Tuesday, 16 June 2026

 Anasina GRAY-BARBERIO (Northern Metropolitan) (12:41): (1356) My question is to the Minister for Multicultural and Multifaith Victoria. Last week marked 51 years since the introduction of the Australian Racial Discrimination Act and next week marks 25 years since the introduction of the Victorian Racial and Religious Tolerance Act 2001, both introduced to protect people from racial discrimination. Yet today the far right’s white supremacy is growing more emboldened, exploiting cost-of-living pressures to spread division and hatred, leaving black, brown and multicultural communities increasingly being targeted by racist abuse, harassment and violence. Minister, can you update the house on the specific work of the Anti-Racism Taskforce in the last six months to reduce the prevalence of racism in Victoria?

 Ingrid STITT (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Government Services, Special Minister of State, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Multicultural and Multifaith Victoria) (12:42): I thank Ms Gray-Barberio for her question. This is an important issue, and I would from the outset indicate that all of the initiatives across the multicultural and multifaith Victoria portfolio have an element of addressing disadvantage and racism and discrimination across the community, whether that is through specific initiatives and the work of the Anti-Racism Taskforce; whether that is through a number of our other programs, including supporting those who have arrived in our country in circumstances where they require specialist asylum seeker and refugee supports, legal assistance or mental health supports; or whether that is through our multicultural grant programs, which are all about strengthening social cohesion and tackling racism and hate.

I want to also acknowledge and thank the co-chairs of the Anti-Racism Taskforce – Ms Watt, who is our colleague here in the upper house, but also Iwan Walters, the member for Greenvale in the other place – for the work that they have been doing over what, I think everyone would agree, has been a particularly challenging time to be leading this work. We do have an anti-racism strategy, which our government released in 2024, which reaffirms our work and our commitment to prevent and address all forms of racism. I would point the member to the very detailed program of work that is outlined in the strategy, together with the specific investment of $4 million in the 2025–26 budget, which enabled the government to deliver a very important round of local anti-racism grant initiatives, which were really about making sure that at the grassroots community level, community organisations, sporting clubs and the like have the capacity to be able to tackle racism in their local community.

Together with our ongoing work through a number of other portfolios, including the Attorney’s work and through the Victorian equal opportunity commission’s work to tackle hate speech, we have introduced nation-leading legislation to –

Anasina Gray-Barberio: On a point of order, President, the question was very specific around the Anti-Racism Taskforce, not the anti-racism strategy. I know this taskforce is meant to advise you. My question was about what they have been doing in the last six months, not the activities of the anti-racism strategy.

The PRESIDENT: I believe the minister was being relevant to the question.

Ingrid STITT: In the time that I have got left in this question, I would just point out to the member that you cannot separate the two. The strategy and the work of the taskforce are intertwined for good reason, because the taskforce is driving that strategy on behalf of the government.

 Anasina GRAY-BARBERIO (Northern Metropolitan) (12:46): Minister, that was a very disappointing response. I did not hear anything that the taskforce is doing actively to reduce cases of racism, which are obviously accelerating in this state. We are not immune to this. Given ongoing reports of racism experienced by culturally and racially marginalised communities, it is essential that the Anti-Racism Taskforce is used appropriately to drive systemic change and address the root causes of racism. Has the taskforce offered any recommendations on best practice responses in the past six months to effectively respond to and reduce the prevalence of racism, and if so, what was your government’s response?

 Ingrid STITT (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Government Services, Special Minister of State, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Multicultural and Multifaith Victoria) (12:46): I thank Ms Gray-Barberio for her supplementary question. I know that she wants to take a very narrow cast when it comes to this issue and only talk about the taskforce and the specific initiatives driven under the taskforce, but I would again make the point that this is a whole-of-government effort. I would also point out that the George Lekakis review, which the government commissioned last year, is incredibly important. If the member has not read it, I urge her to do so, because it talks about how you cannot just tackle racism and discrimination in one portfolio of government using a narrow scope. You have got to tackle it across government, which is exactly the strategy that our government is pursuing not just through the anti-racism strategy but through the work of the Lekakis review. I would urge the member to get on board with that effort, because it is across the government.