Freedom of speech
David LIMBRICK (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (09:58): I was honoured last Friday night to be invited to the opening night performance at the Melbourne Convention Centre of Shen Yun, a dance and musical celebration of Chinese culture. I would like to commend all of the dancers and musicians who performed and put on a wonderful show that night. It was really spectacular to see. There was a lesson to be learned, however, in one of the performances. It highlighted the destructive effect of religious and freedom of belief and speech persecution in China, particularly of the Falun Dafa people. I think it is important to listen to the voices of those – and I know that there are many in the south-east of Melbourne – who have escaped communism and come to this country because they believe in our freedom of speech and they believe in our freedom of belief. They believe in these freedoms, and we must listen to their warnings and take them very seriously – I know I do – because infringements on freedom of speech and belief end up in a bad place and we must never let this happen in Australia.