Conservative MPs have flexed their muscles on the first day of the new Parliament, with Liberal senator Cory Bernardi signing up every government backbench senator bar one to a motion that would re-write section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act.
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But the libertarian South Australian senator denied the move represented a direct challenge to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's authority, even as he kick-started the push to re-write the law to drop "offend" or "insult" from the Act, while leaving in "intimidate" or "humiliate".
At the same time, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten put Mr Turnbull on the spot as he moved a motion that would have the Parliament restate its commitment to all Australians enjoying equal rights and deserving equal respect, "regardless of race, colour, creed or origin".
Mr Shorten's motion is identical to that proposed by former Labor leader Kim Beazley in 1996, soon after Pauline Hanson was elected for the first time, which was eventually put up by the former prime minister John Howard and backed by the then opposition leader. Mr Turnbull is said to be considering following Mr Howard's lead and putting forward the motion.
Ms Hanson has returned to the Parliament after 20 years - this time with three One Nation colleagues - and in this context, Mr Shorten challenged Mr Turnbull to back the motion because "it is critical that Australians know that our Parliament will never condone racism or extremist politics - and that Australians should be treated with equal respect regardless of race, colour, creed or origin".
Section 18C is a rallying point for conservative and libertarian senators and, in total, 20 senators - 13 from the government and 7 from the crossbench including Bob Day, Derryn Hinch, David Leyonhjelm and Pauline Hanson's quartet - signed the motion.
Mr Turnbull last year expressed sympathy for amending 18C, but the Prime Minister said over the weekend that the change "isn't a priority. I'm not suggesting it isn't an important issue".
Senator Bernardi dismissed suggestions the move represented a "rebellion" against the Prime Minister.
"Ultimately the government will choose its own agenda, it's got a number of things it wants to be a priority. I want to get this on the record, I don't want this to be ignored, that's what important. A lot of my colleagues feel strongly about this, I'm pleased the Prime Minister is sympathetic to this; this is only about making some reforms to a law where there there are some provisions that are unjust," he told Fairfax Media.
"This is not about challenging the Prime Minister. I supported it when Tony Abbott was PM, I was disappointed that he dumped it, I support it now that Malcolm Turnbull is Prime Minister. He supports it as well . . . this is not about division.
Thirty-nine votes are needed to pass the bill through the Senate.
The bill that will be introduced is the same one that was backed by Senators Day, Bernardi and Leyonhjelm after Mr Abbott dumped his reform proposal back in 2014 amid rising community concern and in the interests of "national unity".
Senator Bernardi admitted that "we don't have the numbers," to pass the bill, but added "I hope it will pass in the life of this Parliament."
"The challenge I put to those opposed to this: if this is good and just law, explain its use against the Queensland students who have been struggling for three years under the weight of this accusatory nature of the grievance industry. If you can't explain it, you can't defend it."
