Monique Ryan (Kooyong, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

Saturday 21 March was the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Here in Australia, the commitment to eliminating racism has never been more important. The following is the picture of racial hatred in this country.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw a mainstreaming of racism and violence towards people of Chinese and Asian origin. I heard from constituents in Kooyong that they experienced racism against themselves and their family members for the first time ever during COVID. During the Voice referendum, we witnessed visible and widespread racism against First Nations people, adding to the systemic injustice that they endure every day. After 7 October 2023, both antisemitism and anti-Palestinian racism surged and have been an ongoing scourge in our communities since that time. Between 2023 and 2024, in-person Islamophobia more than doubled. Antisemitism, sadly, has also massively increased in the communities that I and many other members of this chamber represent.

In recent years, antimigration rallies and racially charged demonstrations have tested the strength of our multicultural identity. During the federal election campaign last year, a number of events in the electorate that I represent of Kooyong were disrupted by Neo-Nazis, an unthinkable thing five or 10 years ago. In 2025, Indian migrants in our communities were subjected to targeted abuse and propaganda, worsened in some cases by some colleagues from this place. During last year's Hanukkah festivities, the unthinkable tragedy of the Bondi massacre affected all Australians but most particularly those who are Jewish. Just last month, a prominent politician—from this place again—brazenly claimed during the sacred month of Ramadan that there are no good Muslims.

This is a brief and, sadly, incomplete picture of racism in Australia over just the last five years. Australia's Race Discrimination Commissioner, Giri Sivaraman, says that there has never been a more urgent time to address racism in this country. I think he's right. Many Australians are scared. They're scared for their safety. They're scared of racial intolerance. They're scared, with good reason, of unprovoked violence. It's not a problem that we can ignore—that we can put off to the next electoral cycle. It's a problem that demands urgent action now.

In November 2024, the Australian Race Discrimination Commissioner delivered The national anti-racism framework:a roadmap to eliminating racism in Australia. It's the most comprehensive plan in Australia's history. It's our first whole-of-government, whole-of-society framework designed to address racism at a national level. It was developed through extensive consultation with hundreds of communities and hundreds of organisations across the country. More than 50 civil society organisations have joined together and have asked for national leadership from the Albanese government to fully fund and fully implement that national antiracism framework. But, 16 months later, we're still waiting for the Albanese government to respond—16 months.

So are we really surprised when the Prime Minister and the home affairs minister are booed at a mosque in Lakemba during Eid prayers? What happened last week in Lakemba was just a visible expression of a deep anger from many Australian communities: anger at what they see as seeming indifference; anger at a government which, many people feel, has allowed division to be sown and to fester.

For 16 months now, the government has chosen to neglect a report which makes it clear that racism in Australia is not just an interpersonal issue; it is deeply systemic. It exists within our employment structures. It exists and, sadly, it manifests in our provision of health care. It exists in our justice system, in our education system and in the media. And, when our institutions fail to address these inequalities, they do more than just ignore or overlook racism. They enable it.

The National anti-racism framework confronts this reality. It's honest about the systems that sustain racism in this country. Its primary recommendation calls for a modest but important first step: the establishment of a national taskforce to begin implementation. We haven't taken even that first step. The Attorney-General has indicated that the framework is being considered and that a holistic approach must be taken to ensure the rights and freedoms of all Australians. But what's holistic about doing nothing? Racism is not going to disappear on its own while the government hesitates and obfuscates.

In December 2025, I, with crossbench colleagues, wrote to the Prime Minister requesting a royal commission into the horrible events at Bondi, and I was really pleased to see the Prime Minister act to initiate the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion. It's a really important step to addressing the scourge that is antisemitism in this country.

But there are two important takeaways about that royal commission that I would like the government to heed. The first is that Dennis Richardson's resignation in recent weeks sends a clear message that intelligence findings simply cannot wait until December and that we have urgency in ensuring that all Australians are safe. The second is that selective action is not enough. We have to take decisive steps as a country to address all forms of racism. That includes taking the next step: bringing the framework to life by formally endorsing it, acting on its primary recommendation to establish the national antiracism taskforce and then funding and implementing the recommendations in that framework in partnership with our communities.

At a time when racism and division are deepening, there has never been a more pressing and urgent time for the government, the Prime Minister, all members of his cabinet and all representatives of our community to demonstrate real national leadership on racism.

See this speech in context