SENATOR PENNY WONG, LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION IN THE SENATE: Last night we saw from Fraser Anning a speech that did not reflect the heart of this nation. A speech that did not reflect who we are. A speech that did not reflect the strong, proud multicultural country that we are, a country that has been built by people from all over the world and it did not reflect Australian values.
It reflected a time that we have moved on from, and it reflected division and prejudice. It was not a speech of which he can be proud. It was not a speech that was worthy of the Parliament of Australia.
But I dont want to talk today about Fraser Anning. Hes got a lot of attention. Id like to talk today about Malcolm Turnbull. Malcolm Turnbull is a man who says and I believe him that he is opposed to racism and prejudice. Malcolm Turnbull is a man who says he supports multiculturalism.
What I would say to him is this: there have been times in our history where we have needed, as a nation, leadership. There have been times in our history where we have needed leadership on issues of race, on issues of prejudice, and prime ministers, leaders from both parties, have demonstrated that. Whether it was the abolition of the White Australia Policy or the introduction of the Racial Discrimination Act or the many, many areas of policy where we have seen leadership on multiculturalism, on unity, from prime ministers. Well, now is such a time.
And it is so disappointing that over the period he has been Prime Minister, we have seen Malcolm Turnbull sit down with people like Pauline Hanson, people who share the views of Fraser Anning, and legitimise her. He has legitimised her and those people who share those views by negotiating with her by sitting down and trying to do deals on his company tax policy and his Budget, but most of all by preferencing her.
And we saw that most recently in the Longman by-election where One Nation was not put last by this Prime Minister, in the way that even John Howard agreed to.
So what Malcolm Turnbull should do today is show that he will match his rhetoric with action. What Malcolm Turnbull should do today is make a clear statement with Bill Shorten. Not only condemning the ideas in Fraser Annings speech but talking about who we are. He should match that rhetoric, he should match those words with action and commit to putting One Nation last. One Nation and those who share these racist views last at the ballot paper, because that is what Australians deserve.
JOURNALIST: Is Fraser Anning worthy of sitting in the Australian Senate? Should he resign?
WONG: Hes here, and he has his views. The question now is actually not about him. The question now is how leaders, all of us, respond to these views which are so divisive in our community.
JOURNALIST: What are you calling on him to do now?
WONG: Mr Anning? I dont think you change a persons view when he holds those sorts of prejudices. But my view about it is we should focus less on Mr Anning and more on what the rest of us do because how the Parliament and leaders respond now is what matters.
JOURNALIST: Just on the impact of his words, what impact do you think they will have in the Muslim community in Australia?
WONG: How would you feel?
JOURNALIST: Terrible.
WONG: Yes. (To journalist wearing glasses) Men with glasses theyre all terrorists. Im short sighted too, so there you go. People who are short-sighted we should keep them all out of the country because there was a short-sighted person who did this or that. How would you feel? I mean thats obviously ridiculous.
JOURNALIST: Youre saying he should put himself in their shoes?
WONG: There was not much compassion or empathy in what he said was there? This is the thing about prejudice. It requires you to make sure you have no empathy for the other.
Ive been in this country for many years and all of us have seen prejudice in its different forms and you know what? Except for the most committed bigots prejudice does not survive personal relationships and that says something very wonderful about humanity and says something wonderful about this country.
JOURNALIST: Just quickly on the NEG, would you like Labor to support that in the House so it can come to the Senate and here in the Senate make all the amendments?
WONG: Theres only a couple of things you need to know about the NEG. The first is, as Mark Butler has made clear, this is a policy that doesnt deliver a single large-scale renewable for a decade.
Now thats pretty impressive isnt it? To design a policy that doesn't deliver more renewable energy and it says something to the extent to which the political imperative around this was getting it through the Party Room.
On the Parliamentary tactics, Ill leave that to Mr Butler to comment on. I think he made very clear yesterday we will be arguing very strongly, as Australians expect us to, for a scheme that delivers more renewable energy and lower prices.
Thank you.
Authorised by Noah Carroll, ALP, Canberra.