Wednesday, 30 July 2025

Community safety

Ryan BATCHELOR (Southern Metropolitan) (19:12): (1782) My adjournment matter today is to the Minister for Multicultural Affairs, and the action that I seek is an update on the government’s actions to combat racism and hate in all of its forms. It has been a very troubling time for many in our community, particularly many in the Jewish community here in Melbourne, obviously a significant proportion of whom reside in the Southern Metropolitan Region and with whom I engage on a regular basis about the significant fear that many in the community are experiencing as a result of the undoubted increase in antisemitic activity that we see across the community. We have seen the attacks recently on the synagogue just across the road here in East Melbourne, the attacks on the restaurant in Hardware Lane, the horrific chants and remarks made at the students at Mount Scopus college, the graffiti both at that college and other places, the attack on our colleague Josh Burns’s office last year and the protest recently at the NGV targeting Jewish donors. These are despicable acts, and this kind of hatred needs to end. We need to make sure that our community here in Melbourne is a place where everyone can participate fully in community and civic life and express who they are and be celebrated for it and not live in fear.

I think it is particularly in the context of those attacks, in the context of these remarks, that we must do all we can to eliminate, stamp out and combat. I know that many today were relieved to see the reports from Victoria Police and the Joint Counter Terrorism Team about the arrests in relation to the firebombing and arson attacks on the Adass synagogue in Ripponlea last year. I will not reflect too much on that, not wishing to jeopardise any judicial proceedings, other than to say that I want to thank Victoria Police for the dedicated work that they have done. I do want to do that in the context that I know Mr Davis on many occasions, twice here in this Parliament in the past, has criticised Victoria Police for the way that they have gone about this investigation. He did it in March and he did it in February. Those remarks cannot go unanswered. I think today what Victoria Police have achieved speaks for itself. I hope that Mr Davis reflects on his behaviour and his comments in the past and maybe has some contrition.

David Davis: On a point of order, President, I am not sure that that is an action that was sought from a government minister on a matter of government administration. I agree with many of the sentiments that the member expressed.

The PRESIDENT: I do not think we need a debate. Mr Davis, there is a catch-all where at the papers office sometimes there is a discussion with me around if there was an action or not. If there was not, they do not go anywhere anyway, so I do not think you should be concerned. But I believe there may have been an action there.

Ryan Batchelor: Further to the point of order, President, I asked the Minister for Multicultural Affairs for an update on the actions the government is taking to combat racism and hatred in all of their forms.