Tuesday, 1 August 2023

Tarneit electorate Islamic community

Dylan WIGHT (Tarneit) (19:13): (256) My adjournment this evening is for the Minister for Multicultural Affairs. The action that I seek is that the minister consult with my local Islamic community in Tarneit to work on delivering an anti-Islamophobia campaign. In my electorate of Tarneit we are home to thousands of Islamic people and indeed a thriving Islamic community, which includes three fantastic mosques: the Melbourne Grand Mosque, the Golden Wattle Masjid and the Virgin Mary Mosque. Over the last few months I have visited these mosques countless times for Friday prayers and of course for mosque open day recently. I was also invited into the homes of so many families during Ramadan to join them in their celebrations. I want to thank every member of the community who has come and spoken to me over the last few months and welcomed me into their homes and their mosques with open arms.

Having been given the opportunity to speak directly with local members of the Islamic community, I have heard their countless stories and experiences of racism and Islamophobia. This type of behaviour is not just disgusting, it is abhorrent, and it should not be allowed to continue. There is no room for discrimination based on faith or ethnicity in Victoria. When the Labor government announced that if re-elected it would be investing $3 million to fight Islamophobia, there was an immense amount of support in my community of Tarneit amongst not just the Islamic community but the entire community. This announcement meant that they would be able to have a say in what our government was doing to help keep them and their families safe.

Tackling the problem of Islamophobia is about developing a well-rounded campaign with the community that is led and informed by the Islamic community, because nobody can inform us of their experiences better than they can. It must be able to support victims and make prosecution of those who incite hatred and bigotry far easier. Our government also recognises the importance of the on-ground support that the community leaders and mosques provide to victims of Islamophobia. I am incredibly excited by this campaign, and I thank the minister for his consideration.