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‘Stop being racist’: Fiery scenes after Dutton’s Gaza visa call

Steggall speaks on Gaza visa ban

Source: Australian Parliament

Independent MP Zali Steggall has accused Opposition Leader Peter Dutton of being racist in fiery scenes in Parliament.

It followed Dutton doubling down on his call on Wednesday for a blanket ban on visas for Palestinians fleeing to Australia from war-torn Gaza.

Dutton’s captain’s call came without consulting his frontbench and is understood to have surprised opposition MPs.

On Thursday, as the Coalition interrupted House proceedings with a motion to suspend standing orders to debate his Palestinian visa argument, Steggall was one of those to speak in opposition.

She said it was “extremely concerning” to see the opposition “whipping up a sense of fear and an inference that, for example, our services and systems are not working”.

“These are normal families. These are families you are seeking to paint that somehow they are all terrorists that they should all be mistrusted … that they are not worthy of humanitarian aid,” Steggall said.

As Dutton began interjecting, Steggall yelled at him to “stop being racist”.

He immediately called for the withdrawal of the “offensive and unparliamentary remark”.

Steggall did, after consultation with Speaker Milton Dick.

She was surrounded by fellow teal independents Zoe Daniel, Kate Chaney, Sophie Scamps, Kylea Tink and Helen Haines after her speech. Government MPs, led by Tanya Plibersek, also sat with Steggall.

There was also another clash elsewhere at Parliament House between Nationals leader David Littleproud and Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young.

Littleproud was speaking to media, including SBS News, to back up Dutton’s call. He said it was an issue of leadership, and about “laying out a pathway”.

Footage from SBS captures an aside from Hanson-Young as she walks past.

“Why don’t you say something about the children being slaughtered?” she can be heard saying.

Littleproud and Hanson-Young

Source: SBS News

Muslim and Palestinian advocacy groups have also labelled Dutton’s comments racist and another attempt to stir up fear and hatred.

But earlier on Thursday he denied his call was discriminatory.

“My job is to protect all Australians and it’s exactly what I’m doing,” he told the Nine Network on Thursday.

“I’m not discriminating on any basis. Happy to see people brought in from the Middle East, if they’ve been properly checked.”

Dutton rejected adding to community tensions, just days after ASIO director-general Mike Burgess called for public figures to be mindful of their rhetoric.

Asked if he had discussed the position with his Coalition colleagues beforehand, Dutton said “it’s not an issue that goes to shadow cabinet”.

“I’m not talking about internal discussions,” he said.

“It’s a discussion with the national security team and I’ve done that.”

Education Minister Jason Clare criticised Dutton’s decision to make his original comments at a ceremony to welcome home returning Olympians.

“What was exposed yesterday was a calculation by Peter Dutton that he could use that as an opportunity to try and divide the country at a time where we should be together,” he said.

“Every instinct in this bloke’s body, every calculation, is about how we can divide the country. It shows this bloke’s not fit to run a bath, let alone Australia.”

Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Murray Watt also said Dutton was unfit to be PM.

“Within three days, we’ve seen Peter Dutton go and thumb his nose at the director-general of ASIO and try to score a cheap political point, rather than actually listening to that advice about trying to tone down our language and keep the community together,” he said.

“He’s prepared to put Australians’ safety at risk and our social cohesion at risk, just to score a cheap political point.”

Opposition home affairs spokesman James Paterson said Palestinians should still be able to come to Australia, as long as security checks were carried out.

“The whole purpose of doing security checks is to weed out the undeserving and let in the deserving, and that’s why everyone agrees we have to have it, and that’s why it needs to be robust to make sure that we’re making those right choices,” he told ABC Radio.

-with AAP

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