Page 3591 - Week 14 - Tuesday, 8 December 1992
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Terry Lane is an ABC broadcaster and a newspaper columnist and, I might add, one that has stood many times for the Jewish cause; but it made no difference when he chose to talk about some other situations.
I think the Australian attitude should be - and I believe that it is - that we welcome migrants from any country. However, I believe that they should leave their national politics firmly at home. In Australia we understand how some Italians feel about Greeks, some Ukrainians feel about Russians, some Chinese feel about Vietnamese, Turks about Armenians, Indians about Pakistanis, and Croats about Serbs, and vice versa. Australia is a lucky country. When we think of the actions in Timor, China and many countries around the world, we understand that the tolerance that is shown in Australia is something that other countries do not know of. There are many cases where individual voices have been silenced, and in the silence the state puts out its propaganda as to what it says really happened.
We should value freedom of expression. In this country, and in any other, it is the foundation on which all other rights are built. Let us combat any intolerance, racial or other, by freedom of expression, by open discussion, by tolerance, by understanding and fairness; never by legislation. The Canberra Times on 8 October 1989, in an editorial titled "Law no way to attack racism", stated:
In a supposedly free society it is always wise to err on the side of freedom of speech when considering legislative change ... Speech cannot be half free. Free speech must embrace the right to speak hurtfully, stupidly and with bigotry. We must be able to disagree with everything someone says and yet defend their right to say it. Free speech generates its own virtue. Unpalatable free speech should be countered with more free speech; the more of it the better. Eventually people will decide what they want to hear and read, and those who speak poison get no listeners. Racists deserve to be ignored; ...
It continued:
It would be much better that they be allowed to speak so that they can ultimately be ignored than send them to court, where they most certainly will not be ignored, or reformed.
There is no evidence that allowing the expression of racist comments has caused racial violence in Australia. I believe that tolerance is the keynote. I believe that we should always keep in mind freedom of speech. When we look at the title of today's discussion of public importance, "The need for positive measures within the community and schools to combat racism", the most positive measure we can take is to be tolerant of others in our personal lives.
MR MOORE (3.44): In rising to speak on this matter of public importance, Madam Speaker, I have decided to narrow my comments to indigenous people in the ACT, conscious of the fact that 1993, which is fast approaching, is to be the International Year of the World's Indigenous Peoples. The comments I make today come really from a single source and I am going to pose them as questions. Perhaps Mr Wood may decide to respond to them.
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