ANTHONY ALBANESE MP

LEADER OF THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

MEMBER FOR GRAYNDLER

 

SENATOR KRISTINA KENEALLY

DEPUTY LABOR LEADER IN THE SENATE

SHADOW MINISTER FOR IMMIGRATION AND CITIZENSHIP

SENATOR FOR NEW SOUTH WALES

 

LINDA BURNEY MP

SHADOW MINISTER FOR INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS

MEMBER FOR BARTON

 

ANDREW GILES MP

SHADOW MINISTER FOR MULTICULTURAL AFFAIRS

MEMBER FOR SCULLIN

 

 

IT’S TIME FOR REAL ACTION AGAINST RACISM

 

Labor welcomes the community call for an anti-racism strategy.

 

Today, 30 major community organisations have called on the Prime Minister and the Labor Leader to establish a bipartisan National Anti-Racism Strategy.

 

This call must be heeded as there is no place for racism in Australia.

 

Regrettably, there has been a rise in racism as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

The Human Rights Commission says close to a quarter of people who have lodged complaints about racial discrimination in the past two months have been targeted because of COVID-19.

 

Just as we are responding to COVID-19, we need a bipartisan approach to tackling racism in Australia through a national anti-racism strategy.

 

Labor has, and will continue to, raise this issue in Parliament and will keep working with, and listening, to culturally and linguistically diverse communities. 

 

While the vast majority of Australians abhor racism, we need to stand against the actions of an unrepresentative minority so that we can all get through this together.

 

Labor supports a national anti-racism strategy and is ready to work with the Government to see this progressed as a bipartisan, unifying initiative.

 

We would welcome the Morrison Government adopting a bipartisan approach to combating racism in Australia through a national anti-racism strategy and any other appropriate measures.