Greens Deputy Leader and spokesperson for Anti-Racism, Senator Mehreen Faruqi, sat on the Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee in the recent Inquiry into Far-Right Extremist Movements. In Additional Comments to the Report tabled today, Senator Faruqi has included nine recommendations to address the shortfalls of the Committee Report.
Senator Faruqi:
“The report, ultimately, is a missed opportunity as the recommendations don’t go to the core of tackling far-right extremism and white supremacy, which requires approaches that are explicitly anti-racist, grounded in intersectionality and shaped by the communities who are targeted by this hate and violence.
“The evidence to the Committee made clear what so many of us have known for a long time – racist political and media rhetoric and commentary does play a role in normalising hate and lending legitimacy to right-wing extremist movements. Solutions to far-right extremism cannot overlook the racism, discrimination, and dehumanisation that is perpetrated by politicians and media which harms marginalised communities.
“Right-wing extremism feeds on racism and white supremacy. Fully funding and implementing the recently published National Anti-Racism Framework, which provides a blueprint towards an anti-racist Australia, must be a priority.
“Unfortunately, Australia has still not grappled with the Christchurch mosque massacre where 51 Muslims were killed by an Australian man who was radicalised here and driven by an extreme, right wing Islamophobic ideology. The government must redress this lack of action by implementing the Christchurch Call.
“Effective action to tackle far-right extremism online must include holding tech companies to account in order to stop the targeting, harvesting, and selling of people’s data, toxic algorithms, and the monetising of hate and suffering.”
Greens Recommendations
Recommendation 1: That responses to right-wing extremism and white supremacy be intersectional, explicitly anti-racist, and shaped by targeted communities.
Recommendation 2: That the Australian Government publicly commit to implementing the recommendations of the Christchurch Call.
Recommendation 3: That anti-racism training be mandated for all MPs and their staff.
Recommendation 4: That guidelines are developed for media that are grounded in an anti-racist approach to reporting and to minimise harm from sensationalist reporting.
Recommendation 5: That the Australian Government commit to fully funding and implementing the National Anti-Racism Framework.
Recommendation 6: That the Australian Government establish a standalone anti-racism portfolio.
Recommendation 7: That Parliament conduct a public inquiry to review standing orders and any changes to their language and interpretation in order to eliminate racist, exclusionary and discriminatory behaviour.
Recommendation 8: That technology companies be held accountable for the proliferation of hate on their platforms through:
- A ban on the targeting, harvesting and selling of young people’s data
- A Digital Duty of Care on tech platforms
- Limiting the toxicity of algorithms and extreme content
- Stopping the monetisation and profit from hate.
Recommendation 9: That developing strategies to make social media safer for young people must genuinely engage and involve young people themselves.