Like everyone else in this room I was aghast at the news of a terror attack in the heart of Paris. While initially my thoughts were with the victims, they soon turned to the possibility of a similar attack occurring here in Australia. While I had always thought of Australia as one of the safest, stable and prosperous nations on Earth, the reactionary rhetoric I saw on television, YouTube and print media made me question my convictions. I began to see threats where I never did before. For the first time I was genuinely displeased with the Australian parliament for their inability, and their disregard to address a threat. No I am not talking about Islamic extremism. I am not even here to talk about the countless atrocities . I was disappointed in my governments refusal to tackle the increasing Anti-Islam protests, parties and policies in the wake of a horrific attack which, instead of uniting Australians and the world, has divided ordinary Australians along lines of racism and prejudice.
Australia has international obligations to combat racism, which require enacting hate speech legislation. Hate speech is a public expression of discrimination against a vulnerable group (based on race, gender,
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Hate speech is immensely destructive to society and to its victims. Enduring discrimination as of a result of others prejudice over years can limit people’s opportunities, isolate them from society, push them into poverty, lead to loss of self-esteem and depression, and endanger their health and safety. Indeed it is both ironic and unfortunate that victims of hate speech often turn to the very extremism that they have been copping abuse for, despite a lack of association. It is wrong to diminish the dignity of some individuals just so others can freely spout hate against them. Leading perpetrators of hate should be prosecuted for the dangerous rhetoric they