Maria Vamvakinou (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I also rise to speak on the motion before us, and I want to thank the member for Moreton for bringing this very important motion on the vilification of minority groups for discussion here in the chamber. I also want to thank all colleagues who have made a contribution to the debate.

As the member for Calwell I have spoken many times about my culturally diverse multifaith electorate and I've spoken about the aspirations and tribulations of both the established and emerging migrant and refugee communities who live in my electorate. They are the waves of migrant Australians who, in making Australia home, continue to add to our country's nation-building enterprise by bringing with them their unique cultures, their languages and faiths, their skills and experiences, and their investments and business acumen, ensuring always that Australia continues to remain a dynamic and vibrant contemporary multicultural society with a viable and strong economy. This is why this motion today is very important. Despite best efforts, there are still religious communities that face vilification, which is why this motion calls on the government to protect all Australians from incitement of hatred due to religious beliefs.

Calwell has one of the largest Muslim communities in Australia. In our case, Islamophobia is a real and pressing issue. Our community, over the years, has endured its fair share of vilification. I have previously, in this parliament, talked about the abuses and verbal assaults and insults, and even attacks on individuals and buildings, that my constituents have endured. We, however, continue to fight against the intransigent prejudice of those who view their Muslim neighbours as threats or incompatible to the Australian identity or the Australian way of life.

Since 9/11, Australia, as with other Western countries with Muslim minorities, has experienced a profound surge of Islamophobia. Islamophobia is defined by the Runnymede Trust's Commission on British Muslims and Islamophobia as:

The dislike of or prejudice against and fear of Islam or Muslims.

Against the backdrop of international conflict, terrorist incidents and counterterrorist measures, Muslims have become the subject of rising mistrust and suspicion and, in some cases, outright hostility.

In the case of my local Muslim community, the effects of the post September 11 period have been profound. Recently I met a young man from my electorate who, at 22 years of age, told me that he has known no other way than post the 11 September period, because he has grown up having to deal with suspicion and discrimination because he is a Muslim. That's a shocking revelation for any Australian, especially a young Australian, to have to go through. I say this because together we have all built a successful Australian democracy. Our social cohesion has been key to our social harmony. We have resisted and must continue to resist any threats to our social cohesion by protecting our community from any discrimination, vilification or incitement of hatred based on race or faith.

Since its inception in 2001, the Hume Interfaith Network in my electorate is an example of such resistance, with faith leaders from across the electorate working with the Hume City Council, strengthening social justice, deepening mutual respect and promoting community participation and wellbeing through interfaith dialogue and community engagement. The network celebrates the rich diversity that is found in Calwell by dispersing misplaced fears. It plays a key role in promoting unity through opportunities for people from diverse cultures and faiths to meet and to learn from one another. From second generation Turks to recently arrived Pakistanis, from Iraqis, Egyptians and so many more to Christians from Iraq and Syria, from Hindus to Buddhists—we all work together. All of our good work can only succeed if government responds by providing the necessary protections in terms of statements, policies and legislation.

I want to focus on protecting young people, because they are most vulnerable, especially in their formative years. If we don't protect them, they can easily feel alienated and unwanted, and that can lead to an identity crisis that renders some susceptible to zealotry and misplaced antisocial behaviour. Over half of Australian youth have witnessed harmful content online according to an Office of the eSafety Commissioner research study. Equally alarming is that 53 per cent of children surveyed by Charles Sturt University for their report Islamophobia in Australia have been subject to an incident of Islamophobia.

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