STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS

Ms KARA COOK (Bonner) (13:36): Racist, hateful, divisive, dangerous—these are just some of the words used to describe One Nation and its politics. In recent days, horrific comments by Senator Pauline Hanson have resurfaced. Her words are not merely ignorant.

They are dehumanising, they cause real harm and they have no place in our parliament or our country. I recently travelled across Queensland as part of the parliamentary inquiry into racism, hate and violence directed at First Nations people. We heard from elders, young people, families, health professionals and community organisations.

Their evidence was confronting and heartbreaking. We heard how racism reaches into our health care, education, workplaces, public spaces and the online world and how reporting systems remain fragmented, inconsistent and culturally unsafe. In direct response to this evidence, the Albanese Labor government has invested $2 million in Call It Out, the First Nations racism register.

It provides a simple and secure way to report racism, expose its prevalence and build the evidence we need to drive systemic change. More than 700 submissions have been made to our inquiry, and the final report will be delivered in the coming months. To everyone who trusted us with your story, thank you.

We will not answer racism with silence. We must name it, we must report it, and together we must call it out.