Nick McKim (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the answer given by the Attorney-General (Senator Brandis) to a question without notice asked by Senator McKim today relating to comments made by the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection (Mr Dutton).

I thought my questions to the Attorney today laid out calmly and logically the case that comments made by the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, Peter Dutton, which linked a group of Australians, in this case Lebanese Muslim Australians, to terrorism made Australia a less safe place and played into the hands of terrorist groups. The Attorney's rejection of the assertions contained in my question beggar belief. In support of that contention, I remind the Attorney again of comments made by Prime Minister Turnbull in the House of Representatives this morning, when he said:

… terrorist groups seek to identify weakness and vulnerability and drive fear and division. Actions and behaviours that target particular sections in society merely play into their hands.

The Prime Minister quite rightly, in the view of the Australian Greens, says that people who indulge in actions and behaviours that target particular sectors in our society merely play into the hands of terrorist groups. That is an entirely reasonable and accurate statement, and I think the Attorney would agree with that statement. There is no doubt that, viewed calmly and logically, the comments made by the immigration minister, Mr Dutton, who said recently that it was a mistake to allow Lebanese Muslim immigrants into Australia in the 1970s and who linked Lebanese Muslim Australians with terrorists by going into facts and figures about the number of Lebanese Muslims who have been charged with terrorist offences played into the hands of terrorists. For the Attorney to reject that is completely illogical and an abrogation of his responsibility to treat the safety of Australia seriously and to call out threats to Australia's safety and national security when they occur.

There is no doubt that Minister Dutton is a threat to Australia's safety and security. If you want further proof of that, Attorney-General, I again draw your attention to the question I asked today and the comments I quoted from ASIO Director-General Duncan Lewis, who said, in response to questions I asked him last month at Senate estimates, about comments made 'about members of the Islamic faith being unwelcome here make engagement with the Islamic community more difficult and, ipso facto, that makes our job,'—that is, ASIO's job—'more difficult.'

One of ASIO's primary responsibilities is to make Australia a safer place to live by defending us against the actions of terrorist groups. Again, I make the argument calmly and logically, that the comments made by the immigration minister, Mr Dutton, make the job of ASIO more difficult and therefore make Australia a more dangerous place to live. It is simply not acceptable and it defies logic for the Attorney to get up and say he agrees with Mr Lewis and he agrees with Mr Turnbull, but refuse to draw the link between the comments made by those two men and the comments of the immigration minister, Mr Dutton.

Make no mistake, for base political purposes, Mr Dutton is acting in a way that makes it less safe to be in Australia. He is not only engaging in racism; he is actually engaging in counterproductive commentary that, in the view of the Prime Minister and the view of the Director-General of ASIO, makes Australia a less safe place.

But, of course, that is what the government does—it is left hand and right hand stuff. On one hand, they talk about the need to deradicalise and engage with the Islamic community; on the other hand, they roll their racist, idiot immigration minister, Mr Dutton, out to make comments that actually defy the comments made by the Prime Minister and the Director-General of ASIO.

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A point of order, Mr President. That should certainly be withdrawn. Senator McKim referred to a minister as a racist idiot. That is a disgusting thing to say. He ought to be ashamed of himself and he ought to be sanctioned by the Senate for saying that. In any event, it ought to be withdrawn.

Nick McKim (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On the point of order, if the Attorney wishes to move a censure, there are opportunities available to him under the standing orders to do it, and simply referring to that in a point of order does not constitute a genuine attempt to have me censured. However, Mr President, to forestall what I believe will be your inevitable suggestion to me, I do withdraw those comments.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator McKim. The question is that the motion moved by Senator McKim be agreed to.

Question agreed to.