Tuesday, 4 March 2025

 Evan MULHOLLAND (Northern Metropolitan) (19:20): (1469) I direct this adjournment towards the Minister for Multicultural Affairs, and the action I seek of the minister is to explain what the government is doing to defend and protect Christian communities. Today we have seen a pretty shocking display that I think has relevance for people in Victoria, and that was a display that occurred at the Sydney Mardi Gras. It was a display that was celebrated and laughed at – a depiction of Jesus Christ on the cross being speared. This is a blasphemous depiction of Christ’s suffering, at the start of Lent, of all times. It is a heart-wrenching mockery that has shaken my community to the core. My phone has lit up with people offended and shocked at the mockery of Jesus Christ – again, at Lent, of all times, to do something like this.

As we battle conflicting rights, it appears there is an imbalance in this country where attacks on some groups are tolerated or even celebrated and laughed at. It is okay when it is an attack on Christians and their faiths, but if it is an attack on other groups, that is hate speech, we cannot possibly do that. But when it is an attack on something as sacred as Jesus Christ on the cross, where people are laughing at it, it is perfectly okay. I do think we have a problem in this country with tolerance, but tolerance goes both ways of the street. We really need to take a good look at ourselves in this country if we walk by this display and say that is okay and they will just cop it on the chin. We still have a majority of this country being people of faith; we still have a large number in this country that practise the Christian faith. Have we lost our morality? Really, to see a display like that occur at the beginning of Lent is just absolutely shocking, heart-wrenching and completely offensive, but unfortunately some people laugh at a brutal mockery of Jesus Christ and walk past it and accept it. I am here to say that we on this side of the house will not accept it.