QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Senator WONG (South Australia—Minister for Foreign Affairs and Leader of the Government in the Senate) (14:48): It is telling that the two questions I get on Lakemba are from the Greens and One Nation. Perhaps the Greens political party could reflect on their polarisation of this debate. Senator Faruqi: You must think you're so clever.

Senator WONG: No, not particularly, but I think there is ethics in politics, Senator Faruqi. Senator Roberts, I'm sorry. I disagree with most of what is included in your question, and I again go back to the answer I gave to Senator Faruqi recently.

There are Australians who are rightly distressed by the conflict in Gaza, the loss of life and what we have seen. That is a legitimate position for people to hold. But the way to deal with differences of views—and there are differences of views on this—is not to disengage, but nor is it to seek to turn up the temperature.

And nor is it to try and make people angry, which is what we see from the corner here of the Greens. I would say to you, Senator, it is a good thing for the Prime Minister of the country to go to a mosque and to engage with Australian Muslims. That is a good thing.

That is about our social cohesion. That is about recognising that we have differences, different faiths, in a pluralistic society and that we can respect and celebrate all faiths. What I say to you is we should, as politicians, work to inculcate a society, work to protect a society where we can have differences of views and differences of opinion without anger and without division.

And that is what we will work for. The PRESIDENT: Senator Roberts, first supplementary?