Anne Aly noted that during the attacks, Australian leaders, including the Prime Minister, and herself, condemned the “divisive rhetoric”.
Australia’s first cabinet minister for multicultural affairs, Anne Aly, visited New Delhi this weekend to address concerns over recent anti-India protests and attacks targeting the Indian community in Australia.
During her visit, Aly met minority affairs minister Kiren Rijiju and several multifaith leaders to pay respects to sites important to the Indian diaspora, including the Birla Temple, Bangla Sahib Gurdwara, and Jama Masjid.
“With nearly one million Australians of Indian ancestry now residing in Australia, these community linkages remain a vital pillar of the bilateral relationship,” Aly said in an interview with The Indian Express.
Aly was born in Egypt and raised in Sydney from the age of two. She is also the first Muslim woman elected to the federal Parliament, according to her Treasury portfolio.
Aly’s visit followed a wave of anti-immigrant protests and violent attacks against the Indian diaspora in parts of Australia. Several incidents targeted Indian students and community establishments, often accompanied by racial slurs and physical assaults.
Stance on diversity
When asked about the Australian government’s response to the anti-immigrant protests across the country, Aly said: “Every Australian — regardless of their background; their faith, their heritage — has the right to feel safe, respected, and welcome. Cultural diversity is not just part of our national identity; it’s one of our greatest attributes,” The IE reported.
She said that during the attacks, Australian leaders, including the Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and herself, condemned the protests and “divisive rhetoric.”
As PM Albanese said to Indian Australians: ‘You’re welcome here. You make our country stronger by being here,’ the English daily quoted her as saying.
“While we live in a time when pluralism is under pressure, the Australian government is actively addressing the risks posed by divisive narratives, online harms, and foreign interference,” she said, adding that the majority of Australians believe in multiculturalism.
Rise in anti-Indian incidents
In Melbourne, the Shree Swaminarayan Temple and two nearby Asian-run restaurants were defaced with hateful graffiti, in July this year.
The temple in Boronia, located in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, was vandalised with the slur: “Go home brown c***,” painted in red. Similar graffiti appeared at two restaurants on Boronia Road.
The temple vandalism occurred a day after a brutal assault on 23-year-old Indian student Charanpreet Singh in Adelaide. Singh was reportedly attacked by a group of men over a parking dispute near Kintore Avenue on Saturday night.
The men allegedly shouted, “F*** off, Indian,” before punching him repeatedly and leaving him unconscious.
