Israeli Products Boycott

Mr SOUTHWICK (Caulfield) -- My question is to the Minister for Consumer Affairs. I refer the minister to the boycott, divestments and sanctions campaign against businesses with links to Israel, and I ask: what action has the minister taken on behalf of the government regarding this campaign, and can the minister inform the house of the response of the community to this sort of campaign?

Mr O'BRIEN (Minister for Consumer Affairs) -- I thank the member for Caulfield for his important question and for his strong and unwavering representation of his community. One of Victoria's strengths is the diverse multicultural make-up of our community. We are strong because we are cohesive, we are tolerant and we settle whatever differences we have with each other in a peaceful way that respects each other and respects the law of the land. That is why we need to be very careful about threats to this cohesiveness.

A campaign like this global boycott, divestments and sanctions (BDS) campaign that seeks to target people or businesses in this state because of their national, ethnic or cultural background is entirely unacceptable.

What we saw on 1 July was a violent protest outside a Max Brenner chocolate shop that resulted in 19 people being arrested and police being injured. The matter is before the court so I will not say more than that, but to say that any business should not be allowed to trade, to see employees and workers harassed and to see customers harassed and blockaded is absolutely unacceptable. We reject that. I have taken the action, on behalf of the government, of writing to the chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, Rod Sims, asking that the ACCC investigate whether these actions are in breach of section 45D of the commonwealth Competition and Consumer Act 2010, which prohibits secondary boycotts. I look forward to action there.

I was asked about community reaction, and I note that the Leader of the Opposition was asked for comment and did reject this sort of campaign, and I welcome that. That is entirely appropriate. I know that the member for Richmond has also said things in this chamber and has rejected the campaign, and I very much welcome that. However, not everybody on the labour side has been quite so supportive. The Victorian Trades Hall Council passed a motion on 10 September 2010 in relation to this global BDS campaign, and it reads in part:

... the VTHC executive council determines to support this campaign -- --

The fact that the Trades Hall Council has passed a motion that is on the public record supporting this campaign.

I call on all members of this Parliament -- Labor, Liberal and Greens -- to stand up and condemn the boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign. Everybody should be condemning it.

We have heard from the Leader of the Opposition, but a trade union movement in this state supports the BDS.