2017-03-24
It is atrocious that the Government excluded Aboriginal Legal Services from giving evidence at a senate inquiry into race-hate laws, Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert said today.
“When committee chair LNP Senator Ian MacDonald excluded Aboriginal Legal Services from giving evidence at the inquiry, he excluded a voice for our First peoples. The committee should have heard from these important services.
“Aboriginal Legal Services are a very important voice in the national discussion on changes to 18c and race hate. For years and years they have worked on the ground with people who experience daily racial vilification and deserve to be heard.
“Senator MacDonald should not have excluded Aboriginal Legal Services from giving evidence and I believe the report into this issue will be poorer for it”.