MARK DREYFUS MP

A Shorten Labor Government will establish a National Redress Scheme for survivors of institutional child sexual abuse.

The arts community breathed a collective sigh of relief when Senator George Brandis was sacked as Arts Minister in September. It is increasingly apparent that this sense of relief was premature.

Less than a week after a range of Liberal backbenchers declared their support in the Senate for a Bill to water down the hate speech protection in section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, Turnbull Government frontbencher, Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells has revealed her own support for weakening the Act.

Malcolm Turnbull faces a serious split in his own party as a number of Liberal Senators bucked the party line to back a Bill to water down section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, a proposal supposedly abandoned by the Coalition Government last year.

The death of Andrew Sayers at only 58 has taken from us an artist of great talent and insight into the Australian landscape and the Australian character.

Today in Question Time in the Senate the Minister for Women, Senator Michaelia Cash, repeatedly refused to acknowledge, or give reason why, the Government will not commit to renewing desperately needed $12 million in funding to community legal centres.

Malcolm Turnbull must guarantee that his Liberal Senators will oppose Senator Bob Day's Bill to weaken Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act when it is considered by the Senate this Thursday.

Labor has welcomed the Government's decision to return $15 million dollars to legal assistance services to help women experiencing domestic violence.

Federal Labor's Tasmania Taskforce today met in Hobart to discuss the future of Tasmania's arts industry.

Malcolm Turnbull's decision to appoint Senator James McGrath as his Assistant Minister shows a lack of judgement and will greatly concern Australia's diverse migrant communities who oppose weakening Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act.