Claire Chandler (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

People all around the world have been shocked and appalled at the abhorrent terrorist atrocities in France and Austria in the past month. The shootings in Vienna, the horrific murder of three people in a church in Nice and the appalling killing and beheading of French teacher Samuel Paty are a shocking reminder of the ongoing threat of Islamic terrorism. We share our deepest sympathies with the French and Austrian people, and particularly the families and friends of the innocent victims. These attacks are a brutal reminder not just of the need for constant vigilance by governments to protect their citizens but of how fundamentally irreconcilable are the twisted views of terrorists with our Western values of democracy, freedom of speech, freedom of expression and the rule of law.

Mr Paty was specifically targeted because he'd shown a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed to his students. His murder was not just the work of a lone wolf according to French authorities, who have since charged several people, including some of Mr Paty's own students, with conspiring to target him. To the extent that such barbarity can ever be described as having any logical motivation, the alleged motivation draws parallels with the Charlie Hebdo massacre, which shocked the world in 2015.

It has been particularly disappointing to see some Western media analyse the latest round of attacks as being in some way the fault of the French people and their values. Associated Press, for example, tweeted an article asking why France incites anger in the Muslim world. To suggest that Western nations who allow citizens to speak freely are responsible for inciting murder and terrorism is an appallingly wrongheaded, victim-blaming position to take. There is no doubt that Islamic extremists refuse to accept values which are at the very foundation of free Western societies: free speech, free expression and freedom of religion. These are rights which cannot and should not be limited or withdrawn because one person's speech may offend another. In the wake of Charlie Hebdo, and again in the wake of the most recent attacks, the French have admirably stood firm in defence of these values. On returning to school following Mr Paty's murder, French schools held not just a minute's silence in his memory but also a class on freedom of expression in his honour.

It is worth reflecting once again, in light of these attacks, on our own commitments to freedom of speech and free expression and, particularly, on the limitations certain parts of Western society have sought to impose on these freedoms. In recent decades we in Australia have adopted and enshrined in law the idea that speech which offends someone should be banned, censored or subject to legal action. This idea has found its way into the law of the Commonwealth and into state laws. While the world mourned the murder of Charlie Hebdo staff and vowed to stand for the right to freedom of expression, an Australian was subjected to action by the Human Rights Commission for drawing a cartoon. If the French can stand up and unequivocally defend the right to speak freely, even in the face of murder and terrorism, then why do we willingly give up our free speech in the face of people being offended?

The overwhelming achievement of democracy and Western civilisation is that it has allowed billions of people to live together peacefully despite having different views on politics, religion and many other topics. We are able to say what we think and what we believe without fear of violence or reprisals from our fellow citizens. But when it comes to upholding the universal value of freedom of speech, Australia is not excelling. How do we hold firm against fundamentalist terrorists, who insist that certain things cannot be said, when we already tell our own citizens that there are mainstream opinions and views which are not allowed to be articulated. We can and should aim to be much, much more vigorous in defence of such a fundamental value as free speech.

The attacks in France should remind us all that our democratic and free Western societies are something to be treasured. They are built on values which some nations do not share, however, and which some fundamentalists want to turn down. We should never be afraid to celebrate our values and protect them from anyone who claims that we should make concessions so that others who don't share those values feel more comfortable.