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senate vote 2021-02-04#4
Edited by
mackay staff
on
2021-02-12 10:55:11
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Title
Motions — National Security- Motions - National Security - Far-right and far-left extremism
Description
<p class="speaker">Anne Urquhart</p><p>At the request of Senator Keneally, I move:</p><p class="italic">That the Senate—</p>- The majority voted in favour of a [motion](https://www.openaustralia.org.au/senate/?gid=2021-02-04.81.1) amended by South Australian Senator [Simon Birmingham](https://theyvoteforyou.org.au/people/senate/sa/simon_birmingham) (Liberal), which means it passed. Motions like these don't make any legal changes on their own, but they are politically influential because they represent the will of the Senate.
- ### Motion text
- > *That the Senate—*
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- > *(a) notes that:*
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- >> *(i) Australia is one of the most successful multicultural countries in the world;*
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- >> *(ii) far-right and far-left extremism is often cultivated through its overlap with various conspiracy theories, which have become a common tool to radicalise individuals, especially through misinformation on social media, and*
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- >> *(iii) extremism in all its forms tears apart the social fabric of Australia, in particular across our multicultural communities;*
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- > *(b) condemns:*
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- >> *(i) the promotion of a range of conspiracy theories and misinformation campaigns by far-right and far-left extremists,*
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- >> *(ii) the National Socialist Network, an Australian neo-Nazi organisation which caused fear amongst communities in the Grampians on both Australia Day and International Holocaust Remembrance Day, and*
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- >> *(iii) all other extremist groups which seek to promote fascism, communism, anarchism, violence and bigotry in our community;*
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- > *(c) expresses its support for all Australians—particularly multicultural, ethnic, religious and First Nations Australians—who are vilified by extremists; and*
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- > *(d) re-affirms that there is no place in the Australian community for any individual or group who seeks to promote disharmony.*
<p class="italic">(a) notes that:</p><p class="italic">(i) there has been a significant increase in far-right extremism in Australia,</p><p class="italic">(ii) far-right extremism is often cultivated through its overlap with various conspiracy theories, which have become a common tool to radicalise individuals through misinformation on social media, and</p><p class="italic">(iii) far-right extremism tears apart the social fabric of Australia's multicultural community;</p><p class="italic">(b) condemns:</p><p class="italic">(i) the Members for Hughes and Dawson for promoting a range of conspiracy theories and misinformation campaigns relating to COVID-19, climate change, voter fraud and 'false flag' operations in the United States,</p><p class="italic">(ii) the National Socialist Network, an Australian neo-Nazi organisation which caused fear amongst communities in the Grampians on both Australia Day and International Holocaust Remembrance Day, and</p><p class="italic">(iii) other far-right extremist groups which seek to promote fascism and bigotry in our community;</p><p class="italic">(c) expresses its support for the many multicultural and First Nations Australians who are vilified by far-right extremists; and</p><p class="italic">(d) calls on the Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs to take action to combat the spread of far-right extremism within their party and in the broader community.</p> <p class="speaker">Simon Birmingham</p><p>by leave—I move an amended motion:</p><p class="italic">That the Senate—</p><p class="italic">(a) notes that:</p><p class="italic">  (i) Australia is one of the most successful multicultural countries in the world;</p><p class="italic">  (ii) far-right and far-left extremism is often cultivated through its overlap with various conspiracy theories, which have become a common tool to radicalise individuals, especially through misinformation on social media, and</p><p class="italic">  (iii) extremism in all its forms tears apart the social fabric of Australia, in particular across our multicultural communities;</p><p class="italic">(b) condemns:</p><p class="italic">  (i) the promotion of a range of conspiracy theories and misinformation campaigns by far-right and far-left extremists,</p><p class="italic">  (ii) the National Socialist Network, an Australian neo-Nazi organisation which caused fear amongst communities in the Grampians on both Australia Day and International Holocaust Remembrance Day, and</p><p class="italic">  (iii) all other extremist groups which seek to promote fascism, communism, anarchism, violence and bigotry in our community;</p><p class="italic">(c) expresses its support for all Australians—particularly multicultural, ethnic, religious and First Nations Australians—who are vilified by extremists; and</p><p class="italic">(d) re-affirms that there is no place in the Australian community for any individual or group who seeks to promote disharmony.</p> <p class="speaker">Katy Gallagher</p><p>I seek leave to make a short statement on the amendment.</p> <p class="speaker">Sue Lines</p><p>Leave is granted for one minute.</p> <p class="speaker">Katy Gallagher</p><p>Labor will be opposing the amendment to the motion, because the government is seeking to white-out the advice of ASIO, the Australian Federal Police and the Department of Home Affairs that right-wing extremism is on the rise in Australia. The Secretary of the Department of Home Affairs confirmed this on <i>Sky News </i>on Tuesday.</p> <p class="speaker">Mehreen Faruqi</p><p>I seek leave to make a short statement on the amendment.</p> <p class="speaker">Sue Lines</p><p>Leave is granted for one minute.</p> <p class="speaker">Mehreen Faruqi</p><p>If you needed any more evidence that this government has absolutely no interest in grappling with the existential threat of far-Right extremism, look no further than this amendment and look no further than the debate that it contributed to yesterday. It's more nonsensical false equivalences and more nonsensical downplaying of the deadly seriousness of far Right terror. This is really harmful stuff. This is running interference on the side of fascism and hate. This is the Australian equivalent of Donald Trump commenting on the Charlottesville violence, blaming both sides for what had happened. That's why we will oppose this amendment. You should really be so ashamed of yourselves, but you have no shame. That's the problem.</p> <p class="speaker">Pauline Hanson</p><p>I seek leave to make a short statement.</p> <p class="speaker">Sue Lines</p><p>Leave is granted for one minute.</p> <p class="speaker">Pauline Hanson</p><p>One Nation supports this amendment to the motion being passed because it expresses that we are against all extremism, whether it's from the far Right or the far Left. That is taking a balanced path. I stated yesterday in my speech that it cannot be one sided; you have to be, as leaders of this nation, against all extremism. That's why we support this amendment, and I encourage the Left and the opposition to consider it. Otherwise, if you are quiet on this and you do not support it, you support extreme—</p> <p class="speaker">Mehreen Faruqi</p><p>That is absolute rubbish!</p> <p class="speaker">Pauline Hanson</p><p> You do support it. You never actually speak against extremism on the Left side. You do not. It happens in this country on both sides. Take a balanced view of it and look at it objectively—not from a political side, as you are. <i>(Time expired)</i></p> <p class="speaker">Sue Lines</p><p>The question is that the amendment as moved by Senator Birmingham to notice of motion No. 970 be agreed to.</p>
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