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VICTORIAN upper house MPs have defended multiculturalism, described one another as “hypocrites” and attempted to promote freedom of speech in a debate over the Greens’ call for parties to place One Nation last at next year’s state election.
The Greens introduced a motion on Wednesday calling on the house to take note of rising discrimination and vilification against Muslims, and called on parties to put One Nation last on the ballot.
Greens MP Nina Springle said One Nation would struggle to win a seat in Victoria without Liberal or Labor preferences. The party managed to secure preference deals in Western Australia and Queensland.
Labor MP Cesar Melham supported the motion, and said it was time for Victorian parliamentarians to “lead on this issue”.
“It’s time to stop looking at what’s the most popular thing to do and not play on fear,” he said.
“It’s time for the Liberal and National parties and conservative voices to take a note from John Howard’s book, and say I’m not going to stand by and support One Nation and Pauline Hanson who is a very divisive person.
“She should be condemned instead of having them flirting with a preference deal so they can get into government.”
Liberal MP Inga Peulich attempted to amend the motion to include vilification against the Jewish community.
One Nation is yet to register in Victoria but is expected to field candidates in both upper and lower house seats across the state.
During their first tilt at Victorian Parliament in the 1990s, former Premier Jeff Kennett chose to preference One Nation last.
Sex Party MP Fiona Patten said that although she was “appalled by Pauline Hanson and One Nation”, the Greens motion was not the solution to addressing vilification against the Muslim community.
“I question whether we should even be talking about other political parties. Why are we giving this particular party any oxygen?” she said.
“Why aren’t we talking solutions around vilification of all races, discrimination of all people. This is what we should be doing in this house today.”
Ms Patten said other parties that have previously run in Victoria – including Rise Up Australia, Australia First, the Australian Liberty Alliance and the Love Australia Or Leave parties – ran on similar anti-Islam platforms.
Democratic Labour Party MP Rachel Carling-Jenkins said Victoria should allow “robust discussion” of religion, and the motion sought to diminish debate.
She said the DLP already had its bottom three parties locked in, based on their policies regarding abortion – the Greens, Sex Party and the Voluntary Euthanasia Party.
Liberal MP David Davis described the Greens as hypocrites for having MPs that support the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement against Israel, which he said was “racist”.
Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party MP Jeff Bourman also believed the Greens were “hypocrites” because he alleged some of their members were behind death threats sent to hunters.
A voter analysis found Northern Victoria – which has Bendigo as its largest centre – was One Nation’s biggest chance of securing a seat in the Victorian Parliament.