Australia's federal race discrimination commissioner, Giridharan Sivaraman, has warned of an escalation in racism against immigrants, accusing One Nation and the Coalition of dehumanising and scapegoating migrants. Speaking at a Brisbane human rights seminar, Sivaraman described a 'very pronounced political fault line' in the country, with parties encouraging blame on migrants for issues like housing, traffic, and the cost of milk.
Political Fault Line
Sivaraman stated that the populist party and the federal opposition are drawing on a 'deep vein of racism' that has existed since colonisation. He argued that this rhetoric implicitly targets migrants based on skin colour, name, or accent, promoting the notion that some people belong more than others.
Opposition's Immigration Policy
Opposition leader Angus Taylor recently announced a policy to reduce migration, describing many migrants as a 'net drain' and proposing to 'discriminate based on values'. Taylor's budget reply speech included caps on migration based on housing construction and bans on non-citizens accessing welfare schemes. He defended the policy as addressing the gap between migration numbers and infrastructure capacity, stating that 550,000 migrants in a year while housing construction declined was unsustainable.
Sivaraman expressed concern that over the next two years, racism accompanying immigration blame would escalate, posing a significant challenge. He suggested building class solidarity across racial lines as a solution, urging white workers to recognise racism as a cause of their own inequity.
Responses
In response, Taylor reiterated the importance of migration but argued that numbers had been too high and standards too low, affecting young Australians' ability to buy homes. A spokesperson for Senator Pauline Hanson denied that One Nation was racist or populist, stating the party advocates lower immigration to reduce housing demand.
