Race Discrimination Commissioner confirms his disdain for anyone who queries him
Jacqueline Maley talks to outgoing Race Discrimination Commissioner Tim Soutphommasane, The Sydney Morning Herald, Saturday:
The former Labor staffer has sprayed his critics … calling The Australian newspaper an “alt-right rag”.
But Soutphommasane does have critics elsewhere. Academic Clive Hamilton, March 18, tweets:
In my view, for our Race Discrimination Commissioner to join in the silencing and marginalisation of these voices critical of the Chinese Communist Party is unforgivable. (His) knee-jerk accusation that my book “smacks of Yellow Peril revisited” is offensive.
Hamilton, SMH and The Age, March 18:
His smearing of the book (the most cynical exercise in cherry-picking I have ever seen) aimed to poison the minds of his readers without engaging with the book’s arguments or the 100,000 words of accumulated fact.
Joe Kelly, The Australian, June 12:
Dr Soutphommasane said he would finish his five-year term on August 19, but welcomed moves by the Turnbull government to appoint a new commissioner: “There are some, though, who question the need … Some say that racism is so very rare in today’s Australia that it doesn’t merit our society having a commissioner … It is convenient to declare that racism doesn’t exist.”
The Mocker, The Australian website, May 3:
A self-described social democrat, he reserved a student politics-like rancour for conservatives. They “frequently endorse a form of destructive radicalism towards public institutions and civil society,” wrote Soutphommasane just months before his appointment. “They lust for a new round in the culture war, for eradicating the supposed evils of elite political correctness” … Notably, Soutphommasane’s account made no mention of (several incidents involving African youths) … I alerted Soutphommasane via Twitter about the … incidents … He did not respond.
Tim Blair’s blog. The Daily Telegraph’s website, June 2:
In his last 12 months in his $346,000-a-year role … Soutphommasane has produced a report on cultural diversity in leadership roles, led a racism campaign supported by business and sport leaders, and held public forums on race relations. Institute of Public Affairs executive director John Roskam said (the list) demonstrated why the position should be scrapped.
Tony Abbott hit out at a dance performance that separates white audience members from people of colour labelling it ridiculous, 2GB, June 13:
(The) “idea that you can fight racism with racism is ridiculous. The point I make about the Human Rights Commission generally, but this individual in particular, is that it’s only left-wingers whose rights are protected.”
Cartoonist Bill Leak, The Spectator, December 10, 2016:
My cartoon only hinted at the truth about the appalling levels of violence endured by Aboriginal women and children, but within minutes of clapping eyes on it, Soutphommasane was all over social media urging people to lodge complaints against me.
Nick Cater, The Weekend Australian website, March 10:
Whatever hidden talents (Leak’s) nemeses may display later in life, we can be confident that the reputation of … Soutphommasane will not survive … (his contribution) amounts to little more than the shuffling of bureaucrats assigned pointless tasks, noisy but insignificant cogs.