Roundtable participants urged that any official
system for reporting serious harms on the basis
of religion will need to deal with the fact that some
smaller religious communities are distrustful of
police and other authorities. This is sometimes
because of experiences in their countries of
origin, or because of negative experiences with
authorities in Australia. Also, much of the work that
has been done with Muslim communities on these
matters has been done within a Countering Violent
Extremism (CVE) framework. Framing the issue in
this way frequently undermines trust. Any national
register would need to be independent, and at
arm’s length from government.
The body conducting the research should work
closely with religious communities to develop
a reporting mechanism that can be used with
confidence by people from Australia’s diverse
multicultural and multifaith communities, including
those where there is a historical mistrust of police
and other authorities. Leaders and representatives
of these communities should be involved in this
development process from the beginning.
We recommend that the independent body study
overseas examples of reporting mechanisms,
especially those in the UK, Europe, the US and
Canada. Research should also be done into the
longer term physical and psychological impacts of
repeated experiences of discrimination or abuse.
The AHRC is currently undertaking the Sharing the
Stories of Australian Muslims Project. The project
is made up of two research strands: a quantitative
online survey collecting a national data set on
the incidences of discrimination experienced by
Australian Muslims; and a qualitative consultation
process focusing on community priorities and
challenges. Data from the project will contribute to
robust intelligence on Islamophobia experienced by
Australian Muslims including incidences of serious
harm on the basis of religion.
Freedom of religion in Australia: a focus on serious harms • July 2020 • 21