Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi is once again promoting prejudice in the community by introducing a new Bill today to weaken the Racial Discrimination Act.

This comes in the very same week the Government is debating important national security legislation.

The Prime Minister previously conceded now is not the right time to proceed with changes to the Racial Discrimination Act, but his number one Senator for South Australia has clearly failed to abandon the plan to repeal 18C.

It shows that the desire to bring back the right to be a bigot is alive and well within the Liberal Party.

Now, more than ever, we need community harmony – every politician has a responsibility to promote harmony, tolerance and respect.

We don’t defeat intolerance by being intolerant.

The backdown on changes to 18C was forced on Tony Abbott.  He said these changes had “become a complication we just don’t need”.

We remain greatly concerned that the Abbott Government cannot be trusted to tamper with protections against racial discrimination – they’ve tried it once and they’ll try it again.

Labor will fight any move to weaken protections against racist hate speech.  Tony Abbott should pull Cory Bernardi into line.

THURSDAY, 25 SEPTEMBER 2014