Australia: Racism

The majority voted in favour of the motion introduced by NSW Senator Jenny McAllister (Labor) and amended by ACT Senator Katy Gallagher (Labor), which means it was successful. These types of motions do not make any legal changes on their own but are politically influential because they represent the will of the Senate.

Amendment text

That the Senate

(a) affirms that Australia is a nation that welcomes different races, religions and views, united by respect for each other's humanity and for each other's right to live in peace;

(b) therefore rejects the racism, white supremacy and condemnation of immigrants on display at rallies held over the weekend, and profoundly disapproves of MPs supporting and attending these rallies;

(c) condemns the far-right extremist neo-Nazis, including the National Socialist Network, who in Melbourne attacked Camp Sovereignty, a site of Aboriginal resistance and sacred resting place of 38 Nations;

(d) calls upon all political representatives to:

(i) reject the normalisation or legitimisation of racism and anti-immigrant hate in this country,

(ii) reject dog whistling on First Peoples, migrants, refugees and international students, which has emboldened the far right,

(iii) reject any use of hate, fear and scapegoating to cover up their own policy failures on the housing and cost of living crises,

(iv) reject any attempt to downplay or ignore concerns about far-right extremism, and

(v) stand together against far-right extremism as alien to Australia and the values of this nation; and

(e) reiterates its solidarity with the communities who bear the brunt of white supremacy, neo-Nazism and right-wing extremism.