THE HON TONY BURKE MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND WATER
SHADOW MINISTER FOR CITIZENSHIP AND MULTICULTURAL AUSTRALIA
SHADOW MINISTER FOR THE ARTS
MEMBER FOR WATSON
THE HON MARK DREYFUS QC MP
SHADOW ATTORNEY-GENERAL
SHADOW MINISTER FOR NATIONAL SECURITY
MEMBER FOR ISAACS
AFTER 16+ HOURS, NO 18C VICTORY FOR THE GOVERNMENT
The debate over the government's Human Rights Legislation Amendment Bill 2017 has finally ended with a whimper.
It boggles the mind that on the last extended sitting day before the budget, the government has spent more than 16 hours arguing in favour of more racism in this country.
The governments attempts to rip apart the protections against racist hate speech currently provided by section 18C in the Racial Discrimination Act have been comprehensively defeated.
Tony Burke said: Today is a win for anyone who has experienced racism. The Liberal Party should heed today's message and never again try to give permission for more racist hate speech.
Shadow Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said: The corpse has barely gone cold, and Liberal MPs are calling for a fresh mandate on 18C to be taken to the next election. Just who are they kidding?
It is clear this fight is not yet over. The government remains obsessed with section 18C and Labor will keep standing in their way, for as long as it takes.
The procedural changes to the Human Rights Commission passed today will make some adjustments to how complaints are handled.
Labor was always supportive of sensible procedural changes to the Human Rights Commission Act.
We would like to express our utter dismay at the haste with which these changes have been made, with the government ignoring sensible suggestions from the Commission and the Law Council of Australia. Labor will keep a close watch on the implementation of these changes to ensure they are not allowed to unduly interfere with its operations.
FRIDAY, 31 MARCH 2017
