Thursday, 20 June 2024

Ministers statements: community safety

Ingrid STITT (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (12:33): Further to the issues around social cohesion, I want to acknowledge that the conflict in Israel and Gaza continues to create a lot of distress for so many Victorians in our community. Many Victorians have friends and family impacted by this conflict, and I understand that the hurt that is being felt is significant. But there is no excuse for the rise in politically motivated violence that we are seeing here in Victoria. There are elements within our community that are seeking to exploit the division and distress in our community for their own extreme political agenda, and just yesterday the office of Josh Burns MP, the member for Macnamara, was subject to a violent and dangerous attack. This attack endangered the safety of people living above his office and contributes –

David Davis: And Trades Hall today.

Ingrid STITT: yes – to the rise of antisemitism that our Jewish community is experiencing. And this is not an isolated incident. Two weeks ago, for example, a suburban mother experienced horrific Islamophobic comments scrawled on her driveway, including Nazi symbols. These attacks are not a distraction; they are a premeditated attempt to divide, to sow division and to spread misinformation and hate in our community. Let us be very clear: the Victorian government stands with every member of Victoria’s Jewish, Muslim and Palestinian communities. We continue to call for a lasting and durable ceasefire. Like so many in our community, we wish for long-term peace and security for both Israel and Palestine. We do not tolerate hate of any kind, and we do not tolerate violence. No Victorian should be subject to violence, discrimination or racial abuse. Our multicultural and multifaith communities deserve to live in peace and safety without fear of expressing who they are, and our government will always stand with all of them.