ABC Radio National Breakfast with Fran Kelly
E&OE
Fran Kelly:
Well week three and the new Prime Minister has hit the reset button on a number of issues this week; higher education and now we hear, relations with the Islamic community. Australian security agencies are warning that relations with the Islamic community are as bad now as they’ve ever been and that’s not helping with efforts to combat home grown terrorism. Malcolm Turnbull plans to develop a new relationship with Australia’s Muslim community. For that the PM will be relying on the work of his new Assistant Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells. Minister, good morning and welcome to Breakfast.
Senator Fierravanti-Wells:
Good morning Fran.
Fran Kelly:
Do you agree with this assessment, apparently from our security agencies, that government relations with the Muslim community are at their lowest ebb?
Senator Fierravanti-Wells:
Well Fran the relationship has certainly been one that I have known and watched over for some time. I was Parliamentary Secretary to the Attorney-General, I became Parliamentary Secretary in May this year, and my responsibilities for that included supporting the Government in countering violent extremism. As part of that ‘double-hatting’ I went out and spent a lot of time speaking with Muslim communities, community leaders and people just generally in the community. I wrote to 160 different organisations around Australia. So I have spent quite an intense time visiting them in their homes, in their places of worship, in their offices and I can say that I have met with over half of them and engaged behind closed doors to really understand their issues at the grassroots. It’s very important that these relationships are now intensified at the national level.
Fran Kelly:
Can I ask you, Minister, because you’ve had all that contact as you’ve just outlined for us there, what did you find? How would you describe the relationship at the moment, how the Muslim community is feeling?
Senator Fierravanti-Wells:
Basically in two words, disenfranchised and very marginalised. That’s really the sentiment that’s coming out.
Fran Kelly:
And why?
Senator Fierravanti-Wells:
Let’s not forget that as a consequence of certain circumstances and what’s happened overseas, our communities here do feel alienated. They feel that events overseas, particularly in the Middle East have impinged on their relationship not just with Government but with broader Australia. When I do speak to people who I have known in this community for many, many years, they tell me that they are concerned that after many, many years of involvement, including involvement in civic life in Australia, they do feel somewhat alienated. I think it’s really important that those relationships are revisited. Look, I think we need to put this into context. We are dealing with terrorism, we are dealing with extremism and what I think we are seeing here are young people going off the rails for all sorts of reasons, they rebel. As we know, young people can become disengaged and disenfranchised for any number of reasons. What we are seeing is Daesh and its acolytes befriending young and vulnerable people, preying on their insecurities, luring them with the promise of adventure, guns, women and drugs and yes, they do go off and join a cult. Now the disenfranchisement and disengagement of these young people is something that can happen to anyone. When you look at the cross section of the young people that are being disengaged and disenfranchised…
Fran Kelly:
Yes but it means we’ve failed in efforts. All this year, we’ve been talking about how to build bridges with the Muslim communities, how to get them involved and at the same time the Prime Minister for most of the year, Tony Abbott was talking tough and he used language that was criticised by some of the Muslim community like ‘Team Australia’, like suggestions that Muslim communities need to do more. The community was not happy with that. Is the language being used, is that the problem and is that the plan of the new Prime Minister, a new more inclusive tone?
Senator Fierravanti-Wells:
Language is very important in any dialogue and open and honest dialogue, in my view, has always been the best way to earn respect and that’s what I’ve done over my 30 years of involvement in multicultural affairs. That includes relationships with many of the Muslim leaders, the Grand Mufti, many others with whom I have a very good relationship, a relationship that I have had over many, many years. So language is very important but it’s also understanding heritage, culture, traditions, and a whole range of other things that don’t just come from sitting down and having a meeting with somebody. It does come from understanding and knowledge over a long period of time.
Fran Kelly:
Do you think it’s important for the Government to stand up and condemn groups, or some of those in groups like, Reclaim Australia and groups who are clearly anti-Muslim? Will you and the new Prime Minister public do that?
Senator Fierravanti-Wells:
Well I have publicly condemned extremism, violent extremism in any of its forms.
Fran Kelly:
And Reclaim Australia?
Senator Fierravanti-Wells:
I have condemned the actions of extremist groups on the right, the left, the religious and the non-religious because there is no place for extremism in Australia. I want to bring you back to the point I made earlier Fran. When you do look at the reasons why young people take an extremist view, you have to go back and find out why they are becoming disengaged and they become disengaged for any number of reasons. When they do, they turn to drugs, alcohol, gangs or any number of other destructive activities. What we are seeing with these young people is that they are turning to Daesh. In effect it’s a new way to rebel. Therefore, in terms of assisting these young people, my view is that we have to separate the two. We have to separate the security component from the social component. I think if we look at this issue, particularly with the young people who are being disengaged, let’s look at the reasons why they are being disengaged and look at it from that perspective and most importantly Fran, work with the Muslim communities in a much more productive and engaged way. That’s why since May I have been dialoging directly with them and I intend and look forward to briefing the new Prime Minister on this as I have been briefing other colleagues in relation to my findings, perceptions and views on why we have this problem and how we can deal with it.
Fran Kelly:
Minister, thank you very much for joining us.
Senator Fierravanti-Wells:
Thank you very much Fran.
[Ends]