Scott Morrison speaks out against Fraser Anning over egg-thrower hit
Scott Morrison speaks out against Senator Fraser Anning after he hit a teen who had egged him amid condemnation over his Muslim remarks.
Scott Morrison has called for Fraser Anning to face the “full force of the law” after he hit and punched a teenager who had egged him, amid growing condemnation of the Queensland senator’s divisive comments in the wake of the Christchurch terrorist attack.
New Zealand’s High Commissioner to Australia, Annette King, also rejected Senator Anning’s remarks and declared it was up to Australian voters as to whether he remained in federal parliament after the May election.
The government and Labor have drafted a censure motion against Senator Anning that they will move when parliament resumes on April 1, which condems him “for his inflammatory and divisive comments seeking to attribute blame to victims of a horrific crime and to vilify people on the basis of religion, which do not reflect the opinions of the Australian Senate or the Australian people”.
WATCH: This is the moment Senator Fraser Anning was egged by a teenage boy during a press conference in Melbourne. #9News pic.twitter.com/oePwz3pPH2
— Nine News Melbourne (@9NewsMelb) March 16, 2019
A censure motion is a serious form of rebuke but does not have any practical outcome, such as a fine or suspension from parliament.
“I think the full force of the law should be applied to Senator Anning,” the Prime Minister said. There is no suggestion that if charged Senator Anning would be convicted for physically assaulting the boy.
Senator Anning sparked international outrage after he blamed the Christchurch attack by a right-wing extremist Australian man on New Zealand’s immigration program “which allowed Muslim fanatics to migrate”.
Senator Anning hit and punched a teenage boy in Melbourne yesterday after the boy smashed an egg into the back of the senator’s head.
Victoria Police is investigating the incident “in its entirety” — including the egging, Senator Anning’s actions and those of his supporters, who tackled and held down the boy.
A senator is automatically disqualified from federal parliament if they are convicted and is under sentence or subject to be sentenced for an offence under commonwealth or state law punishable by a prison sentence of 12 months or more.
There is no suggestion that if charged Senator Anning will be convicted for physically assaulting the boy.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said the egging was a “mug thing to do” because it put Senator Anning in the spotlight but also hit out at the “right wingers” who crash tackled the 17-year-old egg thrower.
“The young man who egged him, that was a mug thing to do. You don’t get you message out by coming up and crunching an egg on someone, it’s just stupid. I’ve got no time for that, doesn’t matter what rubbish the politician was spouting – you don’t want to give this foolish politician, this hurtful politician any sense of the moral high ground because he has none,” the Opposition Leader said.
“When I also saw the footage of some of those right-wing extremist thugs - how many tough extreme right wingers does it take to wrestle with a 17-year-old boy? Clearly too many. It’s just wrong. The police will have to do what they have to do and in a democracy I’m not going to interfere with what the police do.”
Without naming names, Mr Shorten attacked “extreme right politicians” for perpetuating hatred in Australia.
“Most politicians are not like Fraser Anning, thank god. There’s only a very few like him that pop up but I think the debate needs to be more respectful and this really goes to what sort of nation do we want to be?” Mr Shorten said.
“I say to those extreme right politicians in Australia, those keyboard warriors who hide behind the internet, you can’t hide. You can’t disown your stupidity, your ignorance, your foolishness, your hatred, your racism, your intolerance, your un-Australian attitude, and just hide behind hate speech.”
Asked if Senator Anning was fit to be an elected senator, Dame Annette said: “That’s up to Australians. We just condemn what he said and I’m absolutely delighted that his comments were condemned from the very top of government here in Australia and the people of Australia.”
“He is not a New Zealander. He does not represent New Zealand views, nor Australia’s views,” Dame Annette said. “They are atrocious and we reject them absolutely.”
The Prime Minister said yesterday Senator Anning’s conflation of the horrendous terrorist attack with issues of immigration was “appalling and they’re ugly and they have no place in Australia, in the Australian parliament also”.
Neither the House of Representatives nor the Senate has the power to expel an MP, though University of Sydney constitutional lawyer Anne Twomey said the parliament could amend or repeal legislation to make it possible.
Senator Anning, who will contest the May federal election, was elected to the Senate on just 19 first preference votes to replace former One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts after he was disqualified for being a dual citizen.
The Opposition Leader said Senator Anning was “chasing a headline” and questioned whether he’d made “Australians less safe overseas”.
“That’s another reason not to give this fool any more oxygen,” he said.
More than 300,000 people have signed a change.org petition calling for Senator Anning’s expulsion from parliament.
More Coverage
Nation ‘must not go down road’ of faith-based parties: PM
Parties founded on religion would undermine social cohesion, according to Anthony Albanese, as he reminded rogue senator Fatima Payman that she owed her election to Labor pre-selection.
Payman defies Labor, crosses floor for Gaza
The Albanese government is talking down calls to expel Fatima Payman after the Labor senator crossed the floor to vote against her party on a motion to recognise Palestine.