26th Feb 2020, 3:58 PM – Senate Motions - National Security - Targetting hate speech and the far right

The majority voted in favour of a motion introduced by NSW Senator Mehreen Faruqi (Greens), which means it passed. Motions like these don't make any legal changes on their own but are politically influential because they represent the will of the Senate.

Motion text

That the Senate—

(a) notes:

(i) that 15 March 2020 will mark one year since the Christchurch massacre, when a racist, hate-filled and violent white supremacist man from Australia killed 51 Muslims during Friday prayers at Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre in Christchurch, New Zealand,

(ii) that the anniversary of Christchurch is a painful reminder to Muslims in Australia, New Zealand and across the world that anti-Muslim racism and white supremacy has fatal consequences,

(iii) the recent concerns of ASIO Director-General, Mr Mike Burgess, regarding far-right extremism in Australia, that:

(A) the extreme right-wing threat is real and growing,

(B) Neo-Nazi groups regularly meet to salute Nazi flags, inspect weapons, train in combat and share their hateful ideology, and

(C) extremists are seeking to connect with like-minded individuals in other parts of the world; and

(b) expresses solidarity with the families, friends and communities of the victims of the Christchurch terrorist attack at this difficult time;

(c) expresses a deep commitment to calling out and stamping out extreme right-wing ideologies, white supremacy and anti-Muslim racism; and

(d) urgently calls on the Federal Government to:

(i) dedicate adequate resources to targeting right-wing extremism, and

(ii) work to stop the spread of hate speech and far-right movements.