Motions

Kirk, Mr C.

Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. B.R. Hood:

That this council—

1. Notes with deep sorrow the assassination of American political commentator Charlie Kirk on 10 September 2025;

2. Extends its sincere condolences to his family, friends, colleagues and supporters;

3. Affirms that political violence has no place in a free society;

4. Condemns all forms of political violence and intimidation; and

5. Calls on all South Australians, particularly political leaders, to commit to respectful and peaceful public discourse.

(Continued from 16 October 2025.)

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (16:48): I indicate that government members will support this motion. Political violence has no place anywhere in the democratic world, or anywhere really. The shooting of Mr Charlie Kirk, a conservative political commentator, on 10 September 2025 was both shocking and horrific. It robbed Mr Kirk's family of a son, a husband and a father, and no doubt caused tremendous distress to all those who had to witness that event at Utah Valley University.

I note the motion put forward by the Hon. Ben Hood calls on South Australian political leaders to 'commit to respectful and peaceful public discourse', and I agree that respectful discourse is indeed needed. Respect is fundamental in our system. It ensures we can express our own views whilst understanding the opinions of others. As the Hon. Ben Hood acknowledged in moving his motion, this is not, of course, confined to one side of politics or the other.

Mr Kirk was a significant figure in American conservative politics. Similarly, figures such as President Trump and the Republican Congressman Steve Scalise have been victims of shootings in recent years. On the other side of politics, Minnesota Democratic legislator Melissa Hortman was tragically killed in a shooting in her home in June this year, along with her husband, Mark. That same night, another progressive lawmaker, Mr John Hoffman, and his wife, Yvette, were also shot, although they, thankfully, survived.

I think all South Australians have been shocked to witness the seemingly endless parade of escalating violence in the United States, particularly in relation to political discourse. The United States is, of course, one of the world's most prominent democracies. It is one that we all watch and we all look to and I for one—and I am sure every member of this chamber—am concerned at the increasing levels of violence we seem to be seeing.

We need to understand how US politics has come to such a pass. No doubt there are many and complex reasons for this increasing challenge to the public discourse in that country. I am somewhat concerned, therefore, about the rather hagiographic descriptions of Mr Kirk that have followed his assassination: simplistic, non-critical and ultimately failing our responsibilities to reflect deeply on our own actions.

To my mind, such hagiographic claims gloss over the fundamental problem with Mr Kirk's approach to politics. If we do that, we miss the key lesson from these dreadful events. So first of all, let's have a quick look at some of things that Mr Charlie Kirk thought important enough to record on his social media. He said:

The pride and trans movements have always been about grooming kids. They call it 'normalising'. They cannot procreate so they recruit, and now they're bragging about it. (X post, 9 May 2024)

These doctors need to be put in prison quickly. We need to have a Nuremburg-style trial for every gender-affirming clinic doctor. We need it immediately. (The Charlie Kirk Show, 1 April 2024)

One day we will look back on gender insanity as one of the darkest periods of American history, an era President Trump brought to an end. (X post, 18 July 2025)

Someone should take care of [trans people] the way we took care of things in the 1950s and 60s. (The Charlie Kirk Show, 18 February 2023)

…Birth control like really screws up female brains, by the way. Every single one of you needs to make sure that your loved ones are not on birth control. It increases depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. Birth control is the number one prescribed medication for young ladies under the age of 25…It is awful, it's terrible, and it creates very angry bitter young ladies and young women. (Turning Point USA Faith event, 21 March 2024)

Having children is way more important than having a good career. (The Ingraham Angle, 9 September 2025)

Okay, that is arguable, I suppose. He also said:

Reject feminism. Submit to your husband, Taylor [Swift]. You're not in charge. (The Charlie Kirk Show, 27 August 2025)

[Jewish people control] not just the colleges. It's the nonprofits, it's the movies, it's Hollywood, it's all of it. (The Charlie Kirk Show, 26 October 2023)

If I see a Black pilot, I'm going to be like, 'Boy, I hope he's qualified.' (The Charlie Kirk Show, 23 January 2024)

Black people were better off in the 1940s…it was bad and it was evil, but they committed less crimes. (Surrounded, Jubilee (YouTube), 9 September 2024)

There is no separation of church and state. It's a fabrication, it's a fiction, it's not in the constitution. It's made up by secular humanists. (The Charlie Kirk Show, 6 July 2022)

The great replacement strategy, which is well under way every single day in our southern border, is a strategy to replace white rural America with something different. (The Charlie Kirk Show, 1 March 2024)

America has freedom of religion, of course, but we should be frank: large dedicated Islamic areas are a threat to America. (The Charlie Kirk Show, 30 April 2025)

Islam is the sword the left is using to slit the throat of America. (X post, 9 September 2025)

America does not need more visas for people from India. (X post, 2 September 2025)

America was at its peak when we halted immigration for 40 years and we dropped our foreign-born percentage to its lowest level ever. We should be unafraid to do that. (The Charlie Kirk Show, 22 August 2025)

I think it's worth it to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights. (Turning Point USA Faith event, 5 April 2023)

These are some of the statements made by Mr Kirk—the bold beliefs he is said to have stood for. The problem for us, as political actors, is this: when we embark on political discourse, we need to decide whether we seek to unite our society around some fundamental bedrock of shared values and our mutual support for each other, or whether we seek to promote division in our community, to divide us into separate camps, us and them, and then to demonise the 'them', the other, as not being like us and therefore not worthy of sharing equally in the benefits of the society that we create.

This incitement to othering, to division, to fear, inevitably leads to hatred and, from there, to verbal attacks, abuse and, yes, violence. We can see all this play out in US politics today: a stark lesson for those who seek to emulate Mr Kirk's approach to public discourse.

I do not believe the Hon. Ben Hood seeks to go down that path with his motion before us today. Indeed, from what I know of the Hon. Mr Hood he has a completely opposite point of view, but the focus on Mr Kirk requires us to consider some of that background that I just put on the record today. The Hon. Mr Ben Hood did in his contribution speak of the many others who have experienced assassination and politically inspired violence. I note the Hon. Mr Simms has brought forward an amendment to include some of that commentary in the motion. The government will also be supporting that amendment.

All of us have a role to play not only in calling for an end to political violence overseas but in maintaining respectful debate in our country, combating extremism in politics in our country, to make sure that we are not inciting hatred, to make sure that we are uniting our community, not dividing it. We do not want to be going down the same path that they are in America.

Politically motivated violence not only takes lives and robs families of their loved ones it also undermines our basic trust in institutions and our democracies, and that is something we should not be doing as political actors ourselves. The government will support the motion and the amendments and joins all honourable members in standing against violence in politics.

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS (16:56): I move to amend the motion as follows:

Delete paragraph 1 and substitute:

1. Notes with deep sorrow the assassinations of American political commentator Charlie Kirk on 10 September 2025 and the Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives of the United States of America, Melissa Hortman, and her husband, Mark Hortman, on 14 June 2025;

Delete paragraph 2 and substitute:

2. Extends its sincere condolences to their family, friends, colleagues and supporters;

Peace and nonviolence is one of the fundamental principles of the Greens. It is for that reason that I have advanced this amendment, because it includes a reference to an act of political violence that occurred just a few months before the other event that the Hon. Ben Hood has flagged. Whatever people's views on the individuals involved, ultimately in a democracy we should all be able to participate as political actors without fear of violence or, indeed, death.

I thank the Hon. Ian Hunter for his thoughtful contribution and for the important reminder he has provided around the need for civility and respect in public life. I think all of us look at what is unfolding in the United States at the moment with a degree of sadness and concern and a real desire to not see our country go down that path as a democracy, because it is very clear that democracy in the United States is not working effectively and that that discourse has become deeply, deeply toxic.

I advance this amendment on the basis that it also recognises an act of violence that occurred just a few months ago in the United States. Of course, all political violence should be condemned.

The Hon. B.R. HOOD (16:59): I want to thank the Hon. Ian Hunter and the Hon. Robert Simms for their thoughtful contributions to this motion and indicate the Liberal support of the amendment from the Hon. Rob Simms.

As the Hon. Mr Hunter pointed out, it was important for me, when I gave my second reading speech on this motion, to include those other people who have died or have been seriously injured at the hands of political violence, because this is not a disease or an evil that just affects one side of politics, it affects all sides of politics. It is something that we must rally against in Australia. We do not want to see the same violence, the same rhetoric and the same hatred that we have seen in America, and indeed in the UK as well, in regard to their politicians. It is important that this place makes it clear to the public that we will not stand for political violence; that we will respect each other's opinions, whether we disagree or not; and that, at the end of the day, we will break bread despite it.

Again, I thank the honourable members for their honourable contributions. I commend the motion, along with the amendment from the Hon. Rob Simms.

Amendment carried; motion as amended carried.