Thank you for joining me this afternoon. And today, I'm very pleased to be here with the Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia, Aftab Malik, and to release his report, A National Response to Islamophobia. And we're also joined by the Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Anne Aly.
Australians should be able to feel safe and at home in any community. The targeting of Australians based on their religious beliefs is not only an attack on them, but it's an attack on our core values. We must stamp out the hate, fear and prejudice that drives Islamophobia and division in our society. My Government is taking a series of actions to tackle these issues, including appointing Aftab Malik as our Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia. I thank Aftab for his extraordinary work on this report. He has consulted people here in Australia, but consulted people globally as well, as the report shows. This is a substantial contribution to help tackle Islamophobia and focus on promoting acceptance and inclusion. His consultations have been wide, and he has made a range of recommendations. We'll carefully consider these and continue to work closely with Aftab.
I consistently say when I preside over the citizenship ceremonies that are one of the great honours of being a member of Federal Parliament, that at a time where there's conflict in the world, I really see that Australia can be a microcosm for what we want the world to be. A place where people live side by side in harmony, where we're enriched by the diversity from people of different faiths, different backgrounds, different heritage. We allow them and indeed encourage them to celebrate our diversity as a nation, and we're strengthened by it. And this report is important. My Government will always work tirelessly to promote Australian values. Fairness, equality and respect for all.
And I want to welcome as well, if I can be so bold, members of Aftab's family, who have joined us here again, who are quite rightly proud of the work that he is doing to enhance unity in this great country of Australia.
AFTAB MALIK, SPECIAL ENVOY TO COMBAT ISLAMOPHOBIA: Thank you very much, Prime Minister. I'd like to begin by acknowledging the traditional custodians of the land on which we meet today, the Gadigal people of the Eora nation. I pay my respects to elders past and present. I express my sincere thanks to the many individuals across Australia who made this work possible. Mothers, daughters, community leaders, imams, academics, civil society organisations, youth leaders. All of whom offered me their trust, time and experience. I extend my gratitude to the Prime Minister for commissioning this role, which reflects the Government's commitment to combat Islamophobia in a serious and meaningful manner. I'd also like to thank Ministers Aly and Burke, who have always offered their support and encouragement along the way.
Today marks a critical and long awaited moment for the Muslim communities of Australia. This is a historic opportunity. It is a moment where we decide who we are as a country and whether we are prepared to take the necessary steps to ensure that every person in Australia, regardless of faith, ethnicity, or background, is safe, valued and treated with dignity. The reality is that Islamophobia in Australia has been persistent, at times ignored, at other times denied, but never fully addressed. We have seen opposition to mosques and Islamic schools turn to violent vandalism and assaults on Muslim properties. We have seen public abuse, graffiti and assaults of Muslims. We have seen Muslim women and children targeted not for what they have done, but for who they are and what they wear. In the past week alone, we have had a fake bomb left outside a Gold Coast mosque and 1,700 students from Queensland's largest mosque evacuated due to a bomb threat. Here in Sydney, the Islamophobia register recorded an alleged incident in which a 55-year-old Arab man was repeatedly punched in the face while he was waiting at a bus stop. This was after the assailant allegedly targeted another Muslim passenger while saying Islamophobic slurs. These are the consequences of leaving Islamophobia unaddressed.
Islamophobia has intensified over the past two decades. Following the September 11 attacks in 2001, it became entrenched, compounded by global and local terror attacks, narratives in certain sections of the media, and both Islamophobic and inflammatory statements made by some of our parliamentarians. The impacts of Islamophobic rhetoric were demonstrated in the Cronulla riots of 2005. Violence, assault and vile racism along with derogatory statements written into the sand of the beach and on the bodies of rioters pushed the overt message that Australian Muslims and Arabs are not welcome here. This is a history we cannot repeat. In 2019, it was an Australian citizen who was responsible for killing 51 Muslims in their place of worship in the Christchurch terror attacks. That fact alone should compel us to act.
Since 7 October 2023, Islamophobic incidents have skyrocketed. The Islamophobia Register has recorded a 150 per cent increase in verified in-person Islamophobic incidents by November 2024. Online, these incidents skyrocketed 250 per cent compared to any other period before that. Despite these reports, Islamophobia remains underreported with far more intensity than what these troubling numbers tell us. But this phenomenon is not new. The data and evidence on the Islamophobia is consistent and it is troubling. In 2019, the Christchurch terror attacks led to a fourfold increase in the Islamophobic incidents in-person and an eighteenfold increase online in Australia. A 2020 study found that 41 per cent of mosques in Sydney, 70 per cent in Melbourne and 89 per cent in Brisbane had experienced attacks or threats. By 2022, Muslims were rated as being the most negatively-viewed group by religion among Australians surveyed by the Scanlan Mapping Social Cohesion Report. And most recently, the Scanlan Institute reported that one in three Australians, that's 34 per cent, expressed negative attitudes towards Muslims. And that is a rise from 27 per cent the year prior.
These attitudes have real and unacceptable consequences. Muslim women in particular face the brunt. Many are physically assaulted, spat or shoved, or subjected to sexual threats simply for wearing a headscarf. In a repulsive incident recorded by the Australian Human Rights Commission, a man told a Muslim couple that he would love to kill their three children, all who were under the age of ten. This is unacceptable. During my national listening tour late last year, I met more than 100 individuals, parents, students, professionals, representatives of peak bodies, religious leaders and community organisers. I listened to their experiences of isolation, exclusion and disenchantment. The evidence aligns with what Muslim communities of Australia have shared with me, and that is Islamophobia is not only interpersonal, it is also institutional and structural. It affects Muslim students and professionals, opportunities for employment, accessing services and interactions with law enforcement. It affects every part of their life.
We know that global events significantly fuel Islamophobia, as they foster narratives that associate Islam with terror, violence and cultural and civilizational threats. The 9/11 terror attacks, Bali, Charlie Hebdo, the Syrian refugee crisis, the Christchurch terror attacks, the list goes on. In the wake of the 7 October attacks, the Islamophobic spike that followed has arguably been driven by anti-Palestinian hate and racism, which makes no distinction between Muslim and Arab, Islam or Christianity. The fury of this prejudice blinds perpetrators to view all Arabs as Muslims and all Muslims as terrorists and terrorist sympathisers. For some Australians, the severity of what I am saying and presenting today may come as a surprise, for it challenges the understanding that Islamophobia is understood only as attacks on Muslim women and Islamic institutions. Islamophobia is not always violent or overt. The issue is not a lack of evidence but a lack of action.
The recommendations that I present today emerge from a combination of Muslims' lived experience in Australia, the input of 13 national and international experts and academics, as well as the only two other Envoys in the world solely committed to combating Islamophobia. Together, we have provided a strategic framework to address all these concerns through achievable, robust and practical actions. It proposes a way forward for the religious protection of all religious communities who have not been afforded this to date. And as you will see in the framework that is available from our website, oseci.gov.au, it aligns with the National Anti-Racism Framework developed by the Australian Human Rights Commission. I have made 54 recommendations spanning every major agency in the Australian Government, and the recommendations encapsulate four key areas.
- Accountability and responsibility: holding individuals and institutions accountable for hate speech and discriminatory actions and policies.
- Protection and support: ensuring that victims of Islamophobia have accessible support services and that communities feel safe and valued.
- Education and awareness: challenge Islamophobia, promote understanding and respectful dialogue through training, media, the arts and education.
- Building social cohesion: build trust, encourage positive interactions, intercultural exchange and collaborative efforts to reduce prejudice and foster mutual respect.
These recommendations aim to engender a fair, respectful and inclusive environment. One that actively combats prejudice and hate but importantly respects fundamental freedoms.
In conclusion, I present these recommendations as an independent submission to Government. This report demonstrates that Islamophobia remains a deeply ingrained societal challenge and as such will require it to be confronted with equal urgency to other discriminatory practises. This prejudice undermines the core value of mutual respect, fairness and compassion. It also disproportionately disenfranchises Australian Muslims who are not asking for special treatment, but equal recognition of harm. To do so will require the Government to act with empathy, courage and resolve, as Usman Khawaja writes in his foreword to this report. Throughout the drafting process I have sought to appeal to the enduring ethos of the Australian a fair go for all. It is this conviction that underpins my appeal for collective effort and responsibility. Not too long from now, I hope that we are able to look back at this historic moment and see it as a turning point for addressing Islamophobia and turning words into meaningful action.
Thank you very much.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks so much, Aftab. We'll hear from the Minister and then we'll take questions.
ANNE ALY, MINISTER FOR MULTICULTURAL AFFAIRS: Thank you, PM, and thank you, Aftab. I'm not going to speak for long, but just to express an appreciation to our Special Envoy for Combating Islamophobia on this comprehensive report, and if I may also take the opportunity to express appreciation to the Antisemitism Envoy as well, for her work thus far as well.
What Aftab has done with this report is to give voice, to give voice to Muslims across Australia who have long endured discrimination, racism and at times some pretty abhorrent acts of just outright hatred and often without a form of recourse to pursue on that.
What he has done is taken those statistics that we hear about the increase in Islamophobia - startling statistics, statistics that should make us all think about where our social cohesion is headed - and he has given those statistics life. He has presented them in a way that demonstrates the impact of Islamophobia on the social, emotional and yes, even economic wellbeing of our society. Aftab has done an incredible job in ensuring that the voices of Muslims across Australia were heard in the compilation of this report and in addressing Islamophobia comprehensively from not just being direct racism in terms of attacks, predominantly on Muslim women who are visibly Muslim, to also institutional and structural forms of Islamophobia as well.
As the Minister for Multicultural Affairs, might I also add that whilst this is a historic moment, as Aftab has mentioned, for the Muslim community, we are also at a historic moment within our nation as well, because we have a government that has a Minister for Multicultural Affairs, a standalone Minister for Multicultural Affairs in Cabinet. We have an established Office of Multicultural Affairs within Government as well. And that is a demonstration of the leadership of an Albanese Labor Government and our commitment to social cohesion and to ensuring the very things that Aftab is talking about in his presentations today and in his report - those Australian principles of a fair go, the Australian principle of respect for all and the principle, that we all believe in, that every individual in this country should be able to go about their daily lives without fear and in absolute safety.
I'll hand back now to the Prime Minister. Thank you.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks very much, Anne. And I do want to just congratulate and thank Aftab, but also the Minister, Anne is doing a fantastic job in our Cabinet. We're happy to take questions.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, successive governments, including your own, have tried and failed to pass federal protections against religious discrimination. Do you want to do that in this term of Government and would it have to go hand-in-hand with some of the issues of seen around children in school [INDISTINCT], trans children?
PRIME MINISTER: It would have to have some bipartisan support, is what I said last time around. I think given where we're at in 2025, the idea that we would have a partisan debate in the Parliament could actually lead to more division. So, what I've said is that the framework is there, the principles are there. We had extensive consultations across faith groups, including here in this very building. And I have said to faith leaders as well that I certainly support religious discrimination legislation, but I don't support starting a debate that leads to rancour. That doesn't mean it needs unanimous agreement. It does mean, though, that we expect parties of Government to be supportive of such a reform.
JOURNALIST: Would you work with Sussan Ley on it? She's a different person to, say, Peter Dutton.
PRIME MINISTER: I hope so. And certainly in the past, of course there was - legislation was passed by the House of Representatives and was then shelved by the Morrison Government. So, I am up for the debate. I've indicated that. I've met with faith leaders from across groups. Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders have raised this with me and I have said - and Hindu leaders as well. We, I think, want to live in a country where people feel comfortable being able to practice their faith and to not be discriminated against because of their faith. It's a simple principle which is there. That's a principle of respect. But we would need to have that consensus, if you like, amongst the major parties in order to do so.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you've now been handed both this report and Ms Segal's report on antisemitism. Will you be implementing them both in tandem? Is there anything from this report today that you can immediately commit to?
PRIME MINISTER: What we'll do is go through. Importantly, this report, A Strategic Framework for Inclusion, Safety and Prosperity - that says a lot. Congratulations. It's often very hard to say a lot in just a few words. That is eight words that speaks about the economic participation, speaks about safety and belonging and speaks about inclusion. That's about all of us. And one of the things the report says in one of the quotes is from Aftab himself. I'll read: 'As I look towards tomorrow and beyond, I believe that meaningful change is possible. The resilience, courage and voices of Muslim Australians, paired with the insights and support of experts and allies, serve as a powerful foundation upon which to build a more inclusive society.' There's a lot in this report that is very powerful. What we'll do is examine it in a considered way. My Government has not had the opportunity to consider this, but it's an independent report as well. What we didn't do was set up these envoys and say, 'okay, you're an arm of government. We have that. We have an Office of Multicultural Affairs.' This is - what we wanted was for Aftab to be able to produce a report that is truly his report. Wasn't vetoed by Government. It was produced and therefore we should give it the respect it deserves by giving it proper consideration.
JOURNALIST:Why has the Government been quicker to legislate against hate targeting the other communities, but slower in responding to Islamophobia?
PRIME MINISTER: We have legislated against hate speech across the board. We have strengthened Commonwealth hate crimes to criminalise threats of violence force or property damage that target individuals or groups based upon race, religion or nationality. That applies across the board. We have been consistent. We've also worked with Attorneys-General across state and territories in Australia to establish the first ever national database to track hate crimes and incidents. And this work will go towards tracking and improving responses to Islamophobia. And indeed, some of the work that we've done feeds into this report.
What Aftab has been able to do as well is to bring together the statistics and I think, as Anne said, bring it the human dimension of what that means. They're not just numbers on a page, they're impacts on real people. We have provided an initial $25 million to support Palestinian, Muslim and other communities affected by the conflict, including grassroots projects, community organisations and social cohesion programs. We've provided $25 million additional this year to enhance the security at mosques, Islamic centres, Islamic schools and other facilities. We've provided $15 million to the Bachar Houli Foundation's Aspire Sports Centre and $10 million to the United Muslims of Australia Centre for Sports, Education and Social Services Centre. We provided $4 million to, I must say, the magnificent Islamic Museum of Australia. And I encourage all Australians to go and visit. It's quite extraordinary, the work that has been done there to ensure that people can learn about the history of the connection, which one of the things that this report does is remind us of the connection between the Makassans and the Yolngu people of Arnhem Land and how far back that goes to the 1600s, at least, those connections.
So, we have taken all of those actions. We know that there's more to do and many of those suggestions are in this report.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you addressed this report, this report addressed what is happening. What is the Labor Government doing to address why this [INDISTINCT] is happening? Why? Does it shed light on a multicultural Australia that needs to mature its model?
PRIME MINISTER: We need to nurture social cohesion. We can't take it for granted. My Government does that each and every day. We call out when there are attempts to divide us, and we work each and every day to create a more united and stronger Australia. I'm really proud of our country. We should be proud when we look around the world at what we are achieving here in this great nation of Australia. That doesn't mean there's not more work to do. It means that we can't take it for granted and my Government certainly isn't doing that here.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you've trumpeted the credentials of your Government when it comes to multiculturalism. Do you also accept responsibility for some of the colourful rhetoric that you've used when you say we don't want violence, people bringing violence from their countries here? Or triumphalist narratives like, this is the best country in the world - does that undermine and doesn't really look at the fraying, fissures of social cohesion here?
PRIME MINISTER: Not at all. We are the best country in the world. I say it today, I'll say it tomorrow, I'll say it yesterday, every day. And what we do is - I'm an optimist about Australia and I will always talk Australia up. And people don't want conflict brought here. They don't want that. It's something that brings Australians together and when people do that, it alienates people from the cause which they purport to represent and advance. It is counterproductive. People should be able to put forward their views, including about international issues. But do it respectfully. Do it respectfully. There is no need to block offices to disrupt the lives of people who are going about their everyday life, because that will be counterproductive to the cause for which proponents seek support for. And I make no apologies for saying those two things. We are the best country in the world. We need to work each and every day to make ourselves even better.
JOURNALIST: It's been nine months since the National Anti-Racism Framework was released. When will you fully implement it?
PRIME MINISTER: We implement it each and every day. This isn't something where you go, job done, tick and move on. This is something that we need to work on every day and work together. And that is something that my Government's committed to doing.
JOURNALIST: Just to clarify, you say you hope to work with Sussan Ley on religious discrimination laws, but how would that work in practise? Are you going to propose something to her?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I'm up for - we had a proposal. It was around for some time. It's not like we're starting at point zero. We need to indicate at the moment, without being too political here, at the moment, it's difficult to see a coherent response from the Coalition within, let alone across the aisle. But I'm certainly willing to engage, as I always have been, as I was during the last term. We didn't receive that support and faith leaders accepted that that was the case.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, are you concerned that China is exporting its repressive surveillance techniques by fingerprinting Solomon Islanders and filling out household registrations? Is that something you talk to your Chinese counterparts about?
PRIME MINISTER: No, I don't talk to them about events between countries which don't involve Australia. I talk about Australia and our relationship with nations. One of the things that I want in the Pacific is for the Pacific family to look after our own security. And that's why we established the Pacific Policing Initiative. That has been very successful. There have already been three deployments of the multilateral dimension of that, there's already been substantial training as well at the Pinkenba facility in Brisbane. And what I talk about is Australia's ongoing support as a security partner of choice in the Pacific.
JOURNALIST: But were you aware of this when you're at the Pacific Island Forum, this practise?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I was at the Pacific Island Forum. I wasn't - the answer to that's obvious. I was at the Pacific Island Forum and at an island in the western province of the Solomons. So, we engage respectfully. One of the things that Australia does is Australia engages in support for transformational change, not transactional activity when it comes to our Pacific family.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, there is perception in the Muslim community that after the appointment of the Antisemitism Envoy, the appointment of the Islamophobia Envoy was an act of tokenism. Now that you've got a robust report from Aftab and, as you said, it's his report, how does the Government intend to make it their report?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, it's exactly the same as the Envoy's report we received on antisemitism. That was her report. This is Aftab's report. That's important. It's important that it not be just an arm of Government. That isn't what we've established here. We have arms of Government. They're called the Office of Multicultural Affairs. They're called Minister Aly, who's bound by the Cabinet. Aftab has produced this report and it's outstanding work. And I think it will be examined not just by the Government, it will be examined by people in the community as well. This is publicly being released today. It's very readable. Can I say that as well, in terms of the way that it's written is not overly academic. It is something that people will be. As Aftab said, I think some of the figures in here will be disconcerting for people who read it, but it's based upon facts. There are extensive footnotes as well, so that you can go back and look at where the figures come from and read the reports. And I think it's a major contribution towards social inclusion.
JOURNALIST: Mr Malik, you talk in the report about [INDISTINCT] ethno-religious protections. Would you envisage that protecting all religions? Does that include white Christians as well as Muslims?
MALIK: So, two things to that. So, I'm calling for the implementation of religious discrimination protections across the federal level. And that will be across all religions. Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Jews, Sikhs, who are already covered in 18C. The question you're asking is relating to the definition or understanding of ethnicity. So, I'm asking clarification on that point to ask whether or not ethno-religious communities such as Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists in this particular section are understood by that definition.
JOURNALIST: And should there have to be clear bipartisan support before that goes forward or should the debate start in Parliament?
MALIK: This is really a decision from the Government, and I really extend my invitation to all parliamentarians. I mean, in July, I was in Parliament House talking to a multitude of members of Parliament. And I'm here looking to talk to anyone and everyone in Parliament. So, my doors are always open.
JOURNALIST: Did anything really surprise you? What was the most surprising thing you found out in the whole process?
MALIK: The truth of the matter is what was - and that's the reason why I faltered when I was reading, because what took me by surprise was how your subconscious absorbs all the pain. And it's really unfortunate then when parliamentarians refer to Islamophobia as fictitious. And simultaneously you're recalling all those stories. And I feel it's a grave disservice to social cohesion and I think it's an affront to those individuals how to endure the indignity of Islamophobia.
JOURNALIST: And how concerned are you that religious discrimination laws aren't finalised in this term of Parliament?
MALIK: Again, that's really for the Government. My role is to really identify what are the issues regarding Islamophobia and putting forward these recommendations. As I said, there's 54 recommendations. This truly is a historic moment and my role would be to ensure that there's momentum behind those. So, I'll be on your tails, Prime Minister, making sure that momentum stays.
JOURNALIST: Mr Malik, you talked about some flashpoints, such as 7 October. Can you explain maybe or elucidate the links between anti-Palestinian racism specifically and Islamophobia? Because sometimes they get [INDISTINCT].
MALIK: That's a really good question. And it's interesting because anti-Palestinian racism is distinct from Islamophobia for two fundamental reasons. Islamophobia encompasses Afghans, Pakistanis, Yemenis, Iraqis, White Muslims, Caucasian Muslims. But anti-Palestinian racism is focused specifically on Palestinians and it has a sinister undertone to erase and eradicate anything to do with their heritage or culture. So, in the report, if you read it, I was very careful to address anti-Palestinian racism, but ensure that I do not consume it underneath the rubric of Islamophobia. And that is why I'm recommending a commission of inquiry into understanding the cause, the factors and the solutions of anti-Palestinian racism and hatred.
JOURNALIST: Several recommendations in the report go to implementing parts of the National Anti-Racism Framework. Do you understand more needs to be done on that and Prime Minister, will you implement those?
MALIK: There are several areas in the report where I found there was a correlation between what I was calling for and what the National Anti-Racism Framework is calling for. And in the report, I've called that out. And all I can say to the Prime Minister and the Government is that I think that instils the urgency because there was a natural consensus over what I was seeing and hearing and listening to people and what was also contained - so, in several places in my report, I also endorse, in several areas, recommendations made by the National Anti-Racism Framework. And I feel it places the urgency for those matters to be addressed.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you very much, everyone.
