Paul Scarr (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Multicultural Engagement) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On 17 and 18 January, just last month, the Australian Eritrean community held its inaugural Eritrean Australian Community and Youth Festival in my state of Queensland. I was delighted to attend, along with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Hon. Milton Dick MP, an event hosted by the Eritrean Australian community at the Polish Club in Darra. This was a great celebration of Eritrean heritage and culture and the vibrant contribution of Eritrean youth in our country.

Whilst it was a celebration, very deep concerns were raised with respect to foreign interference occurring in our country on behalf of the Eritrean dictatorship. Concerns were raised that members of the Australian community are being harassed and intimidated. Those who are speaking for democracy and freedom in Eritrea are being targeted in this country by the Eritrean regime, a dictatorship. I want to say to the Eritrean regime, to put on the record here in the Australian Senate, what I said at the event, which is: we have laws in this country against foreign political interference. Any attempt to intimidate, to harass, to silence members of our Eritrean community exercising their democratic rights in this country is unacceptable. It is intolerable. It is reprehensible. Any attack on our Eritrean community exercising their democratic rights in our country is an attack on this institution and its values. Any attack on them is an attack on me as a Queensland senator. Our Eritrean community is a great blessing for our beautiful country, and you will always have my 100 per cent support.

I was delighted on Saturday 11 January to attend a celebration of the Karen New Year. This is the 2,764th Karen new year in accordance with the Karen calendar. I want to quote to you from the speech which was delivered by Mr Sanlwin Y Shwe, who is the vice chair of the Australian Karen Organisation. I am going to quote it at length because it was a beautiful, heartfelt speech and made a number of key points. He said: 'I would also like to share some positive stories from the community. Arriving here with nothing as refugees, we have witnessed significant progress over the past 18 years. A significant number of community members have acquired their own transportation and homes, run and owned a commercial business and engaged in diverse industries and sectors. It is important to note that many of our youth have graduated from university and some of our young men and women are proudly serving in the Australian Defence Force. Some of them have been assigned to overseas missions to safeguard Australian interests, promote democracy, uphold human rights and fulfil Australia's commitments to the international community. We are truly proud of these achievements and would like to express our gratitude to everyone for your hard work and dedication in giving back to the Australian community.'

But there was a sadder note that was expressed in the speech, and that was in relation to the ongoing cruel military junta regime in Burma. He said: 'I think it is important for me to mention that while we, the Karen community here, are enjoying and celebrating this significant cultural event, hundreds of thousands of our Karen brothers and sisters who have been left behind and are trapped in the deep jungle of Burma, fleeing for their safety from the brutal Burmese military attacks, do not have the opportunity to observe and enjoy their time to celebrate Karen new year.'

We in this place need to reflect on a number of matters as to how the Australian government can support the democratic aspirations of the people of Burma. We need to consider how we can best deliver medical aid to the millions of Burmese who are internally displaced due to the conflict in Burma. We need to consider increasing Magnitsky-style sanctions against individuals and companies connected with the military junta. That should include looking at sanctions targeting, in particular, aviation fuel, which is used in air strikes which are conducted by the military junta, including against civilians. We should not tolerate any supposed election occurring under the junta's regime. We should not recognise any election unless it is conducted on a free and fair basis and is inclusive, transparent and accountable and where all the members of the Burmese community have a chance to fully participate in that election.

I would like to make some comments in relation to a vile event which occurred at QUT, the Queensland University of Technology. I note that Senator Lambie is in attendance in the chamber. I would like to congratulate Senator Lambie on the motion she moved earlier today in relation to the scourge of antisemitism. I associate myself with every single word that Senator Lambie said in moving that resolution. I congratulate her on that. I want to quote from an article that appeared in relation to this event that was labelled a national symposium on unifying anti-racist research and action. I note, Mr Acting Deputy President McGrath, that you're an alumnus of the Queensland University of Technology, so no doubt you're particularly horrified by this. Indeed, you have stated publicly how horrified you were by this event. I'll quote from an article by Natalie Brown and Frank Chung from January 2025:

The university this week hosted the National Symposium on Unifying Anti-Racist Research and Action, an event that has outraged Australia's Jewish community after attendees were shown an image titled "Dutton's Jew" at a "comedy debate" hosted by executive officer of the pro-Palestinian Jewish Council of Australia …

One of the things that particularly concerned me about this event—and there was lots to be concerned about—was the targeting of University of Queensland Associate Professor Yoni Nazarathy, who attended the event:

"It was a co-ordinated humiliation. All I could do is sit there and try to exit respectfully,' Professor Nazarathy, a lecturer in artificial intelligence, said.

He became emotional when speaking to The Australian about his "public humiliation".

"Maybe it was a lesson in racism,' he said, fighting back tears. "So maybe I got my money's worth.

Since that event, Associate Professor Nazarathy said this in relation to the coverage of the event provided by the ABC and the SBS—and I want to place this on the record: 'My plea is about omissions of reporting of antisemitism events by the ABC and SBS, and I'm hoping for help in getting the ABC and SBS's attention for this. In particular, over the past two weeks there has been over a dozen media reports dealing with racism at QUT. While the broad Jewish community is outraged, the ABC and SBS have ignored these news items, fully. As such, a broad chunk of the Australian community is left unaware of the broad picture. It is important for the Jewish community that all antisemitic events be covered.'

I asked Associate Professor Yoni Nazarathy whether or not the ABC and SBS had even bothered to contact him after the events on QUT's campus. He said they had not. Our national broadcaster hadn't even bothered to reach out to give him an opportunity to tell his story, but, at the same time, they gave a platform to the executive officer of the so-called Jewish Council of Australia to appear in prime time to give her version of events, and the only contrition she displayed was to say that she regretted that the event was filmed. That's all you got from the executive officer of the Jewish Council of Australia. Well, maybe at the ABC the journos should pick up the phone and ring Associate Professor Nazarathy and get his version of events.