Queensland groups say racial hate crimes not taken seriously and stronger laws are needed
23 September 2020 | In the news
Multicultural Australia Chair Peter Forday is the Co Chair of the newly launched Cohesive Communities Coalition.
The Coalition is made up of around 20 agencies including the Islamic Women's Association of Australia (Queensland), Uniting Church, Queensland Jewish Community Services, Queensland African Communities Council, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service, and Pacific Islander Community Queensland.
The Coalition has launched a campaign this week calling for stronger laws around racial vilification following instances of racial abuse through COVID-19 and more broadly.
Peter Forday said that Queensland needed legislation that promoted "safety, welcome and belonging".
He pointed to anti-Chinese sentiment associated with COVID-19 and the tensions between Australia and China.
"A sad example is a child in my seven-year-old daughter's class stating that, 'We don't like Chinese because they give us the virus.'"
Sign up to the Coalition's Better Laws for a Safe Queensland campaign at https://betterlawsforsafeqld.com.au/our-call-for-change/.
Read the article here.
