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

I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) violent extremism in Australia is perpetrated or inspired by terrorist groups that claim to act in the name of Islam,

(ii) the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and similar groups exert influence through a violent ideology, persuasive propaganda and the grooming of young people which has produced significant numbers of radicalised Australian Muslims, and

(iii) the so-called 'lone actor terrorists' are in fact part of a wider group of radicalised communities within Australian Muslim enclaves in Australia; and

(b) calls on the Government to ban full face coverings in public places on the grounds of social cohesion, the need to identify people seeking community support and for public safety.

I rise to speak to the notice of motion standing in my name, which concerns some of the matters I raised in my proposed amendment to the Criminal Code Amendment (Prohibition of Full Face Coverings in Public Places) Bill 2017. I call on the government to ban full-face coverings in public places. The central issue in this motion before the Senate is the right of others to see a face. No-one should be permitted to hide behind a veil of secrecy while there is a security concern. No-one should be able to receive taxpayer funded support when their identity cannot be confirmed with facial recognition.

Our law recognises some cases where the right to see an individual's face is more important than the right of another to keep their face hidden. These situations include when a person is committing an unlawful act or giving evidence to a court. In the UK, they are now debating whether a patient in a public hospital has the right to see the face of a treating nurse or doctor. In Canada, they have decided that a woman in a burqa can take the oath of citizenship.

In June this year, men disguised in burqas entered the Iranian parliament building and detonated a number of suicide devices, killing 12 people and wounding 35 others. This is not the first case of this kind, and it will not be the last. These terrorists had no fear of an earthly law. They considered themselves martyrs and bound for heaven, taking as many lives as they could.

Our laws are outdated, and we need new ones like a ban on full-face coverings. While it is an offence in most states of Australia to be disguised with unlawful intent, it is self-evident that two years in jail is not a deterrent for a suicide bomber. We need laws to stop terrorism before it happens, and the ability of others to see a face is an important part of assessing risk. As you wander down the corridors of many major airports, you will see security cameras. These cameras relay information to security experts, who need facial recognition to identify terrorists and criminals. Full-face coverings like a niqab or a burqa take away a valuable source of information from counterterrorism experts. Full-face coverings deny us all the right to be as safe as we can be in public places.

The No. 1 job of any government is to keep its citizens safe, and that is why a number of Islamic countries, including Malaysia, Turkey, Tunisia, Egypt and the Congo have banned full-face coverings. If the burqa was a religious requirement then it would not have been banned in public places in Islamic countries. The fact is, wearing a burqa is not a religious requirement.

Non-Islamic countries like Switzerland, Norway, Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, China and Russia have also banned full-face coverings. Again, lawmakers believe a ban improves public safety and enables social cohesion.

Australians don't like double standards. How can you justify banning the wearing of a helmet or a balaclava but not a burqa when entering a bank?

Australia is a Christian country built on Judaeo-Christian values, but many Muslims see Christians as a threat to Islam because it celebrates a falsehood, and so we are progressively seeing the celebration of Christmas in public spaces withdrawn. It is a case of a small minority telling the majority how to live. Development applications for halal housing estates have been rejected to date, but it is only a matter of time before Muslims will have the numbers to get these estates approved.

There is no place in Australia for migrants who want to come here and change the foundation stones of our way of life. My message to those who want to live under sharia law is: migrate to an Islamic country, but don't come here to Australia.

In 2014, Roy Morgan asked Australians whether or not the burqa should be banned in public places. Seventy per cent of Liberal voters wanted the burqa banned and 44 per cent of Labor voters agreed. Overall, 55 per cent of those questioned wanted the burqa banned, but still there is no support for the proposal in this parliament. Labor and Liberal senators fear losing the Muslim vote, and this was never more evident than today with their reaction to my wearing the burqa. They berated me. But let me remind you again: two men in burqas entered the Iranian parliament, detonated a bomb and killed 12 people.

On my way to this chamber today wearing the full burqa, Senator Whish-Wilson extended his hand to me, not knowing who I was, and shook my hand. He has never done that to me in all my time in this place. It was actually just symbolism—wanting to shake my hand. I've never seen him do that. He has not only not shaken my hand in the past, but he has not shaken the hand of any other woman just walking the corridors. It was the burqa that drew him. Was it tokenism? I don't know.

And Senator Cameron was visibly overcome after my senator's statement last week. Well—through you, Chair—Senator Cameron needs to do much better than call me a racist. What you need to do, Senator Cameron, is to prove me wrong with facts from reliable sources.

I will say it again: Muslims determine the electoral outcomes in up to 15 lower house seats. The Muslim vote will continue to increase in importance because of the high birth rates in Australian Muslim communities. The number of Muslims in Australia doubled in the decade from 2006 to 2016 through immigration and the high numbers of children born to Muslim families. If we do not draw a line in the sand against immigration from Islamic countries, the influence of Muslims in this country will continue to grow and Australia will continue down the path of Islamisation. We need to learn from other countries. We need to ban further Islamic immigration for at least five years, so that we can have the debate on the impact of Islam on our country before it is too late. It has been reported that fears over terrorism have caused Sydney to fall from the top 10 in key listings of the world's most liveable cities published by The Economist Group's Intelligence Unit.

Lebanon was once a safe place for Christians in the Middle East, but that was long ago. Today the majority of Christians live to the north of Beirut and the Muslims to the south and east, and towards the northern borders. No-one knows how many Muslims and Christians there are in Lebanon, because the last census was conducted in 1932. Since that time it has been considered too sensitive to know the actual numbers of Muslims and Christians. What we do know is that in 1932, the Christians outnumbered the Muslims, and now Muslims outnumber Christians. Christians in Lebanon are threatened from Sunni and Shiite radical Islam. Christians are in real danger and could face the same fate as other minorities in the Middle East who have needed to leave to survive. Many have found their way here to Australia, for a peaceful life in a country where they feel safe. It is a disgrace that the Labor Party has been silent on the plight of Christians in Lebanon but outspoken in its support for a Palestinian state run by Muslim terrorists.

Australians expect everyone who migrates here to be an active citizen and to work to make Australia a better place. Many Muslims want to adopt our values and way of life, but to gain my trust they need to call out radical Muslims with extreme views. If they are not willing to work to keep their fellow Australians safe then, in my view, they should leave and go to live in an Islamic country.

I want to return to the need for a general ban on the Islamic veil and the burqa in public places. Has anyone ever considered the plight of women forced to wear the burqa and who cannot speak up? That is the issue here. I'm sure there are a lot of women who wish to get rid of the wearing of the burqa, but it's forced on them by their husbands, by their fathers and by men within their family. Many migrants have come here to avoid living under Islam and are deeply worried by the Islamisation of Australia and the failure of parliamentarians to take action. I turn to the fact that I got in a taxi and the Muslim driver recognised me. He said, 'I actually was born a Muslim. I left the faith at 14.' He said, 'I am happy here in Australia. This is my home. But because I have left the Muslim faith my uncle has told my father now he must murder me.' He said, 'You are right in what you are doing. We have to stamp out the extremism in this country, and we must live by Australian values, ways and culture in this country.'

Another big issue is genital mutilation. Cutting is illegal in Australia, but still the practice continues, and at least 60 children have ended up at Westmead Children's Hospital as a result of savage injuries in the name of Islam. The meaning of the Islamic veil, niqab or burqa has varied over time. But what has never changed is the way that the wearer is separated from everyone else. This separation is a barrier to the formation of the relationships that are necessary to integrate into the Australian way of life.

More and more taxpayer money is being spent to keep us safe from homegrown Islamic terrorism. We pay for security at airports, hospitals and in public buildings, and we put the lives of police and others in danger because of thousands of radicalised Australian Muslims. I don't know the cost of keeping Australia safe from extreme and violent Muslims, and invite the government to publish those figures annually. The threat from radicalised Australian Muslims was recognised in a recent decision by the New South Wales Land and Environment Court, when the court agreed with a submission made by Waverley Council that the building of a new synagogue could attract the attention of Muslim terrorists. The Jewish people are no threat to religious freedom in this country, nor to any other freedom, and there have been no plots by Australian Jews to take the rights of others away. But they have paid the price for radicalised Australian Muslims.

Any further outdated immigration policies which support Islamic migration can only drive up the cost of providing safety against Muslims; money that could otherwise have been spent building schools and hospitals. Banning full face coverings in public places is a low-cost safety measure for the taxpayer and it is one step that should be taken, because that is what the majority of Australians want.

The case for a general ban on full-face coverings in all public places rests on the need for social cohesion and for the ability to identify and confirm eligibility in a variety of situations and for public safety. Social cohesion rests very largely on the relationships we form as we go about our daily lives. These relationships are built slowly over time, one by one, and these relationships act like the glue that keeps society peacefully together. We have migrants from over 250 countries in Australia, and we value those relationships. Sydney is the largest immigrant city in the world, with some 60 per cent of people born overseas, whilst 75 per cent of Australians claim a heritage other than Australian, but still we cannot take social cohesion for granted. Our social cohesion is founded on seeing one another's face; on a common language, English; and on a willingness to integrate into an Australian way of life.

Australia is a true democracy based on gender equality and freedom of expression, and where everyone is equal under the law. Most Australians like it that way, but not radical Muslims. Radical Muslims want sharia law, where women are not treated equally to men and homosexuals are not tolerated. The Muslim world has yet to learn that secularism avoids religious conflict. When you look at the Middle East, you can see the conflict created by Islam.

In Australia, the ability to see a face is essential to communication and the formation of relationships on which our society is founded. Non-verbal communication is essential to understand the content of verbal communication.

Section 116 of the Australian Constitution prohibits the Commonwealth from making any laws which prohibit the free exercise of any religion, but the courts have made it clear there are limits to that freedom when conduct is inconsistent with the maintenance of civil government. Let me say it again: wearing a niqab or a burqa is not a religious requirement. Courts around the world have decided that an individual's right to wear religious face coverings in public is secondary to the rights and freedoms of others.

The New Zealand District Court held that two women from Afghanistan would have to remove their full face veils to give evidence. It was argued that the barrister needed to see their faces to be able to understand their evidence. The court found it was not necessary to decide whether a full-face covering was or was not a religious requirement, because in all cases the human right to freedom of religion was secondary to the human right to justice.

In late 2016, Judge Balla in the Sydney district court was faced with a similar problem. She decided not to hear evidence from Moutia Elzahed, the second wife of Islamic recruiter Hamdi Alqudsi, because she would not reveal her face. Hamdi Alqudsi's other wife, Carnita Matthews, was imprisoned for falsely accusing a police officer of trying to remove her veil, but—bad luck for her—the incident was caught on a car camera, and the footage showed she had lied. It also showed she could not be properly identified behind the veil, and the conviction was overturned on appeal. Is this parliament willing to do anything at all to support the police and the courts to work smoothly, or are senators satisfied to do nothing and let three per cent of Australians decide whether or not someone wearing a full face covering can waste taxpayers' money and precious police and court resources?

The argument about full-face coverings and human rights has been lost. The European Court of Human Rights in 2014 held 15 to two that a ban on full-face coverings did not violate human rights. This is a problem with full-face coverings, whether they are Islamic veils or burqas, a mask or any other covering, like bandages. Full, face coverings isolate people on both sides of the covering, denying important non-verbal information to set the context of verbal communication. We have immigrants from over 250 countries, many of them from non-English-speaking backgrounds. How do we expect people to integrate into the Australian way of life when faces are covered?

It is clear that Muslims, particularly those with extremist views, have chosen to live separately from other Australians in a way no other religious group has done in Australia. The 2016 census shows us that no other religious group is so strongly concentrated and so alienated from other Australians.

In closing, I want to say that everyone has the right to their own religious beliefs, but it is only Islam that threatens our way of life. The members in this parliament agreed to spend $16 million to upgrade security here because of a threat from radical Islam. Why don't senators show some leadership and ban the burqa in public places? It is outrageous that we allow hate preachers to be here, but women like Ayaan Hirsi Ali are unsafe in our country.

This needs to be debated, and I'm pleased that it is on the floor of the chamber today, so we can hear other people talk on this matter, because Australians want this debated. Australians want to hear what our members and the leaders of this nation have to say about banning the burqa. As I said in my statement, a large percentage of Australians, over 70 per cent, believe that banning the burqa is necessary and important. They are confronted by it. Two of our former prime ministers, Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott, have also indicated they found it confronting. Standing in this chamber today with the burqa on, even Senator Hinch wanted to see my face. Every Australian will want to see a face. It may be that, in coming into this chamber with a burqa on, what I did was radical. Yes, it was. But it was a case of saying I do not believe that at any point in time in the future any full-face covering should ever be worn in this place.

Every Australian who watches or hears this has the right to see the face of everyone in this chamber to ensure that it is the right person. And I will say again: when I walked from my office down to this chamber, I was not challenged once by any security guard to check to see that it was me under that veil. We have a real problem. My coming here today wearing the burqa was also to prove the point that we in this chamber have to ensure that the person taking their place in the chamber has the right to be here. We have to ensure full safety. I go back to this: the Iranian parliament building was bombed. Do not always consider that this is the safest place. It is not. We have a better chance here than many people out on the streets of this nation.

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

Firstly, I want to congratulate Senator Brandis for the response that he gave to what was an outrageous stunt by Senator Hanson and One Nation. It wasn't just Senator Hanson; it was all of One Nation who engaged in that stunt. I thought the response from Senator Brandis was excellent—and I don't think I've ever congratulated Senator Brandis on anything since I've been in this place.

I just want to go to some of the issues that have been raised by Senator Hanson in the contribution that she has just made—a contribution underpinned by racism; a contribution underpinned by religious intolerance; a contribution, from my point of view, underpinned by just plain stupidity. This is not good for our nation. This is not good for Australia. Why would anyone have to gain the trust of Senator Pauline Hanson? I say to all the Muslims out there: you don't need to gain the trust of Senator Pauline Hanson, because the bulk of Australians trust you. They trust you to make good, effective contributions to this country. You don't need to prove anything to One Nation or to Senator Pauline Hanson.

I oppose this motion from One Nation. I'm not religious. I think most people know I'm not religious; I'm an atheist. But I do respect the Constitution, which says people should have the right to practise their religion, so I just find it absolutely mind-boggling that, for the second time this week, we have a contribution so terrible for multiculturalism in this country and so bad for a decent society in this country. It is a contribution that is about breaking apart a cohesive society and a country that is renowned around the world for its capacity to welcome people here and have them integrate effectively in a good society.

I am a migrant, as most people would be aware. I came here in 1973. I came here along with my wife, Elaine, and my then only daughter, Lynn. We came here because we wanted to get away from religious intolerance. I was brought up a Presbyterian, and my wife was brought up a Catholic in the west of Scotland. In those days it was not considered by many to be a good thing that we married. You cannot have a cohesive society when religious intolerance is practised the way that Senator Pauline Hanson and One Nation are practising and promoting religious intolerance. It didn't do the west of Scotland any good having that intolerance. Some of it is still there, but, thankfully, people are moving away from that sort of nonsense. There are lessons for us all when we look at religious intolerance around the world.

I think Senator Hanson is in here pushing this agenda for pure political purposes. She has a small base and she's playing up to that base. Of stunts like today I want to say to any Muslims that are listening in and to all Australians that may be listening in that this Senate condemns that approach. That was overwhelming in the response led by Senator Brandis and supported by Senator Wong. Every other party and politician in this place was appalled at that stunt that was pulled today.

Talking about the influence of Muslims: I just looked up some of the young Muslim high achievers. They're going to make huge contributions to this country. Every country wants high achievers so they can have growth in the economy, a good society and jobs for people. If you look at these young high achievers—and I've just picked one area from across Australia—of the Australian International Academy, a Melbourne senior campus, the dux of the school is Mohammed Habbal with a score of 97.6. What does Mohammed want to do? He wants to go to Monash University and study biomedical science. If that's not a contribution to Australia, I don't know what is. Asmaa Barakat, a young Muslim woman, wants to go to the University of Melbourne to study science. That, not the vile racism and nonsense we hear from Senator Hanson, is what contributes to this country.

Hussein Kaddour, with 94.6, wants to go to the University of Melbourne and study science. Other young people want to do biomedical science, engineering honours, applied science and psychology. I'll tell you what: I welcome this contribution from young Muslims in this country. They are the future of this country as much as the future of this country depends on any religion or any individual. Muslims make their contribution. It's a welcomed contribution. It is a significant contribution. And to come here and run a stunt like we've just seen belittles this place. I am so proud that Senator Brandis and the rest of the Senate just said, 'We are not tolerating this.'

I want to go back to former senator Ron Boswell. Former Senator Boswell always maintained strong views about One Nation. I disagreed with former Senator Boswell on many, many issues, but he has written a recent opinion piece entitled 'Why Pauline Hanson's One Nation is catastrophic for the bush'. In it, he said:

It was the Aboriginals. Then the Asians. Then the Muslims. The story is always the same, it's just the characters that change based on who's most unpopular at the time. It's good for winning a few votes but it's a disaster for Australia and its relationships with its trading partners.

Ron Boswell was being pragmatic about this. Ron Boswell was clearly understanding the threat that One Nation posed to this nation, not the other way around. One Nation, according to former Senator Boswell, is the threat to the nation, not the Muslims who are in here becoming the scientists, the doctors, the GPs and the engineers of the future. It's not them; it's One Nation and the bitterness and political opportunism we see from them.

I know Senator Sinodinos is well respected, but he said that One Nation had evolved in the 16 years since his former boss John Howard decreed that the Liberal Party would always put One Nation last on their how-to-vote card. He said:

The One Nation of today is a very different beast to what it was 20 years ago—they are a lot more sophisticated, they have clearly resonated with a lot of people.

Our job is to treat them as any other party. That doesn't mean we have to agree with their policies.

Senator Sinodinos, I said it to you today and I will say it again: if this is the evolution of One Nation, God help us—and I'm an atheist! I tell you, this is not a party that is evolving. I don't think it is a different beast. I think it's the same beast. It's a beast that's out there trying to create division in this community, and I just don't accept his proposition. Senator Sinodinos was sitting here when we saw that stunt today. If that's more sophistication from One Nation, we don't want more sophistication like that. One Nation are anything but a sophisticated political party.

This argument that we are being 'swamped by Muslims' is just another racist rant from this so-called political party. Last week, Senator Hanson ran the rant that the Muslims were a drain on the public purse. I've got to tell you, these high-achieving young Muslims that want to be the doctors of the future, the engineers of the future and the scientists of the future are not a drain on the public purse. The Muslim families that I know are families that have got the same aspirations and the same goals I have, and that is to have their family with a roof over their head, to have a job in the future, to be able to put food on the table and to make a contribution to our society. Those are the Muslims I know. I just don't understand why any political party would come here and try to divide our nation the way that Senator Hanson does now on a regular basis in this place.

She argued we were in danger of being swamped. Then she was on Facebook holding up a poster saying, 'Pray for a Muslim ban.' The election platform from One Nation includes ceasing Muslim migration and holding a royal commission on Islam. What is wrong with these people? What's wrong with them? The election platform also includes installing surveillance cameras in mosques, banning the burqa and the niqab and prohibiting members of parliament being sworn in under the Koran. This is racist, this is religious intolerance and this is manifest stupidity from Senator Hanson and One Nation.

Senator Hanson and Senator Roberts share the stage with groups like Reclaim Australia and the Love Australia or Leave Party. The Love Australia or Leave Party's platform includes the right to bear arms, national profiling of 10- to 14-year-olds, mandatory singing of the national anthem in all schools, a ban on Muslim migration and Muslims in the Australian military and a mandatory reporting obligation for all Australians who form a reasonable suspicion of unacceptable risk about another person. Does that remind you of something? Doesn't that remind you of what happened in Nazi Germany? It certainly reminds me of the history of Nazi Germany. These are the people that One Nation are sharing platforms with, spewing their bile and racial intolerance day after day.

They also share the platform with the United Patriots Front. Their leader, Shermon Burgess, who organised the Reclaim Australia rallies that Pauline Hanson spoke at, said:

I recruited a lot of patriots who come from backgrounds as body builders, ex-martial arts, one of our guys is an ex-cage fighter and we said we are going to get them on the front line.

Does that remind you of something that happened in the United States last week? It does me. And that is not acceptable in this country. We cannot accept this white nationalism, this racism and these attacks on our fellow Australians, because Muslims are our fellow Australians. That's what they are. They are not Muslims on their own and Catholics are not Catholics on their own. They are our fellow Australians. It doesn't matter if you are Hindu; you are a fellow Australian.

Everyone that I know and speak to has the same views: they want their kids to be brought up in a secure, decent society. If I was a young Muslim listening to Senator Hanson, the United Patriots Front and these other racist groups, I would be concerned; I would not feel secure. This is not the Australia that I migrated to in 1973, wanting a better life for my kids and grandkids. I don't want them to be worrying about some race riots or white Nazi supporters out there attacking young Muslims because of religion. I don't want that to happen. Banning the burqa and running the rubbish that we've heard today are absolutely the antithesis of what sensible Australians want. They don't want that. We don't want to be turned into the worst aspects of the US or some of the countries in Europe that are running white-racist arguments. We don't want to go down that path. We want to give to young Muslim Australians who are here excelling at school job opportunities for the future and a life for the future so that they can bring their kids to Australia and get ahead in this country. They are part of our community.

We are a multicultural migrant nation. We have welcomed people from all over the world. Muslims have been an important part of our migrant history. Muslim people are our neighbours, our friends and our colleagues. They are valued and they are great contributors to our society in all walks of life. It is in our culture, our tradition and our democratic political system that minorities are protected and not vilified. We are a secular nation with religious freedom and tolerance. Bigotry should be reviled, called out and named for what it is, whenever and wherever it is seen. Australia is better than One Nation.

This will probably be seen around the world. I want to say to anyone who sees this anywhere that that is not Australia. What we saw today in question time is not Australia. Australia is a great country. Australia is a multicultural country. Australia is a country that welcomes different religions and different ethnic groups to our country. They even accepted me!

John Williams (NSW, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Not yet, Dougie!

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

Oh, yeah, not yet! We have so many challenges in this country, and the challenges are made harder, tougher and worse because of the racism and religious intolerance that underpins One Nation. They are an absolute disgrace.

Jacqui Lambie (Tasmania, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I don't want to give this too much oxygen, so I will keep it quick. If Senator Hanson wanted to prove that it is possible for dangerous extremists to get into the Senate chamber, she proved it alright. She proved that Australians have something to fear, and it is her! With her stunt, Senator Hanson wanted to prove the need for a ban on full-face coverings. She could have made the same point by wearing a balaclava, but she didn't, and she didn't for a reason.

This week, the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee issued 24 unanimous recommendations to end the silent epidemic of veterans' suicide. We should be really proud of ourselves for that. All sides came together in a rare moment to make people's lives better. But what was needed next was unity, and what we saw today was an effort to divide all of us. I didn't want to talk about Senator Hanson today, but here we are. What she has done has diminished this place, and it has diminished us all. She is an absolute embarrassment. But what is even worse is that because of her actions she is dividing a nation. She is not One Nation; she is Divided Nation.

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

Today we saw the true face of Pauline Hanson's One Nation. It wasn't actually concealed behind a burqa. It was in the twisted smiles of Senator Burston and Senator Roberts sitting behind their leader, grinning and laughing as she mocked and demeaned an entire religion. This is mere days after the Charlottesville attacks in the United States, which showed how easily hateful words can become hateful deeds. And that's the warning for this country: how quickly things can change, and how quickly words that demean can become deeds that harm and kill. It showed what happens when violent extremists are encouraged or even appeased by chickenhawk politicians—and there's a few of those in this place—and their fellow travellers in the media.

Last month the Islamophobia in Australia report revealed some of the appalling attacks that Senator Hanson and her colleagues today endorsed and encouraged, and it showed that women, especially women wearing Islamic head coverings, have been the main targets of these attacks. I want to quote a couple of incidents from that report, Islamophobia in Australia, which give a picture of some of the things that are going on in this country. One woman said this: 'I'm not sure if they started to follow me on foot, but once I entered the medical centre I didn't hear or see anything else from them. I am 19 weeks pregnant and have never felt so afraid and so vulnerable in my life. I thought they were going to physically try harming my daughter and me. There were lots of passers-by who did not come to my aid.' And another woman said this: 'I was walking with my head down and a group of young males yelled out, "ISIS bitch! Go back to where you came from!" and snickered and said, "Shoosh, or she will behead you," and they followed me down the street, and none of the train staff helped me out or stopped them.'

To the vast majority of Australians, these are disgusting attacks. But to Senator Hanson and her colleagues, these are laughing matters. They claim to be representing the Australian people, but they are doing no such thing, because we are a fair country, a decent country, a welcoming country, a country that respects and celebrates diversity, and a country in fact that has been built on the rich, multicultural fabric that exists in our country to this day.

As elected MPs, we have a responsibility to confront these slurs and these attacks on freedom of religion whenever they occur, and I want to echo and commend the comments of the Leader of the Government in the Senate, Senator Brandis, and the many others from the Labor Party, from the crossbench and from the Australian Greens who have condemned these disgraceful attacks on over half a million Muslim Australians. It was a fantastic moment in this Senate this afternoon when Labor, Green and crossbench senators stood and applauded Senator Brandis's remarks. It is notable that many of his Liberal colleagues did not. Senator Brandis showed the kind of leadership that has been sorely lacking in government in Australia today.

So let us today, please, finally draw the line. Let those of us who believe in freedom of religion, who believe in multiculturalism, who believe in the right of women to choose what they want to wear, stand up today and represent the vast majority of Australians who are sick to their guts with what they saw from Pauline Hanson's One Nation today. And we'll stand with these men and these women, these Australians who believe in decency and want to see everyone in this country have a chance to live their own lives and to make their own choices, without being so disgustingly disrespected as we saw from One Nation in this place today. And let's demand that all of us in this place stop comforting and appeasing the extremists in our own ranks and particularly those in Pauline Hanson's One Nation party, because it's only through confronting hatred, naming it and calling it out, wherever we see it and wherever we hear it, that we can hope to defeat it.

Question negatived.