Today, Dr Dvir Abramovich, Chairman of the ADC, issued the following statement in response to the vote in the Senate rejecting proposed amendments by the government to amend s18C of the RDA.
“The vote by the senate not to replace the words “offend”, “insult” and “humiliate” in Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act with “harass and intimidate” is a victory for the majority of Australians who made the compelling case that it was vital to retain 18C in its present form. As survey after survey clearly showed, a broad coalition of community organisations and individuals believed and vigorously argued that any attempt to water down and weaken protections against racial hate speech was wrong, and this vote speaks for those people, and for the victims of racism, who deeply understand that effective legal mechanisms, such as 18C, are an essential tool in building and maintaining a cohesive, strongly inclusive, multicultural society such as ours.”
For further information please contact Dr Dvir Abramovich on 9272 5677.