Mehreen Faruqi (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) on 15 March 2019 an Australian man walked into two mosques in Christchurch, Aotearoa New Zealand, and killed 51 innocent Muslims,

(ii) the New Zealand Royal Commission inquiry into the attacks confirmed that the massacre was driven by an 'extreme right-wing Islamophobic ideology',

(iii) two years on, Australia has grappled neither with being the country that raised the Christchurch killer, nor with the resurgent threat of far- right extremism and neo-fascism,

(iv) this month marks 30 years since the publication of the 1991 landmark National Inquiry into Racist Violence, which found that 'racist attitudes and practices (conscious and unconscious) pervade our institutions, both public and private', and that 'on the whole, public authorities do not respond effectively to reports of racist violence', and

(v) racism and Islamophobia continue to pervade our institutions in 2021, and public authorities have failed to stem the scourge of racist violence and hate crimes; and

(b) that the Senate acknowledges the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on 21 March, and calls on the Australian Government to reject and challenge racism in all its forms.

Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted: minute.

Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Australia stands in solidarity and mourning with New Zealand on the two-year anniversary of the attack on two mosques in Christchurch. We continue to work through all our agencies with the New Zealand government to protect all people. Australians overwhelmingly reject all forms of racism and extremism. Our strength and resilience comes from our unity as Australians, regardless of faith or cultural background. The government is strongly committed to maintaining social cohesion. The government announced $62.8 million in funding over five years in the 2020-21 budget to strengthen Australia's social cohesion and community resilience in the COVID-19 recovery period. The 2020 Scanlon report showed strong support for Australian multiculturalism, at 84 per cent, up from 80 per cent in 2019.

Question agreed to.