MARK DREYFUS MP

The position of the Governor-General is one of public interest. Letters between the Queen and her representative, the Governor-General, are by definition governmental and professional and should be treated as such by the Archives Act.

Redress needs to be provided to all survivors regardless of which state or territory they were abused in or now reside in, regardless of whether the institution was a government or non-government institution, and regardless of whether the abuse occurred in more than one institution, whether the institution still exists or, indeed, the assets available to the institution.

It is particularly important for Australian politicians not to succumb to fear and to the urge to blame and divide, which is exactly what our enemies want.

It is right that, when Australian servicemen and women engage in armed conflict against ISIL and other like groups overseas, they are given legal certainty about what they are doing. They cannot do their job properly, if there is the remotest concern about the legality under Australian law. I am pleased that this bill will offer them that certainty.

As a proud Labor member and, more importantly, as a proud Australian, I stand here today in defence of multiculturalism, in defence of diversity and in defence of the continued commitment to denounce racial intolerance in any form as incompatible with the kind of society we are and want to be.

Labor's motivation when it comes to national security matters is always the safety of the Australian community. Labor has continuously demonstrated our strong belief that our intelligence and security agencies and our law enforcement authorities should have the resources and capabilities they need to keep Australians safe from the threat of terrorism.

It is because of this profound connection between justice, social democracy and Labor's vision that I joined the ALP as an idealistic young man. And it is because of this bedrock of interconnected values that I have never doubted my decision, whatever the trials and tribulations of our party, and however turbulent and at times heartbreaking our political cycles may feel.

Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act does not need changing. It is a good law and it has served the Australian people well.

Shimon Peres was a deep soul, a man of literature and poetry. His place in the history of Israel is almost mythical in its greatness, but all of his achievements were reached through hard work, negotiation and incredible resolve.

Australians want their Parliament to do the job that their Parliament was elected to do, that is, to consider the hard issues that arise in Australia and to debate those hard issues and to vote on those hard issues.