Discrimination rejected

YARRA Ranges councillors united against the Federal Government’s proposed changes to the Racial Discrimination Act in their recent meeting, saying the amendments water down protection from racism.
At the council’s 27 May meeting, mayor Fiona McAllister proposed a motion that the council reject the Federal Government’s proposed amendments, and to write to all federal ministers on the matter.
The amendment to the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 was proposed by Federal Attorney-General George Brandis earlier this year, and has been under heavy debate since.
The changes aim to repeal sections 18B, 18C, 18D and 18E of the act, which protect residents from behaviour likely to offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate them on the basis of their race, colour, national or ethnic origin.
Under the amendment, these sections could be replaced with a single section which would make it unlawful to do an act likely to “vilify or intimidate” a person in public, under the same basis.
Cr McAllister said the legislation currently protected all ethnicities from being discriminated against, and that the changes would dilute the protection currently given to residents, including the Indigenous population.
The motion states that the proposed amendments should only be considered if they “genuinely strengthen legal protection against racial vilification,” but that, in this case, they do not.
All councillors supported the motion, though many said that, with the closing of the consultation on the amendment on 30 April, it could be a gesture of little effect.
However, Cr McAllister said the opposition to the amendments sent a message to the Yarra Ranges community, the wider community and politicians.
“I don’t think we always should wade in on federal issues, but some we absolutely have to – I think these (changes) are not negotiable in relation to basic human rights,” she said.
The council will write to all federal ministers and Yarra Ranges federal MPs, stating the council’s position on the matter.