Senator SCARR (Queensland) (10:24): While Senator Cormann was the Leader of the Government in the Senate, quite often I would attend citizenship ceremonies and I would point out what a terrific thing it was in our country that both the Leader of the Government in the Senate and the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate were born overseas yet came to this country and managed to reach two of the highest political positions in this country. I would use that as an example of what a special country we are. You can come from all over the world, from places where political violence is endemic, where people are discriminated against, persecuted and put in jail simply for their political beliefs. Yet, from those who are moving this motion here today, who are 'seeking to unite'—that's what they say they're doing—all we hear is a torrent of abuse, questioning of our Prime Minister's motives and general reflections upon all government members. Is that how you seek to unite? If you were bona fide about uniting the people of this country, would you do it by attacking in a very personal way the Prime Minister of this country? No, you would not. We didn't hear, from Senator Keneally, Lincoln's first inaugural speech, appealing to the 'better angels' of our character—absolutely not. We heard a torrent of personal abuse directed against our Prime Minister. That's what we heard from Senator Keneally. Senator Keneally is not seeking to unite Australians. She's seeking to leverage off a straw man she's constructed in order to attack our Prime Minister. That is what she's doing through the course of this motion. She's not seeking to unite Australians. Senator Faruqi—through you, Mr Acting Deputy President—I'm extraordinarily disappointed with the broad-ranging assertions you cast upon all government members. Can I say to you: I've attended mosques which have been graffitied and which have been attacked. I've attended those mosques with other people of my party and stood with those people in the face of discrimination and in the face of persecution. It is very, very disappointing that, again, in seeking to unite us, you come in here and seek to tar everyone on this side of the chamber with the same brush. This is how you seek to unite? Senator Thorpe interjecting— Senator SCARR: Listen to it now. Listen to the interjections from Senator Thorpe. Is that how you seek to unite, Senator Thorpe? You're bringing us together with your considered interjections! Senator McKim interjecting— Senator SCARR: Senator McKim, you're going to seek to unite us as well by attacking me, as I draw to this place's attention the fact that, by the very motion you're seeking to unite us with, you are dividing us. You are dividing us. You are playing politics. You've constructed a straw man and then you've sought to conflate— Honourable senators interjecting— Senator SCARR: Here they are. They're uniting us! The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT ( Senator O'Sullivan ): Order! Senator SCARR: Look at them, Mr Acting Deputy President. Here they are, uniting us, bringing us all together—binding our wounds, as President Lincoln said in his second inaugural speech! You're binding our wounds, are you? No, you're playing politics—base politics. You're not seeking to unite us; you're seeking to divide us with this motion. We would expect better of you, Senator Keneally, as someone who was a premier of the great state of New South Wales. You are seeking to divide us and conflating our Prime Minister with despicable extremists. You should know better. Senator Faruqi, please reflect on the fact that members of the government don't fit your caricature— Honourable senators interjecting— Senator SCARR: We're uniting, everyone, are we? We're uniting! Listen to it. Senator Keneally, is this what you wanted? Of course it's what you wanted, because you wanted to divide. You didn't seek to exercise good faith in terms of your assessment of our Prime Minister. You sought to use this for partisan political processes. Senator Thorpe interjecting— Senator SCARR: You're uniting us, are you, Senator Thorpe? The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Order! Senator Scarr, please direct your questions through the chair. Senator SCARR: Through you, Mr Acting Deputy President, is Senator Thorpe uniting us with her consistent interjections? I wouldn't have thought so. Senator Thorpe: It's because we don't want racists killing us anymore. Senator SCARR: Here we are, with the usual moderate language in Senator Thorpe's interjections. 'Uniting all Australians'? I don't think so. This motion, which was calling for unity, was actually all about division.