Community safety
Anasina GRAY-BARBERIO (Northern Metropolitan) (12:44): (996) My question is to the Minister for Multicultural Affairs. Minister, in the past two weeks the Islamic Council of Victoria has been targeted five times in two weeks in disturbing security incidents, including trespassing, intimidation and harassment of worshippers by a local far-right group at a mosque. These security breaches reflect a rise in Islamophobia. The Muslim community is alarmed and calling for immediate practical protection, including funding for security, training for staff and volunteers, and emergency response and evacuation protocols at places of worship. We acknowledge the government’s $6 million commitment to address antisemitism and Islamophobia, with $3 million to community-led initiatives. But this was over three years ago, and speaking to the community, there is an overwhelming need for more. Minister, given the seriousness of these recent threats and the growing fear within the Muslim community, will you outline what immediate steps your department is taking to provide direct security support to at-risk places of worship?
Ingrid STITT (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (12:45): I thank Ms Gray-Barberio for her important question. Of course in my role as multicultural affairs minister I do engage closely with many different communities across the state, including our strong and vibrant Muslim community. Our government has taken a very strong approach when it comes to hate in all its forms. We introduced our anti-vilification and social cohesion legislation in this place not long ago, which is all about stamping out hateful behaviour and making a very clear and strong statement to the community that there is no place for that kind of behaviour in Victoria. In very close collaboration with the federal government we have been working on social cohesion initiatives, including making sure that our multicultural communities and multifaith communities feel safe and able to attend their places of worship free from harassment. I was recently at a Hindu temple that had been the subject of awful racist graffiti, and I know that this is something that is common in many of our mosques and temples and other places of worship at the moment, sadly, in Victoria. The federal government have been providing strong grant programs to upgrade security, as has the Victorian government.
The Attorney I know is working on legislation around protecting people’s right to attend places of worship free from harassment and hateful behaviour, and of course we have commissioned an important review into our multicultural settings, undertaken by the highly regarded George Lekakis. The government is in the process of considering his report, and we will have more to say about that very soon. But I want to be really, really clear that there is no place for any hateful behaviour in Victoria, including Islamophobia.
The member did reference some of the supports that our government has been providing. It is actually $8 million, the breakdown of funding that we have provided for both Islamophobia and antisemitism initiatives. For example, with Islamophobia support we have provided funding to the Islamic Museum of Australia, the Islamic Council of Victoria, the Melbourne Grand Mosque and the board of imams, who are all undertaking important Islamophobia projects in their communities right across the state as well as other important programs across our other museums. I think the key to all of this is education across the community to stamp out this kind of behaviour.
Anasina GRAY-BARBERIO (Northern Metropolitan) (12:48): Thank you, Minister, for your response. I think we can all agree that all forms of hate are unacceptable.
Tom McIntosh interjected.
Anasina GRAY-BARBERIO: Thank you, Mr McIntosh. Are you quite done? This is for the minister, not you. You are not a minister. You are a backbencher.
Sonja Terpstra: On a point of order, President, Ms Gray-Barberio should direct her comments through the Chair, rather than directly speaking to any other member in this chamber. I ask that you bring her back to make sure that she complies with the standing orders and directs her comments through the Chair.
Members interjecting.
Renee Heath: Further to the point of order, President, the member was purely being factual. Also, I just want to point out for the second time today Mr McIntosh has been using unparliamentary language, and he is not taking it seriously.
The PRESIDENT: I think I heard the second one, and I would ask members to not use unparliamentary language. I would also ask members to respect people when they have got the call, including the ministers when they are trying to answer the questions, which has been really tough today. What I will do is just reset the clock. Ms Gray-Barberio, start from the start, and then when the minister is answering – she has only got a minute too to answer the supplementary – let us try, for 2 minutes, to have no-one interrupt both of them.
Anasina GRAY-BARBERIO: Minister, if you would not mind, I will start again. Minister, will you commit to funding for community security infrastructure for places like the Islamic Council of Victoria mosque, facing sustained, hostile acts in their places of worship?
Ingrid STITT (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (12:50): I thank the member for her supplementary question. As I have already outlined, there are a number of initiatives that our government already supports, including the work the Attorney is leading around access and security around places of worship. We also have a strong grants program in our infrastructure projects, which any organisation can apply for. I am in regular contact with a number of different parts of the community around their security concerns. I will continue to engage closely with and the government will continue to respond strongly to those communities feeling insecure at the moment, given everything that has been occurring in our state.