Brisbane, Australia – Australia's Race Discrimination Commissioner, Giridharan Sivaraman, has issued a strong rebuke against One Nation and the federal opposition coalition, accusing them of exploiting anti-immigrant sentiment to deflect blame for systemic problems, thereby fueling racism. Sivaraman's comments, delivered during a panel discussion at a Brisbane human rights seminar, highlight the dangerous consequences of scapegoating vulnerable populations.

Sivaraman pointedly identified a “pronounced political fault line” in Australia, where certain political actors actively “dehumanise, scapegoating migrants” for societal woes. He emphasized the insidious nature of blaming immigrants for issues like the housing crisis, traffic congestion, and even the cost of milk, noting that such rhetoric relies on racist tropes and stereotypes. The commissioner argued that this tactic is “implicitly racist” because it hinges on superficial markers like skin color, names, or accents to identify and target individuals.

This strategy, Sivaraman warned, taps into a historical “deep vein of racism” dating back to Australia's colonial past. He argued that it reinforces the harmful notion that “some people belong here more than others or some people are superior to others,” undermining social cohesion and perpetuating inequality. Sivaraman’s remarks come at a critical juncture, as rising inequality and economic anxieties provide fertile ground for divisive rhetoric.

The opposition leader, Angus Taylor, has explicitly embraced policies targeting immigrants, announcing plans to “discriminate based on values” and claiming that “many” migrants would be a “net drain” on Australia. Taylor’s budget reply speech further solidified this anti-immigrant stance, proposing caps on immigration based on housing construction rates and barring non-citizens from accessing essential social safety nets like jobseeker, the age pension, and the NDIS. These measures, framed as solutions to housing shortages and strained services, effectively punish vulnerable individuals and further marginalize immigrant communities.

Sivaraman anticipates an escalation of racism connected to the scapegoating of immigrants. He warned that this will present a “significant issue” for his work. To effectively combat racism, the commissioner advocated for building “class solidarity… between black, brown, and white people,” emphasizing that addressing economic inequality requires confronting racial prejudice head-on. He argued that until white workers recognize that racism harms their own interests by dividing the working class and perpetuating inequality, genuine solidarity and progress will remain elusive.