1.1        On 23 March 2017 the Senate referred the provisions of the Racial Discrimination Amendment Bill 2016 (the bill) to the committee for inquiry and report by 9 May 2017.

1.2        The Australian Greens note that the inquiry into this bill received three submissions, all of which opposed the changes proposed.

1.3        The Australian Greens consider that the amendments proposed in this bill were comprehensively considered by the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights in the inquiry into Freedom of Speech in Australia.

1.4        Multicultural and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups who made submissions and gave evidence to that Inquiry overwhelmingly concluded that any weakening of section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth) would send a message of acceptance of racist behaviour and therefore result in an increase in that behaviour.

1.5        The Australian Greens share the concern that any weakening of the protections contained in section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth) could be damaging to social cohesion, particularly in our current social and political climate.

1.6        The Australian Greens agree with submissions made to that Inquiry reiterating the importance of freedom of speech as a civil right, but maintain that the right is not unfettered.

1.7        Section 18D of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth) provides strong and broad defences to prosecution under section 18C and in so doing upholds the right to freedom of speech to an appropriate extent.

1.8        The Australian Greens stand strongly in support of section 18C in its current form, and against racism and racist hate speech in Australia.

Recommendation 1

1.9                  The Australian Greens recommend that the bill be rejected by the Senate.

Senator Nick McKim
Australian Greens

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