On Anzac Day we witnessed events in Melbourne that should remain forever etched in our national memory. At the dawn service, a sombre commemoration to honour those who have sacrificed everything for our freedoms, a group led by a known neo-Nazi disrupted the Welcome to Country. A day that should unite us, honouring sacrifice, service and shared national values, was instead hijacked by extremists to heckle and divide. Journalist Amy Remeikis said it plainly:
It's absolutely disgusting … we fought against them in World War II … that was the whole point ...
Make no mistake, that incident did not occur spontaneously. It is the product of years of growing far‑right extremism, ignored, downplayed or misunderstood by too many in positions of influence. Across our country, and across much of the world, we are seeing the re-emergence of dangerous forces. Neo-Nazis are no longer hiding in the shadows but organising openly. And yet, too often, politicians and media outlets treat these groups as just another voice in the political conversation, another perspective to debate or dismiss politely. This is a fatal mistake. The far right is not just another political movement; it is an existential threat to democracy itself. This is not just about left and right and it is not just another political argument for the talking heads on news panels; this is democracy versus extremism. Fascism is not just another empty insult to throw around like woke, snowflake or Karen. It is not a buzzword.
In Germany, after the First World War, extremist groups like the Nazis were seen as fringe and irrelevant. Mainstream politicians underestimated them, believing they could be controlled or co-opted. The media often sensationalised them, giving them publicity and oxygen. Civil society groups were slowly worn down until resistance became impossible. By the time the true threat was recognised, it was too late. In 1930s Germany conservatives thought they could control Hitler. They believed he would serve their interests. One of them, Alfred Hugenberg, a powerful media baron and politician, realised when it was too late that he had, in his own words, "allied myself with the worst demagogue in history".
Today we allow hate speech to exploit the right of free speech. Politicians flirt with racism, division and conspiracy theories, all in the name of short-term political gain. We act as if civil discourse alone will somehow defeat extremists whose only—
Ms Robyn Preston: Point of order—
Mr NATHAN HAGARTY: I am getting there.
Ms Robyn Preston: A private member's statement is supposed to be about a member's electorate.
Mr NATHAN HAGARTY: I am getting there.
TEMPORARY SPEAKER (Ms Donna Davis): The member for Leppington will allow the member for Hawkesbury to speak.
Ms Robyn Preston: A private member's statement should relate to a member's electorate.
Mr NATHAN HAGARTY: Imagine interrupting a speech about fascism. It says a lot about you.
Ms Robyn Preston: The member for Leppington has only two minutes left to speak and we have not heard one thing about his electorate. His contribution is about other things.
TEMPORARY SPEAKER (Ms Donna Davis): I uphold the point of order. The member for Leppington will refer to his electorate.
Mr NATHAN HAGARTY: I will get there. Politicians flirt with racism, division and conspiracy theories, all in the name of political gain. We act as if civil discourse alone will somehow defeat extremists whose only goal is to tear civil discourse apart. In my own electorate of Leppington, when the media gives airtime to Neo‑Nazis, it is not neutrality or both sides. It is complicity and it is platforming. Fascism has never been about persuasion. It does not win arguments; it silences them. At its core, fascism thrives on bullying and intimidation. Mussolini had his Blackshirts. Hitler had his Brownshirts. They did not just campaign; they patrolled the streets, broke up meetings, bashed rivals and made public life unsafe for anyone who opposed them. Today's far-right movements have added more modern tools to their arsenal such as online harassment, doxxing and coordinated misinformation. This is not just about winning elections; it is about poisoning democracy itself. In the recent federal election, we saw an army of volunteers in blue shirts, many reportedly from a far‑right Christian sect.
Ms Robyn Preston: Point of order—
Mr NATHAN HAGARTY: Locally in my electorate, voters were repeatedly harassed by these volunteers.
TEMPORARY SPEAKER (Ms Donna Davis): I will hear the point of order.
Ms Robyn Preston: My point of order is about relevance to the member's electorate. The only time—
TEMPORARY SPEAKER (Ms Donna Davis): The member for Leppington has mentioned his electorate. The member for Hawkesbury will resume her seat.
[Interruption]
The member mentioned Leppington. The member for Hawkesbury will resume her seat.
Mr NATHAN HAGARTY: What about the clock?
TEMPORARY SPEAKER (Ms Donna Davis): I am not sure whether we can reset the clock.
Mr NATHAN HAGARTY: Locally in my electorate—in Werriwa—voters were repeatedly harassed by those volunteers. I was personally subjected to a screaming tirade lasting several minutes within the six-metre line by a volunteer in a blue shirt. One resident told me the following:
Nearly every day they were knocking or leaving advertisements at my front door.
First it was four guys.
When I told them it was none of their business who I was voting for, they actually sent the candidate to my house.
I told him that he wasn't getting who I was voting for, and he left.
That was followed by phone calls and additional visits. When she spoke to her neighbour, he said until he told them he was voting for them, they kept coming to his door. The weekend's result delivered a resounding message of resistance. The Werriwa electorate—and Australian voters at large—rejected these tactics.
