Mr HOLLIS (4:52 PM) —I am pleased to make a short contribution to the debate on the Human Rights Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 2) 1998 . Most of my objections were outlined by the honourable member for Banks (Mr Melham) in his very wide-ranging and worthwhile contribution to this debate earlier today. I support his comments wholeheartedly, and I do not intend to repeat them now. However, I do want to say—and I say this sincerely, and I firmly believe it—that this is wrong legislation and Australia does not need it at this time.

At a time when we should be sending a strong message of support for human rights, what sort of message are we sending, not only internally, not only to various groups in our community but, even more importantly, internationally? It is no understatement to say that I am outraged that this legislation is yet another example of how the Howard government treats the human rights of ordinary Australians, and of its total disregard for the human rights of Australians.

This government has always detested the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. You only have to read the statements and listen to the comments made by the coalition about this body before it came to government. My colleagues and I were not surprised when, very early in this government's term of office, the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission was on the hit list for destruction. This government does not believe that people should have the right to access justice or have the opportunity to hold their government accountable.

It is always a challenge for governments to deal with human rights, and it is an even greater challenge when governments permit their decisions to be challenged by ordinary people. It is not always easy, it is often embarrassing, but it is always essential. I have often said that a country is judged on how it treats its minorities and how it deals with human rights issues. Once more in Australia, we are sending the wrong message to the rest of the world about our concern and respect for human rights.

If people do not believe that, they should go overseas and talk to people there about what is going on in Australia. Yesterday, I had a call from a friend in Bangkok and, after we discussed some business, he asked me about the situation in terms of race and human rights in Australia today. When you go overseas, as you and many members would know, Mr Deputy Speaker, the first thing people overseas now challenge you on is race—as they used to do in the days of the White Australia policy and many other things, when it was so embarrassing. We are going back to those days. We can no longer hold our heads up with pride when we go overseas because of what we are achieving in Australia in the human rights field. When we go overseas now, we have to spend our time explaining to people what is going on in Australia.

This government wants to gut the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. It has the numbers in this place to do so. It is doing so through cuts to this body. The government reduced funding for the commission from $21.6 million in the 1995-96 financial year to $20.5 million in the 1996-97 year. It then went down to $18.2 million in the next financial year, and $12.3 million is to be provided in the 1998-99 financial year. After that, it will only be $10 million.

Members on the other side of the House will argue that nothing will change and that this is only administrative. They will say, `We have only changed the name of the commission. Instead of having five commissioners, we are now going to have three deputy presidents,' and so on. Do not believe it. The government is out to destroy it and, unfortunately, while it stays in power, it will do it. It is nothing short of an absolute disgrace.

At a time when the human rights of all Australians are being challenged as never before, when we are already seeing increasing racial vilification, this government is determined to cut funding to the one body which guarantees human rights in this country. Those opposite have been coming in here during the past week wringing their hands and making pious statements about the impact of Hanson. Even ministers have been moved to comment. There have been pages and pages of newsprint about the racial impact. Yet this government, which pretends to be concerned about what the Hansonites are doing to the fabric of our society, sees absolutely nothing wrong with promoting and voting for this legislation. It is wrong legislation, and it will continue to be wrong legislation.

As you are aware, Mr Deputy Speaker, I represent one of the most diverse multicultural electorates in Australia. I heard what the honourable member for Brisbane (Mr Bevis) said in the debate earlier today. I endorse those comments, as many people on all sides of the House would. The people of Port Kembla and other parts of the Illawarra have told me over the last week about what happens when their kids are going to school and the names they are being called. This will continue.

It has been a battle to get racial tolerance in this country. But we have been a very racially tolerant country. The diversity of people who come to this country always amazes me. People come from over 100 different backgrounds to make their home in my area of the Illawarra. They live in harmony. There are little outbursts every so often, but in the main this has been a very racially tolerant country and everyone has worked towards that. That attitude is now going.

People have let a terrible genie out of the bottle. Those who have failed to challenge it have much to answer for. Those who continue to play footsies with racists and with racist policies in this country and the people who are promoting racist policies and divisiveness, have much to answer for. We are not talking about that much overused term `political correctness'. Personally, I do not know what it means, but I hear it thrown about all the time.

We are talking about vilification, racism and hatred which is being generated in our community, and we are building up a terrible legacy there. Those who are playing footsies with racist parties and racist policies in this parliament will have much to answer for for many years to come. The honourable member for Brisbane summed it up so well today when he said that history will judge these people, and history will judge them very, very harshly.

Already not only have there been redundancies in the commission but also many staff have lost their jobs. The commission has been curtailed and forced to abandon much of its ongoing inquiry work. This was a deliberate policy of those opposite. They did not want the commission doing inquiries or anything like that because they were finding it embarrassing. This government, as I have said before, has always been opposed to the commission and is determined to see it become so starved of funds, so depleted in staff, that the commission cannot carry out its functions. Contrast this with what Labor promised. We made access to justice a priority and, indeed, will do so again when we once more occupy the treasury bench.

This wide-ranging human rights and anti-discrimination regime has been developing over two decades and represents a legislative attempt to ensure that the democratic aspirations of equality for all are substantially realised. The reach of Australia's human rights laws has been significantly influenced by the United Nations codification of human rights norms. The institutional mechanisms of handling human rights and discrimination complaints have incrementally broadened as a way of securing an effective legal framework to respond to this increasing range of actionable human rights issues. That is what frightens those on the other side. They can see that people are getting access to these forces. That is what is frightening them. That is why they hated and condemned the commission before they came to power. When they came to power one of the first things they did was try to gut the commission.

Of course this government shares with One Nation a hatred of human rights legislation. They see something sinister in people having democratic rights and being able to exercise them. Of course they will not come out and say that they want it destroyed so they kill the commission by constant cuts to funding. When those opposite start talking about the impact of the Hansonites, we will ask: if you are concerned about the impact of the Hansonites, how did you vote on this and other legislation dealing with human rights?

It is interesting to look, as I did today, at the voting record of the honourable member for Oxley (Ms Hanson). Since she was elected here there have been, as Mr Deputy Speaker Nehl reminded us yesterday when he called the 500th division, over 500 divisions in this chamber, yet she has voted in only 106 of them. But the important thing is: how did she vote in the 106 divisions? For the vast majority of them, almost 100, she voted with the government.

The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission was—and I say `was'—internationally admired. Countries such as South Africa used it as a model in establishing their own human rights bodies but, unfortunately, no more. In one of the most despicable acts of the government, not only despicable but also deceitful, the government is determined to destroy this commission.

The bill is undemocratic and, as has been said by my parliamentary colleague in the other place Senator Bolkus, it is truly unAustralian. This parliament is being asked to pass legislation, to vote on legislation, that is truly unAustralian. It just shows how far this government will go to appease the Hansonites in the country. That is what they are actually doing, and people should make no mistake about it. This is a One Nation agenda with their crazy theories about treaties and international agreements.

You know, Mr Deputy Speaker, as I and all members of the parliament know, that we get crazies coming into our offices or ringing us up with their conspiracy theories. We all get them; I know that. They talk about how the human rights commission are agents from overseas powers and about how our sovereignty is being abrogated. As I say, these crazy theories are being supported by very strange alliances. This legislation that we are being asked to vote on is supporting that. The one body that was out there as a beacon and as a guardian to give us our protection is being gutted by this uncaring government. This government is supporting the Hansonites, and those opposite should be ashamed. I repeat: those opposite should be ashamed to vote on it. This legislation is unworthy of this House and should be opposed.