Australian Greens Anti-Racism spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has responded to reports that police have arrested two Australian men and found a bomb during raids on the homes of members of a neo-Nazi group.

Senator Faruqi said:

“This is a downright terrifying development. There can be no more denials or deflections of the violent far-right threat. These people are deadly serious.

Australian Greens Anti-racism spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has said that numerous investigations published today by ABC, Nine and Guardian Australia on far-right and neo-Nazi organising have underscored the need for urgent action to tackle the violent far-right.

Senator Faruqi said:

“These investigations are disturbing but not surprising. We know that the far-right is organising in Australia, and has links to international extremist groups. But the government has its head in the sand.

Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Greens spokesperson for Anti-Racism, has criticised ASIO’s shift away from naming the threat of right-wing extremism, as announced in its 2021 Annual Threat Assessment.

Senator Faruqi said:

“To counter the far-right, we have to name the far-right.

“The people who benefit most from a failure to name far-right extremists are far-right extremists themselves.

I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) on 15 March 2019 an Australian man walked into two mosques in Christchurch, Aotearoa New Zealand, and killed 51 innocent Muslims,

(ii) the New Zealand Royal Commission inquiry into the attacks confirmed that the massacre was driven by an 'extreme right-wing Islamophobic ideology',

(iii) two years on, Australia has grappled neither with being the country that raised the Christchurch killer, nor with the resurgent threat of far- right extremism and neo-fascism,

Senator FARUQI (New South Wales) (14:16): My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Birmingham. Yesterday marked the two-year anniversary of the far-right terrorist attack in Christchurch, New Zealand, when an Australian man killed 51 innocent Muslims. On 9 December 2020, following the publication of the New Zealand royal commission report, I asked you, Minister, whether the Prime Minister had read the report and how the government intended to respond to it.

Australian Greens Anti-racism spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has expressed her serious concerns about a Lowy Institute survey which found that 1 in 5 surveyed Chinese-Australians have been threatened or attacked during the past 12 months.

Senator Faruqi said:

“There’s no doubt ‘Covid racism’ is at play here. But we should not disregard the impact of political rhetoric and the consequences of heated debate over Australia-China relations.

Australian Greens Anti-Racism spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has said that all key government agencies have indicated in initial PJCIS committee submissions that the threat of far-right extremism is growing.

However, the Greens say substantial policy change and political action is nowhere to be seen.

Senator Faruqi said:

The Greens have responded to sickening reports of a violent assault by a man with a swastika on a First Nations woman and her daughter in Western Australia.

Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Greens Anti-racism spokesperson, said:

“This is a horrendous act of racist violence and I hope the perpetrator is identified and prosecuted without delay.

“Far-right extremists and neo-Nazis are feeling emboldened. This is the crisis the government refuses to take seriously.

If you needed any more evidence that this government has absolutely no interest in grappling with the existential threat of far-Right extremism, look no further than this amendment and look no further than the debate that it contributed to yesterday. It's more nonsensical false equivalences and more nonsensical downplaying of the deadly seriousness of far Right terror. This is really harmful stuff. This is running interference on the side of fascism and hate.

Australian Greens Anti-Racism spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has said that the Scanlon Foundation’s Mapping Social Cohesion report for 2020 contains alarming findings with respect to racism felt towards and experienced by culturally diverse Australians.