Page 3597 - Week 14 - Tuesday, 8 December 1992
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Mr Moore: Or banning videos.
Mr Connolly: I think we are voting on that tomorrow morning, aren't we?
Mr Moore: Yes, tomorrow morning; banning books.
MADAM SPEAKER: Order!
MR CORNWELL: Just a moment. Are we going to take, for example, Anna Sewell's book Black Beauty off the shelves of the libraries? That is about horses, Mr Lamont. Are we going to ban The Merchant of Venice from the stage? Are we going to sue the pest controllers for advertising about getting rid of Argentine ants? Is Mr Westende going to take action against anybody who starts to criticise or to complain about Dutch elm disease?
The point I am trying to make is that this can become quite absurd. It can become quite absurd if we allow ourselves to get carried away with this. I have to say that I agree that you can put forward all the legislation you like but racism is really in the mind. You can bring in all the legislation you like but you will not eradicate it. Mr Stevenson is quite correct. You do not legislate; you educate. That is the only way that you are really going to remove it. I would suggest, however, that you are not going to help remove it by drawing too much attention to it either, certainly in unsubstantiated allegations such as have been made in this chamber by a few people today.
I would like, in conclusion, Madam Speaker, to deplore the stifling of any attempt to discuss issues relating to this question. Mr Stevenson has referred to it. It has got to the stage in Australia now where proper questions relating to immigration, questions relating to Aborigines, to Vietnamese nurses or whomever, no longer can be rationally discussed in an open forum for fear that somebody is going to get up and brand a person a racist. I find that a form of intolerance. In fact, I think it is probably an example of real racism. It is certainly a strategy that has been adopted by numbers of people in the past in order to silence what I think is reasonable debate.
Mr Lamont: I do not believe it.
MR CORNWELL: Mr Lamont is interjecting that he does not believe it. Mr Lamont, unfortunately, you will not overcome any of these problems that do exist out in the general community by stifling debate. It is very necessary if we are going to deal effectively with the matter. If we are going to educate people in these things, we should not try to stifle the debate and cut it off every time somebody brings up matters that may be of concern to constituents - maybe not your constituents, and maybe not mine. If we are to live in a tolerant society, it is very important that the tolerance is general and not just restricted to one particular area or one particular set of attitudes.
In conclusion, I would certainly urge Mrs Grassby and Mr Moore, if they have any evidence of racism in our schools, by all means to let Mr Wood know so that he can have a look at the matter. Although I do not believe that the legislation necessarily solves these problems, there are laws which could apply to the existence of racist behaviour in the general community, and I suggest that you refer that behaviour to the relevant authorities. But, whatever we do, we must not stifle the general debate relating to these matters, because I think it is far too important for the peace and harmony of this country.
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