Antisemitism Report 2009 - World Jewish Congress

during the past six years. The Federal Government has instituted a National Harmony Day, on the United
Nations Day for the Elimination of Racism, which is generally used to honour individuals and
organisations who have been active in promoting Australian multiculturalism.
Late in 1995, the federal government introduced legislation to give recourse to victims of racism. The law,
administered by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, seeks to conciliate complaints of
racial harassment and vilification. If conciliation is not achieved, hearings take place and penalties can be
ordered. While details of complaints are not made public, at least seven formal complaints regarding
antisemitism were lodged with the Commission during the first years of the new law, and the
determinations are beginning to provide indications of how useful the law will prove to be in dealing with
antisemitism.
Australia’s Federal Government has, in recent years, been active in international forums opposing
antisemitism and promoting education against racism. The Federal and State governments have
supported, through funding and other support, a range of projects of Jewish communal organisations
designed to reduce prejudice. Laws have been enacted which provide a degree of recourse to victims of
racism. Politicians from the major political parties have repeatedly both condemned antisemitism and
chastised their political opponents for not being sufficiently pro-active in combating antisemitism.
In January 2000 the Australian Government participated in the Stockholm International Forum on the
Holocaust. Australia was one of the countries which endorsed the final Declaration which included
commitments to strengthen ―efforts to promote education, remembrance and research about the
Holocaust‖ and to ―promote education about the Holocaust in our schools and universities, in our
communities and encourage it in other institutions‖ as part of the reaffirmation of ―humanity’s common
aspiration for mutual understanding and justice‖. Australia subsequently participated in The Stockholm
Forums on Combating Intolerance (January 2001) on Truth, Justice and Reconciliation (April 2002) and
on The Prevention of Genocide (January 2004).
Together with the Government of Indonesia, Australia initiated Asia/Pacific Regional Interfaith Dialogues,
with the inaugural Dialogue taking place in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, in December 2004. The Dialogues
have proven to be excellent opportunities for the promotion of programmes designed to break down interreligious
stereotyping and to promote co-operation in the cause of communal harmony. The second
Dialogue was convened in Cebu, The Philippines, in 2006, the third in Waitangi, New Zealand, in 2007
and the fourth in Cambodia in 2008. The dialogues now have New Zealand and the Philippines as
additional co-hosts.
All Australian States and the Australian Capital Territory had legislation supplementary to the Federal
Act. The success and utility of these laws is a matter of on-going debate. The Australian Broadcasting
Authority sets and enforces broad community standards. The complexities of applying the legalistic and
bureaucratic procedures to the real-time world of electronic media, however, renders this body
problematic as an agency to combat racism and antisemitism. In most of the cases of antisemitism in the
print media, the newspapers and magazines published views of readers offended by them in letters
columns. However, this was not universal, and even when it occurred, the newspapers themselves rarely
acknowledged any fault on their part by originally printing antisemitism. Individuals who are the victims
of some of the more extreme acts of antisemitic intimidation do have recourse to laws other than those
specified above. A variety of sporting bodies have introduced anti-racism codes of conduct during recent
years. The focus in all cases was also on "offensive language".
* Jeremy Jones is Director of International and Community Affairs, Australia/Israel & Jewish
Affairs Council and Honorary Life Member, Executive Council of Australian Jewry
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