Just yesterday I stood in this chamber in question time and asked the Leader of the Government in the Senate whether he or the Prime Minister would condemn far-Right extremism. What I got was the usual waffle, the usual sitting on the fence: 'Yes. Sure. We condemn all kinds of extremism.' That is absolute rubbish. That is bullshit. You are putting people's lives in danger. That's what you are doing. And do you know what? This is nothing new. On the weekend, we saw the far-Right extremists on the streets again. They have embedded themselves in antilockdown and antivaccination organising.

The Greens have today launched a plan to strengthen renters’ rights and fund tenancy advocacy services. Nearly a third of all Australian households rent their home. Yet government after government has ignored renters’ rights in favour of landlord profits.

November 25 is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. I wish we didn't need this day. I wish that there weren't any reasons for me to speak out about gendered violence in Australia and around the world. But it does serve as a reminder that we still need to take serious action if we are to have any hope of eliminating this violence. Violence against women continues to be at epidemic levels in this country. Every year, we continue to count the numbers, and every year they continue to be distressingly high.

I rise to speak to the matter of urgency before us. Just today we have received news that Sergio, a 22-year-old climate activist in New South Wales, has been sentenced to 12 months in prison for participating in a non-violent direct action targeting the coal industry. Twelve months in prison—what an outrageously severe and disproportionate punishment! What an appalling message this sends to climate activists and those of us who are fighting for a healthy planet. The real criminals are the fossil fuel companies who are killing our planet, not those who are trying to save it.

In March 2019 the Christchurch mosque attacks were carried out by an Australian far-Right extremist who murdered 51 innocent Muslims. Since that day, which so many of us had feared terribly after years of rising far-Right extremism, hatred and racism, this threat has only gotten worse. It constitutes an unimaginable and devastating risk to the safety of communities across this country. ASIO is now reporting that up to 50 per cent of its domestic counterterrorism case load relates to ideologically motivated violent extremism, which is off the back of a sharp rise in far-Right extremism.

Senator FARUQI (New South Wales) (14:20): My question is to Minister Birmingham, representing the Prime Minister. In March 2019, the Christchurch mosque attacks were carried out by an Australian far-Right extremist, killing 51 innocent Muslims. ASIO is now reporting that up to 50 per cent of its domestic counterterrorism case load relates to ideologically motivated violent extremism, which is off the back of a sharp rise in far-Right extremism.

I rise to speak on the Security Legislation Amendment (Critical Infrastructure) Bill 2021 and I associate myself with the comments made by my colleague Senator Thorpe. The bill gives considerable—and too much—power to the minister, under the guise of protecting critical infrastructure. It creates the potential for government security agencies to intervene and take over businesses and operations. This bill is not supported by key stakeholders, including the logistics, technology and higher education sectors.

Australian Greens Education spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has today launched a new discussion paper, The University of the Future: Higher Education Built on Democracy and Equity. The policy ideas and research in the paper will provide a starting point for richer, more radical conversations about the future of universities.

Australian Greens Animal Welfare spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has welcomed the announcement of $1.1 million for horse traceability but said this means little without a clear plan for implementation from the National Horse Traceability Working Group.

Senator Faruqi said:

“I’m very happy to see Minister Littleproud committing this money to move horse traceability forward. The federal government must provide leadership here and ensure the register gets off the ground.

The Greens have today launched a Horse Racing Transition Plan to shut down commercial horse racing in Australia. After years of exposes on the cruelty of the horse racing industry, seven horses having died at the last eight Melbourne Cup races, and ongoing concerns about the power and influence of the gambling industry, the Greens say it is beyond time to shut this industry down.