THE HON. MARK DREYFUS QC MP
SHADOW ATTORNEY-GENERAL
SHADOW MINISTER FOR NATIONAL SECURITY
MEMBER FOR ISAACS
E&OE TRANSCRIPT
DOORSTOP INTERVIEW
MELBOURNE, VICTORIA
MONDAY, 18 MARCH 2019
SUBJECTS: Far-right extremism, parliamentarians code-of-conduct, regulating social media.
MARK DREYFUS, SHADOW ATTORNEY-GENERAL: Over the weekend we have seen an extraordinary outpouring of support for the Muslim community in Australia and our Muslim brothers and sisters in Auckland and I hope Muslim communities across the world. It's right that there has been that outpouring of support, it's right that Australians have wanted to stand shoulder to shoulder with our Muslim brothers and sisters. That's why our political leaders - Bill Shorten and I went to the Islamic Centre in Victoria on Saturday and all political leaders of all parties, almost all parties, went to mosques across Victoria and it was right we did so.
We need, I think, to reflect on the kind of language that our political leadership uses. Words matter, words hurt, words can cause hate. That's why Labor back in 2016, after the election thought it was appropriate for all members of the Federal Labor Party to sign a Parliamentarians Code of Race and Cultural Ethics. It was modelled on something Margaret Reynolds did in 1996 following the election of Pauline Hanson and we thought 20 years on with Hanson again in the parliament, we thought appropriate modern parliamentarians -parliamentarians who are here today - commit to behaving in an ethical manner, commit to using appropriate language particularly in respect of race and cultural matters.
Regrettably the government wasn't prepared to join Labor at that time in signing that code - the Parliamentarians Code of Race and Cultural Ethics. I call on Scott Morrison, the Prime Minister Scott Morrison, when parliament reconvenes on 2nd of April to have all of the members of the government parties sign a Parliamentarians Code of Race and Cultural Ethics - either the same as when Labor put to government in November 2016 or if not that, something very similar. We need to have a reminder of the responsibility to all political leadership to take care in words they use and we have no need to look far for examples. We have a right- wing Senator who has behaved extraordinarily badly saying some extraordinarily reprehensible things and rightly Labor and the government and the Greens and all mainstream parties have joined to condemn that right-wing Senator and a motion of censure will be moved and no doubt passed in Australian Parliament when we reconvene on the 2 April.
Disgracefully, but perhaps what you expect from One Nation, Pauline Hanson has said she will abstain from this motion of censure against the right-wing Senator. I ask Pauline Hanson to reflect again and ask all of her small party to reflect again, if you abstain that is the same as supporting what this right-wing Senator has done. She needs to reject it but I don't expect she will. It's because of this conduct of the right-wing Senator, who Senator Hanson brought into the parliament. It's because of the conduct of in fact One Nation that Labor will be putting One Nation and Senator Anning last at the next election and we call on all of the mainstream parties to put Senator Anning and One Nation last - at the bottom of their preferences, at the bottom of their ticket when they suggest to voters how they should place their preferences at the next election.
REPORTER: Did you expect Fraser Anning to take any notice of this sort of push? He has doubled down on his comments this morning.
DREYFUS: Well the right-wing Senator in question has behaved disgracefully now for many months, he behaved disgracefully in referring to the Final Solution in his first parliamentary speech, he behaved disgracefully in the way he engaged in racist hate speech, we are calling him out on it and other major parties are calling him out on it and the way he is behaving is a reminder to us all of the need for responsible behaviour by our political leadership, the need for our political leadership to take care because words matter and words hurt and words lead to hatred.
REPORTER: Do you think that far right extremists are being monitored in Australia?
DREYFUS: I think our agencies have been looking at far-right extremist groups now for some years and it's appropriate they do so. I know Victoria Police, NSW Police, the Western Australia Police have monitored far-right extremist groups. I have no doubt of the excellent work being done by police and by our security agencies but again I would say, it's very important that our political leadership address the threat that is posed by far-right extremism and it's very important political leadership correctly put in context when they are speaking about threats in Australia that they note, mention and refer to the threat that posed by far-right extremist groups.
REPORTER: Do you think any of our cultural and media institutions should reflect on their role in rehabilitating Pauline Hanson to get her into the Senate and promoting her brand of nationalism?
DREYFUS: I think that when I am calling for our political leadership to take care in the use of language that they use and to make sure we all use language - that's respectful, that's accepting of difference, that's tolerant. I include in the political leadership there media organisations some of whom have not taken the kind of care that should be demonstrated in these kind of situations. We have had a lot of commentary in the last couple days about the role that's played by social media platforms. They too should be taking more care than they do. But I was shocked to learn that one mainstream media organisation had broadcast the video. This is not a social media platform I am taking about but a mainstream news media platform mainstream media channel had broadcast the shocking video of the murders in Christchurch. I don't believe that's appropriate - I think that the media organisation should reflect on what they did. We need to take care - words hurt, words matter and words lead to hatred.
REPORTER: How should stricter regulations on things like Facebook be handled?
DREYFUS: I think first the social media platforms like Facebook, like Twitter, like YouTube all have to improve the kind of filtering and the kind of algorithms that they are currently using to weed out this kind of material. I appreciate the difficulty as there are millions of videos being downloaded on to Facebook, Twitter ,YouTube, Instagram every minute, but not withstanding that difficulty the digital technology that allowed this broadcasting to occur also needs to be used to have sufficient filtering. There hasn't been sufficient filtering up to now even though I accept that Facebook say that they tried to prevent the dissemination of this material. If we need to do more and pass laws that will improve the way social media platforms behave then we should pass those laws
REPORTER: Is it worth reviewing Australian gun laws in the wake of this attack?
DREYFUS: I think Australia already has very strong gun laws. I think we should be on guard against attempts made by the gun lobby - I would call it - in Australia to weaken those laws. We have seen a couple of attempts in recent years since the very great strengthening and toughening of our laws done by John Howard in the wake of Port Arthur. Apparently New Zealand doesn't have laws that are as strong as Australia which has created dreadfully and shockingly the situation with the murder in Christchurch. He was able to get hold of semi-automatic weapons, which would not be possible under Australian gun laws and I want to make sure that continues. I think we need to keep under review everything to do with possession of guns, the way in which people can come into possession of semi-automatic weapons. If we need strengthening of the laws I would be happy to assist with that strengthening.
REPORTER: What do you make of Greens Senators saying Peter Dutton is partly to blame stirring up anti Muslim sentiment?
DREYFUS: I would repeat that all political leadership has a very grave responsibility to speak appropriately and carefully about matters of race and matters of culture. I don't want to hear ever from anybody in our political leadership from any political party, any words that can be taken as divisive or as singling out any race or religious group in our society. I want to hear the reverse, words that encourage inclusiveness, that encourage respect and tolerance for difference in the Australian community. We are an immensely diverse community and all the more reason why political leadership needs to take responsibility in the words that they use.
REPORTER: On Anning again. You said that Labor would move to censure. Do you think any further action needs to be taken?
DREYFUS: Censuring a member of the Australian parliament is a very serious step and a step we don't take frequently at all. I think that motion that will be moved in the Senate and supported by Labor and supported I understand by the government will send a very clear message to the whole of the political leadership. I hope it does and I call on Prime Minister Scott Morrison to sign up to the code of conduct the Labor sent to the government. We all have signed it in November 2016. Censure is a serious step and the furthest step taken against Anning will be he will not be returned by voters of Queensland at the next election.
Thank you
ENDS
