Australia is a vibrant, culturally diverse country. People from all around the world choose to live here because of our relaxed lifestyle, democratic values and friendly people.

And why wouldn’t they? We all want to live in a country where people respect one another despite their differences. Where people are free to speak their mind while respecting the freedoms and rights of others.

Our country is like this because in Australia people have the right to express their ideas so long as they don’t say something that offends, insults, humiliates or intimidates another person or a group on the basis of their race or ethnicity. This is a fair law for everyone, yet the government have said they will completely remove it.

The government intends to start making the amendments to Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act immediately. If successful, forms of cyber racism and racial abuse that are presently unlawful will become lawful activities.

Young people who are targeted online due to their race will be affected. People who wear clothing that signals them out as belonging to a cultural group will become easy targets for abuse. This is not the kind of society we want to live in.

We call on the Attorney-General to ensure strong protection against hate speech and ask that he consult widely and with genuine concern involving the whole Australian community before attempting to make any changes to the Racial Discrimination Act.