How to respond to racial vilification

Jewish Board of Deputies

On behalf of the Greens thanks for asking me to speak. The topic you have asked me to talk on - racial vilification - is topical, and that is quite tragic.

Racial hatred and the abuse and victimisation that so often go with people's irrational feelings of racism I feel is on the rise. At the same time I also believe there is a great appreciation of different cultures and religions in our society. These statements may appear contradictory but I do believe in our diverse society these two tendencies can occur simultaneously.

We all know that we have a problem with racial vilification. For people committed to building a just, equitable, peaceful and respectful society I believe that is what we need to explore today. We need to explore how we can use the best qualities of our society to tackle the worst.

The Greens are proud of both our policy and practical work to fight racism. The Australian Greens policy on Multicultural Issues states that:

"The Australian Greens take the position that the presence in Australia of people of many cultural backgrounds enriches our society.

"The Australian Greens will ensure that this diversity is celebrated and the right of all Australians to express and share their individual cultural heritage is protected, keeping in mind the need to respect each other's rights and human rights generally.

"All Australians, regardless of race, ethnicity, culture, religion, language, gender or place of birth, have equal rights economically, socially and culturally."

For the Greens these aren't just words, but a working ethic that we seek to implement both inside our own party and in society generally through our work in our Parliaments and at the grassroots. Our members come from diverse backgrounds and religions, and we believe that this makes us a stronger entity. In Parliaments our MPs have a consistently sound voting record on racism issues. And at the grassroots Greens members have been at the forefront of actions to support refugees, to oppose racist parties such as One Nation and to support reconciliation with indigenous Australians.

The Greens support the existing racial discrimination and vilification provisions of the NSW Anti-Discrimination Act. They were introduced in 1994, the year before the first Green was elected to the NSW Parliament, my colleague Ian Cohen. We believe that legislatures have a responsibility to take a strong stand against racist discrimination and vilification, to send a strong signal to the community generally. We believe that statutory protection against these evils adds legitimacy and weight to anti-racist efforts at the grassroots.

However, a one-dimensional approach to tackling racism is obviously not enough. It would be naïve to think that we can simply legislate it away. We need a holistic approach that addresses every level of society. And we must be prepared to stand up and name racism when we see it. We must be prepared to confront racism at every turn.

It was not long ago that Pauline Hanson and her party One Nation unleashed a wave of racism across the nation. The effect of the Hanson phenomenon was to render previously illegitimate views legitimate, on the grounds that 'political correctness' was strangling free speech. Hanson made racism more socially acceptable.

And she was able to do that because Prime Minister Howard would not publicly speak against her racist statements. I remember well the months after Pauline Hanson's first speech in parliament - momentum was building around her views. On many occasions the Prime Minister was asked to comment but he refused to condemn or even distance himself from Hanson's views. This was tragic for Australia. The Prime Minister is the leader of the country; his actions set a tone for public behaviour, for what is acceptable.

Although Pauline Hanson was the mouthpiece for this brand of racism, the Prime Minister's silence on the subject allowed this bushfire of hate to burn for much longer.

The Greens devoted enormous effort towards combating and reversing this shift. At the grassroots our members were involved in numerous activities designed to promote anti-racism and discredit Hanson. In Parliaments our MPs were unflinchingly honest and direct - Hanson's views were racist and dangerous and wrong.

I refer to an article written by Jeremy Jones in The Review of February 2002, which contains a graph plotting the Anti-Semitic incidents in Australia from 1990-2001. There was a clear rise in such incidents in 1996, the year that Hanson burst onto the scene. Although there was a decline in 1997, 1998 and 2000 showed increases to new highs. The Greens deplore this legacy of the Hanson era, as we deplore anti-Semitism generally.

The Hanson phenomenon reminds us of the complexities involved in combating racial vilification. Public policy should provide a framework and direction that works to limit outlets for racial vilification. Clearly governments are responsible for ensuring their legislation and day-to-day work assists this process.

Unfortunately this is not always the case. The Australian Labor Party has a mixed history on racism issues - from support for the white Australia policy through to their hard work in promoting a multiculturalism during the Whitlam years. I do not propose to go into detail of this history. But I do want to comment on the Community Relations Commission And Principles Of Multiculturalism Bill that was put forward by the former Premier Bob Carr, and passed by the NSW parliament in 2000.

At the time this issue was very controversial. The Community Relations Act illustrates an unsavoury trend that sees state and federal governments in this country attempt to gain political advantage from the racism that does exist in our society.

So firstly what this Act did and then the reasons behind the introduction of this piece of legislation. The Act removed the words "multicultural" and "ethnic" from government organisations and activities. The Ethnic Affairs Commission of New South Wales was changed in name and form.

Government Ministers in the debate on this bill argued that New South Wales had moved to a new phase; that the term "ethnic" was no longer appropriate because now everyone accepts that we are all Australians. My colleague Ian Cohen and I spoke in the debate against the government's plans, explaining that the multicultural aspect of Australian society is one of our greatest strengths as a nation. Our cultural, linguistic and religious diversity enriches us all and is something of which we should all be proud and should not be air brushed from history.

Our message in that debate was - Yes, we are Australians, but we are also a multicultural society made up of numerous ethnic communities.

The bill was passed. We need to consider why was this action taken? In 2000 One Nation was a fading political force. Although this party was collapsing political operators knew that former One Nation voters still held their conservative views and could well shift their support back to a major party.

At the time it was estimated that One Nation's vote was about 7 percent and Labor were hoping to pick some of this up. The pressure put on cross benchers to support this bill was extraordinary. It took 18 months for the former Premier to gain support but he won through.

I have raised this as it is a piece of our history that should not be forgotten and it also illustrates how governments that once worked in a bipartisan way on multicultural issues are taking a populist approach in order to gain political mileage. Such an approach I argue indirectly assists racism.

Governments should use public policy to promote respect and cooperation in our society not misuse differences for political mileage. Another example of the Greens' determination to tackle racism head-on was the recent controversy over Associate Professor Drew Fraser at Macquarie University. You'll remember that Fraser espoused, and continues to espouse, racist views regarding the intelligence and inherent tendency to criminality of African immigrants to Australia. It was local Greens members in our Ryde-Epping and Parramatta branches that organised letter-writing campaigns to the local papers in response to Fraser's letters. It was Senator Kerry Nettle who wrote to Macquarie Vice-Chancellor Di Yerbury to express concern.

The Greens have also been in the forefront of efforts to secure just outcomes for asylum seekers and refugees generally. From Senator Bob Brown through to individual members at branch meetings, Greens members have agitated for compassion and humanity and against the racism and xenophobia inherent to so much of the debate.

Prior to the 2001 federal election, the Howard government used the rising tide of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim sentiment that flowed on from the World Trade Centre atrocity to vilify refugees. It was classic racial vilification - the implication, the veiled suggestion, that no refugee could be trusted because of a spurious race-based link to terrorism. Of course this ignored the fact that many refugees were fleeing from the tyranny and poverty of the very regimes that they were being associated with. It was a cruel irony.

When the government of a nation engages in this sort of dog-whistle racism it legitimises racist elements in our society. It was a grossly irresponsible and immoral course of action. It contributed to a rise in anti-Arab and anti-Muslim incidents in Australia, which of course the Greens condemn and deplore. Attacks on mosques, synagogues and all places of worship are destructive and immoral, and the Greens do not hesitate to say so. The irrationality of racism is always the same, whether the target be Jew, Muslim or Christian - and it must be opposed at all times.

The world has become an increasingly troubled place since that time. Complex issues of violence and hate plague the Middle East. Racism is surely the enemy of peace. Racism - the idea that it is legitimate to hate based solely on race or religion - is the ultimate impediment to shared understanding.

The Australian Greens' Israel-Palestine Policy seeks to find that shared understanding and common ground. It was a hotly debated policy that involved many of our members, including Jews and Arab-Australians. It took some effort, but in the end a consensus was reached, and we stand by the policy as reflecting core Greens values and representing a genuine effort to attain a blueprint for peace.

The Policy supports the legitimate rights and aspirations of both the Israeli and Palestinian peoples to live in peace and security in their own independent, sovereign states. It supports negotiations to achieve the democratic aspirations of both peoples within an environment of mutual respect and equality. And it rejects violence and its promotion, particularly against civilians, whether perpetrated by a state, an organisation or individuals.

I don't pretend that everybody here will like everything in the policy. But I trust that you respect that our commitment is to work for a just and secure future for all in the Middle East.

This and other conflicts in the Middle East are relevant to our consideration of racial vilification in this country.

The war on terror is having an impact on our society. The Greens are committed to supporting all measures to make our society safer. But we also need to reject the erosion of human rights and vilification of other groups in the name of fighting terrorism. It is a terrible mistake to attempt to defend freedom and democracy by dismantling the framework that makes those things possible.

The Greens are committed to working with all Australians committed to a multicultural, free, open and warm hearted Australia. We all have a right to enjoy our own culture and religion, where we are at peace with our neighbours and society at large.

The Greens are committed to a society where diversity and respect flourish and where basic rights of freedom of speech and association and freedom from harassment are enjoyed by all.

Racial hatred and the abuse and victimisation that so often go with people's irrational feelings of racism I feel is on the rise. At the same time I also believe there is a great appreciation of different cultures and religions in our society. These statements may appear contradictory but I do believe in our diverse society these two tendencies can occur simultaneously.

We all know that we have a problem with racial vilification. For people committed to building a just, equitable, peaceful and respectful society I believe that is what we need to explore today. We need to explore how we can use the best qualities of our society to tackle the worst.

The Greens are proud of both our policy and practical work to fight racism. The Australian Greens policy on Multicultural Issues states that:

"The Australian Greens take the position that the presence in Australia of people of many cultural backgrounds enriches our society.

"The Australian Greens will ensure that this diversity is celebrated and the right of all Australians to express and share their individual cultural heritage is protected, keeping in mind the need to respect each other's rights and human rights generally.

"All Australians, regardless of race, ethnicity, culture, religion, language, gender or place of birth, have equal rights economically, socially and culturally."

For the Greens these aren't just words, but a working ethic that we seek to implement both inside our own party and in society generally through our work in our Parliaments and at the grassroots. Our members come from diverse backgrounds and religions, and we believe that this makes us a stronger entity. In Parliaments our MPs have a consistently sound voting record on racism issues. And at the grassroots Greens members have been at the forefront of actions to support refugees, to oppose racist parties such as One Nation and to support reconciliation with indigenous Australians.

The Greens support the existing racial discrimination and vilification provisions of the NSW Anti-Discrimination Act. They were introduced in 1994, the year before the first Green was elected to the NSW Parliament, my colleague Ian Cohen. We believe that legislatures have a responsibility to take a strong stand against racist discrimination and vilification, to send a strong signal to the community generally. We believe that statutory protection against these evils adds legitimacy and weight to anti-racist efforts at the grassroots.

However, a one-dimensional approach to tackling racism is obviously not enough. It would be naïve to think that we can simply legislate it away. We need a holistic approach that addresses every level of society. And we must be prepared to stand up and name racism when we see it. We must be prepared to confront racism at every turn.

It was not long ago that Pauline Hanson and her party One Nation unleashed a wave of racism across the nation. The effect of the Hanson phenomenon was to render previously illegitimate views legitimate, on the grounds that 'political correctness' was strangling free speech. Hanson made racism more socially acceptable.

And she was able to do that because Prime Minister Howard would not publicly speak against her racist statements. I remember well the months after Pauline Hanson's first speech in parliament - momentum was building around her views. On many occasions the Prime Minister was asked to comment but he refused to condemn or even distance himself from Hanson's views. This was tragic for Australia. The Prime Minister is the leader of the country; his actions set a tone for public behaviour, for what is acceptable.

Although Pauline Hanson was the mouthpiece for this brand of racism, the Prime Minister's silence on the subject allowed this bushfire of hate to burn for much longer.

The Greens devoted enormous effort towards combating and reversing this shift. At the grassroots our members were involved in numerous activities designed to promote anti-racism and discredit Hanson. In Parliaments our MPs were unflinchingly honest and direct - Hanson's views were racist and dangerous and wrong.

I refer to an article written by Jeremy Jones in The Review of February 2002, which contains a graph plotting the Anti-Semitic incidents in Australia from 1990-2001. There was a clear rise in such incidents in 1996, the year that Hanson burst onto the scene. Although there was a decline in 1997, 1998 and 2000 showed increases to new highs. The Greens deplore this legacy of the Hanson era, as we deplore anti-Semitism generally.

The Hanson phenomenon reminds us of the complexities involved in combating racial vilification. Public policy should provide a framework and direction that works to limit outlets for racial vilification. Clearly governments are responsible for ensuring their legislation and day-to-day work assists this process.

Unfortunately this is not always the case. The Australian Labor Party has a mixed history on racism issues - from support for the white Australia policy through to their hard work in promoting a multiculturalism during the Whitlam years. I do not propose to go into detail of this history. But I do want to comment on the Community Relations Commission And Principles Of Multiculturalism Bill that was put forward by the former Premier Bob Carr, and passed by the NSW parliament in 2000.

At the time this issue was very controversial. The Community Relations Act illustrates an unsavoury trend that sees state and federal governments in this country attempt to gain political advantage from the racism that does exist in our society.

So firstly what this Act did and then the reasons behind the introduction of this piece of legislation. The Act removed the words "multicultural" and "ethnic" from government organisations and activities. The Ethnic Affairs Commission of New South Wales was changed in name and form.

Government Ministers in the debate on this bill argued that New South Wales had moved to a new phase; that the term "ethnic" was no longer appropriate because now everyone accepts that we are all Australians. My colleague Ian Cohen and I spoke in the debate against the government's plans, explaining that the multicultural aspect of Australian society is one of our greatest strengths as a nation. Our cultural, linguistic and religious diversity enriches us all and is something of which we should all be proud and should not be air brushed from history.

Our message in that debate was - Yes, we are Australians, but we are also a multicultural society made up of numerous ethnic communities.

The bill was passed. We need to consider why was this action taken? In 2000 One Nation was a fading political force. Although this party was collapsing political operators knew that former One Nation voters still held their conservative views and could well shift their support back to a major party.

At the time it was estimated that One Nation's vote was about 7 percent and Labor were hoping to pick some of this up. The pressure put on cross benchers to support this bill was extraordinary. It took 18 months for the former Premier to gain support but he won through.

I have raised this as it is a piece of our history that should not be forgotten and it also illustrates how governments that once worked in a bipartisan way on multicultural issues are taking a populist approach in order to gain political mileage. Such an approach I argue indirectly assists racism.

Governments should use public policy to promote respect and cooperation in our society not misuse differences for political mileage. Another example of the Greens' determination to tackle racism head-on was the recent controversy over Associate Professor Drew Fraser at Macquarie University. You'll remember that Fraser espoused, and continues to espouse, racist views regarding the intelligence and inherent tendency to criminality of African immigrants to Australia. It was local Greens members in our Ryde-Epping and Parramatta branches that organised letter-writing campaigns to the local papers in response to Fraser's letters. It was Senator Kerry Nettle who wrote to Macquarie Vice-Chancellor Di Yerbury to express concern.

The Greens have also been in the forefront of efforts to secure just outcomes for asylum seekers and refugees generally. From Senator Bob Brown through to individual members at branch meetings, Greens members have agitated for compassion and humanity and against the racism and xenophobia inherent to so much of the debate.

Prior to the 2001 federal election, the Howard government used the rising tide of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim sentiment that flowed on from the World Trade Centre atrocity to vilify refugees. It was classic racial vilification - the implication, the veiled suggestion, that no refugee could be trusted because of a spurious race-based link to terrorism. Of course this ignored the fact that many refugees were fleeing from the tyranny and poverty of the very regimes that they were being associated with. It was a cruel irony.

When the government of a nation engages in this sort of dog-whistle racism it legitimises racist elements in our society. It was a grossly irresponsible and immoral course of action. It contributed to a rise in anti-Arab and anti-Muslim incidents in Australia, which of course the Greens condemn and deplore. Attacks on mosques, synagogues and all places of worship are destructive and immoral, and the Greens do not hesitate to say so. The irrationality of racism is always the same, whether the target be Jew, Muslim or Christian - and it must be opposed at all times.

The world has become an increasingly troubled place since that time. Complex issues of violence and hate plague the Middle East. Racism is surely the enemy of peace. Racism - the idea that it is legitimate to hate based solely on race or religion - is the ultimate impediment to shared understanding.

The Australian Greens' Israel-Palestine Policy seeks to find that shared understanding and common ground. It was a hotly debated policy that involved many of our members, including Jews and Arab-Australians. It took some effort, but in the end a consensus was reached, and we stand by the policy as reflecting core Greens values and representing a genuine effort to attain a blueprint for peace.

The Policy supports the legitimate rights and aspirations of both the Israeli and Palestinian peoples to live in peace and security in their own independent, sovereign states. It supports negotiations to achieve the democratic aspirations of both peoples within an environment of mutual respect and equality. And it rejects violence and its promotion, particularly against civilians, whether perpetrated by a state, an organisation or individuals.

I don't pretend that everybody here will like everything in the policy. But I trust that you respect that our commitment is to work for a just and secure future for all in the Middle East.

This and other conflicts in the Middle East are relevant to our consideration of racial vilification in this country.

The war on terror is having an impact on our society. The Greens are committed to supporting all measures to make our society safer. But we also need to reject the erosion of human rights and vilification of other groups in the name of fighting terrorism. It is a terrible mistake to attempt to defend freedom and democracy by dismantling the framework that makes those things possible.

The Greens are committed to working with all Australians committed to a multicultural, free, open and warm hearted Australia. We all have a right to enjoy our own culture and religion, where we are at peace with our neighbours and society at large.

The Greens are committed to a society where diversity and respect flourish and where basic rights of freedom of speech and association and freedom from harassment are enjoyed by all.