically on public transport. We just cannot have that.

I came to Australia because it was an egalitarian country, because it did recognise multiculturalism, because it did welcome people from all areas and from all ethnic bases around the world, even though Aboriginal Australians were suffering discrimination. We have heard from Senator Dodson that these things are slowly but surely changing. I think one of the biggest problems we could have is if we have a debate. There is no problem having a debate but a debate that results in the diminution of the protections for some of our most vulnerable people in society, I am strongly opposed to and I am opposed to any changes to the Racial Discrimination Amendment Bill.

I think, of the debate that is going on at the moment, there are some people that really believe in this. Senator Leyonhjelm, from his political perspective, believes that people should be able to be offended, insulted and humiliated. But I have to say, Senator Leyonhjelm, you did not handle it too well when the TV station rolled up and gave you a hard time. You did not handle that very well at all but that is what we all have to learn. You understand that these things happen from time to time. When Senator Williams has a go at me, I cop it on the chin.

My life in Australia has been one where I have been extremely lucky, but many others have not been as lucky. They have not been as lucky because they are not white Anglo-Saxons or they are not white Anglo-Saxon males. There is discrimination against females in this country. You have only got to look at the numbers in the coalition to know there is a problem with female participation in the coalition. So I am of the view that we should not be making any changes to the Racial Discrimination Amendment Bill. We should as a parliament be looking after those that are in a weak and vulnerable position and we should be making sure that they cannot be divided against in this country. People should not be subjected to offence, insult, humiliation or intimidation and that is a position that we should hold strongly.

I know the debate is on because there is an attack on the Prime Minister. This is a challenge to Mr Turnbull's authority. It is being driven by right-wing extremists in the coalition and is being supported by people that should know better. It is a mixture of the extremists and the gullible in the coalition. We should just get beyond this and say that no-one should be insulted, offended, humiliated or intimidated in this country.

Debate interrupted.