Government to adopt two-thirds of Islamophobia report recommendations

The prime minister said it's "clear we need to do more" to tackle rising abuse of Muslim Australians.

The federal government has announced its response to a landmark report on Islamophobia. Source: AAP / Bianca De Marchi

In brief

• The Labor government has issued its response to the Islamophobia report issued 10 months ago.
• 35 of the 54 recommendations made by Aftab Malik will be adopted.

More needs to be done to tackle the issue of rising Islamophobic racism and abuse at its roots, the federal government has said.

On Saturday, Labor accepted 35 of 54 recommendations put forward by Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia, Aftab Malik, in his landmark report submitted last year.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters prejudice directed at Islam or Muslims has no place in Australia.

"There is simply no place in Australia, or anywhere in the world, for Islamophobia and racial hatred," he said.

"This is about practical action to keep communities safe and strengthen our social cohesion and based on the envoy's four guiding principles."

While the government will not endorse several of the recommendations, it will support an education task force aimed at tackling Islamophobia in the community.

There will also be targeted funding to bolster the safety and security of Muslim institutions, which includes $41.9 million across initiatives to improve security at Muslim faith-based places.

The measures are set to build on extensive existing work across government to combat Islamophobia, along with all forms of hatred.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke added that Islamophobia remained "chronically under-reported" and that it was "debilitating".

The report's release follows a long wait for Muslim Australians, who continue to face Islamophobia in their everyday lives, Malik said.

He added that this outcome was just the start of the journey.

"To tackle Islamophobia at its roots, we must address the challenging questions," Malik said.

"Muslim Australians should not be expected to bear the cost of that complexity indefinitely. Where the government has acted, I will support that progress.

"Where recommendations remain outstanding, I will continue to advocate for them."

Hanson 'undermining social cohesion'

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson was criticised by the PM and by the special envoy for comments she made on a recent podcast.

Hanson met with far-right UK figure Tommy Robinson — whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon — and lamented the end of the White Australia policy in a controversial interview.

"Pauline Hanson has been undermining social cohesion for 30 years," Albanese said on Saturday in response to the comments.

"The movement away from the White Australia policy wasn't just the Labor government of Gough Whitlam, it was actually a bipartisan position that began in the 1960s.

"That was a good thing, a good thing."

Hanson made the comments while on a European holiday in which she was pictured lounging poolside at a luxury Italian resort alongside key One Nation donor, billionaire Gina Rinehart.

Health Minister Mark Butler described her on Friday as the "most un-Australian politician in parliament", but her actions were defended by One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce.

Albanese said Opposition Leader Angus Taylor will now need to reverse course on the "One Nation-lite" policies he appears to be endorsing and return to the centre of politics where "promoting unity" is the core role.

'Very loud voices'

In an interview with SBS Nepali, Minister for Home Affairs Tony Burke said there were "some very loud voices" in Australia right now "telling people they don't belong".

He described Australia's multiculturalism as an "orchestra".

"You only get harmony because you've got a whole lot of different instruments," he told SBS Nepali.

"My role is making sure that the loudest, angriest voices are not the only voices people hear."

He added that one of the "greatest moments of unity" he's experienced was citizenship ceremonies.

"People are paying Australia the biggest compliment anyone can pay us," he said.

"These are people who've come from all over the world, and they're making an active decision that they want to make a lifelong commitment to Australia.

"I always make sure every ceremony in the nation now — whether I'm there or not — always includes the final message to people in two words, which is 'welcome home'."

— Story in collaboration with SBS Nepali with additional reporting by Australian Associated Press.

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