That’s it for today, thanks for reading
Here are the main stories on Monday, 1 December:
The Albanese government has announced a major overhaul of the defence department, aimed at tackling budget and timeline blowouts;
It also confirmed Australia was tracking a Chinese navy flotilla in the Philippine Sea;
Twenty-four people taken to hospital after being exposed to carbon monoxide at a Melbourne pork processing plant;
The medicines regulator has added two new safety warnings about mental health and contraception for people taking high-profile diabetes and weight loss drugs;
Pauline Hanson’s burqa stunt was “very disappointing” and will fuel rising Islamophobia on Australia’s streets, the race discrimination commissioner has warned;
Houses evacuated at Geraldton in Western Australia as an out-of-control bushfire, which is believed to have been deliberately lit, threatens property; and
Urgent investment is needed in new energy infrastructure – particularly synchronous generators – if the Eraring coal power plant in New South Wales is to shut as planned in 2027, the Australian Energy Market Operator (Aemo) has warned.
We will see you again for more news tomorrow.
Updated
Hanson burqa stunt will fuel Islamophobia, race discrimination commissioner warns
Pauline Hanson’s burqa stunt was “very disappointing” and will fuel rising Islamophobia on Australia’s streets, the race discrimination commissioner has warned.
Appearing at Senate estimates on Monday afternoon, Giridharam Sivaraman was asked by the Greens deputy leader, Mehreen Faruqi, if Hanson’s upper house stunt last week “feeds” negative attitudes towards Muslims.
Faruqi referenced the latest Scanlon Foundation study on social cohesion, which found negative attitudes towards Muslims had risen from 27% to 35% in the past two years.
In response, Sivaraman said: “I would say yes.”
I’ve engaged with the Muslim community extensively since I came into the role, and it’s very clear to me that Islamophobia is increasing.
It acts in a myriad of ways, and particularly it acts in an intersectional way. So for women and women who wear the hijab or who wear the naqib, there is a higher likelihood of racism, including physical violence.
And I raised that because that is connected to what Senator Hanson did. It (the stunt) was very disappointing, because the standard that politicians hold, and particularly in the public arena, and the behaviour that they exhibit is the behaviour that often is seen as what is appropriate for the rest of our society.
Behaviour that mocks or demeans anyone because of their religion, then that is very disappointing, because that has a negative impact on people generally, and it will have a negative impact on a young woman in a hijab the next day who’s trying to catch the train or go to school or do something like that.
Updated
