While George Brandis spent his days arguing that ''people do have a right to be bigots, you know'', the recommendations from security agencies to update our national security laws sat on the shelf.
While George Brandis spent his days arguing that
''people do have a right to be bigots, you know'', the recommendations
from security agencies to update our national security laws sat on the
shelf. Photo: Andrew Meares


There is no more important task for any Australian government than to protect the safety of our citizens.

No one will ever forget how the Bali bombings struck at the soul of
Australia – a place so many of us visit for a holiday became the scene
of unspeakable horror.
Australia needs to guard against future acts of terror.

Images of Australians who've travelled overseas to fight for terrorist
causes are repulsive and these people should feel the full force of the
law.
Our security agencies need the right powers to keep Australians safe.

As technology changes, so do the methods of terrorists – it is
important our laws are modernised, with proper oversight and protections
for the rights and privacy of 23 million Australians.
To this
end, national security should have been – and should always be – the
number one priority of Australia's attorney-general.

Unfortunately, from the day Australians put Senator George Brandis in
the job, he has spent his energy arguing for the weakening of anti-hate
speech laws – to give racists the legal right to be racists.
He
has been determined to water down protections in section 18C of the
Racial Discrimination Act, giving the green light to hate speech and
racism.
For nearly a year, this has been the misguided top priority of the Attorney-General.

This was despite the bipartisan parliamentary joint standing committee
on intelligence and security making 43 recommendations to strengthen
national security laws back in June last year.
So while Senator
Brandis spent his days arguing that ''people do have a right to be
bigots, you know'', the recommendations from security agencies to update
our national security laws sat on the shelf.
His priority wasn't new national security laws – his priority was to allow the right of bigots to be bigots.

How anyone could think a weakening of protections against hate speech
should be a priority, let alone in the national interest, is simply
unbelievable.
Section 18C has been used to combat the vilest
forms of hate speech – for example, to challenge the infamous Holocaust
denier Frederick Toben, who claimed the Jewish community lied about the
number of people murdered by the Nazis for their own financial gain.
But right up until Tuesday, Senator Brandis was calling for these safeguards against racism to be watered down.
Labor stood united with the community against these regressive changes from the outset.

The weakening of protections against racism was never in the national
interest – they were always divisive and they were always destructive.

The government received more than 4100 submissions on the proposed
changes, with the vast majority opposed to its promise to weaken the
laws.
This week's backdown from the government is a victory for
all the individuals, multicultural and community groups across
Australia who fought hard against these changes.
As a community, we have won the argument that bigotry has no place in modern Australia.

Every Australian deserves the right to live free from racial and ethnic
vilification – these changes should never have been on the table in the
first place.
Racist hate speech has no place in our society
and this is proof that the Australian people, uniting behind a cause,
can defeat unfairness and injustice.
Having said that, Labor
remains very concerned that it's only a matter of time before the Abbott
government tries again to weaken protections against racism and
bigotry.
This is an embarrassing back down forced on Prime
Minister Tony Abbott. He said these changes had ''become a complication
we just don't need''. For now.
Tony Abbott says these plans are
''off the table''. But the Prime Minister refused to retreat from his
government's view that Australians have a right to be bigots.

He's also the same person who promised no cuts to pensions, no new
taxes, no cuts to schools and hospitals before the election –
Australians know what this prime minister's word means.

Attorney-General Senator Brandis stands humiliated, not just by his
woeful performances this week, but by having been told by his cabinet
colleagues that his changes to racial discrimination laws were
deplorable.
No doubt they were telling him to get his
priorities right – as Attorney-General, Senator Brandis must prioritise
national security and the safety of Australians, not divide our country
by legalising hate speech.
Bill Shorten is Leader of the Opposition.