Coalition and Labor to pass a bipartisan motion censuring the Queensland senator over his Christchurch comments

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

The Australian prime minister has suggested the “full force of the law” should apply to Fraser Anning after he punched a 17-year-old boy who egged him at an event in Melbourne.

New Zealand has welcomed condemnation of the independent Queensland senator, as the Australian government and opposition prepare to censure him over comments blaming the Christchurch terror attack on Muslim immigration.

Australian senator Fraser Anning punches teen after being egged Read more

The extreme rightwing nationalist senator has placed himself at the centre of political controversy after the Christchurch attack, saying the mosque attack highlighted a “growing fear over an increasing Muslim presence” in Australian and New Zealand communities.

The bipartisan motion, to be passed when parliament resumes in April, condemns Anning for “inflammatory and divisive comments seeking to attribute blame to victims of a horrific crime and to vilify people on the basis of religion”.

It notes the comments “do not reflect the opinions of the Australian Senate or the Australian people”.

The motion states that “violence such as that witnessed in Christchurch is an affront on our common humanity” and condemns “an attack on our common values and way of life”.

Scott Morrison confirmed on Sunday that the Australian suspect, Brenton Tarrant, 28, who has been charged with one count of murder in relation to the massacre, will be prosecuted in New Zealand. He also flagged a tougher approach to social media companies, urging them to boost capacity to stop extremist videos.

Morrison said the government’s aim was to “keep Australians together”. “We can all band together, to stand against this hatred and this violence,” he told reporters in Sydney. “And we all stand together, people of many different faiths, or no faith at all, stand together for innocence and peace and for love over hate.”

Morrison said the community was “[bound] together today to speak against the evil and the atrocity committed against Muslim brothers and sisters in Christchurch”.

The Morrison government is attempting to reposition itself against rightwing extremism, cancelling the visa of far-right commentator Milo Yiannopoulos in the wake of the attacks after earlier allowing him to visit Australia.

The Coalition has a patchy record on confronting white nationalism, after government senators voted for a motion that it is “OK to be white” in October only to later claim this was an “administrative error”.

Morrison himself as shadow immigration minister reportedly told shadow cabinet in 2011 the Coalition should do more to capitalise on concerns about Muslim immigration, comments which he has now denied.

The opposition leader, Bill Shorten, said the Christchurch event “hasn’t happened in isolation”, blaming “extreme-right politicians in Australia” and “keyboard warriors who hide behind the internet” for fomenting hatred.

“I say to those who perpetuate extreme rightwing hatred … You, by your hate speech, have created a swampland of hatred,” he told reporters in Melbourne.

“You cannot disown what crawls out of your swamp.”

Shorten said Australians should not “retreat back into our own tribes” in response, but rather “choose to confront fear with hope; to confront hate with love”.

On Sunday the New Zealand high commissioner in Canberra, Dame Annette King, echoed the words of the prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, that the act of violence in Christchurch is “not who we are”.

“But it’s not who Australia or Australians are either,” she told reporters in Canberra. “The outpouring of support and sympathy and solidarity, affection and acts of kindness from our Australian mates has been just fantastic.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Dame Annette King and her husband, Ray Lind, look at flowers left outside the New Zealand high commission in Canberra. Photograph: AAP

King said relations between the two countries would not be harmed because the perpetrator “does not represent Australia, he does not represent New Zealand, he is an individual”.

King said that Anning’s comments were “atrocious and we reject them absolutely”.

“We condemn what he said, and I’m absolutely delighted that his comments were condemned, from the very top of government here in Australia and [by] the people of Australia.”

Anning, who entered parliament on the One Nation Queensland ticket when senator Malcolm Roberts was disqualified from parliament, delivered a racially inflammatory speech in August invoking the White Australia policy and using the term “final solution”.

Fraser Anning will soon leave our parliament – but his xenophobic message will not | Amy Remeikis Read more

The speech was widely condemned and resulted in the Senate unanimously adopting a motion reaffirming Australia’s commitment to a racially non-discriminatory immigration policy although a separate Greens motion to censure Anning was voted down by the Coalition and Labor for fear of making him a martyr.

On Saturday Anning punched a 17-year-old boy after he was egged at an event in Melbourne.

Police released the boy without charge, although they have said they will investigate Anning striking and punching the boy in retaliation before the teenager was tackled to the ground and restrained by bystanders.

Footage circulating on social media also shows that later on Saturday Anning was confronted at the airport by an unknown interlocutor accusing him of having “no fucking remorse” for “all the people that died”.

“You’re representing Australia … go you sick cunt go,” he said. “You’re a senator of Australia, you’re a fucking shitcunt.”

Hipstorian 🥚 (@hpstorian) Anning caught in the airport without his fash backup.



This is even better than egg boy. pic.twitter.com/YN53F9oS7G

On Sunday Morrison said he had not seen a video filmed by the perpetrator of the Christchurch massacre, shown by several Australian media outlets, explaining he had “no interest in what he has to say”.

Morrison noted that social media companies had cooperated with law enforcement authorities but “sadly … the capacity to actually assist fully is very limited”.

“We will be seeking … assurances from the social media companies about their capabilities to ensure that this tool cannot be used by terrorists.”