MARK DREYFUS MP

A large part of the attraction of Dingley Village is its open space. It's blessed with parkland and large tracts of green, open space. That's the reason thousands of Dingley Village families have chosen to make it their home.

Thank you for the opportunity to address you all this evening, and in particular for the opportunity and privilege of thanking Dr Tim Soutphommasane for his five years of excellent service to this country as our nations Race Discrimination Commissioner.

There can be no doubt how hard Tim has worked over the last five years, meeting challenge after challenge under conditions that at times could be described, generously, as difficult.

The importance of section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act in our multicultural society cannot and must not be underestimated.

The key threats that these two bills seek to address are those of covert foreign interference and covert foreign influence in our democratic processes. As a democratic nation with a policy of openness marked by public participation not only in elections but also in governmental decision-making we are more open to the threats of covert foreign influence and covert foreign interference than are some other nations with political systems that are largely closed to public involvement.

Labor will always work to keep Australians safe and, at the same time, we will ensure that the rights and freedoms enjoyed by all Australians are upheld.

We support the bill because it will provide greater legal protections for our schools, for our universities and for our libraries and cultural institutions to operate efficiently in the digital age. At the same time, this bill balances the interests of rights holders with those of the important educational and cultural institutions that will benefit from the extended protections provided under the expanded safe harbour scheme.

There is no doubt that among the most rewarding cases I argued as a barrister were those that involved a fight for justice. The Stolen Generations Casein particular was a matter that I fought for at a very personal level. It was a case about redressing a deep injustice, and I remain very proud of having worked on it.

Australians rely on a compact between business and consumers, but in order for that compact to work consumers need to have enough money to spend on goods, and businesses need to be honest and act in good faith when trading.

While the redress scheme provided for in these bills is late and falls short in some important respects from the scheme recommended by the royal commission, I have no doubt that it will provide a measure of justice to survivors.

Today I speak as a former shadow minister for the arts but also as a Melburnian to express my shock and sadness about the burning down of the much-loved La Mama Theatre on Faraday Street in Carlton.