The failure of the Australian Human Rights Commission’s racism project

In shocking incidents recently, a synagogue in East Melbourne was firebombed and a mob stormed an Israeli restaurant in the CBD. They were aimed at terrifying the Jewish community and targeting people simply because of their faith.

There is a federal government body tasked with documenting such effects of racism and discrimination on Jewish and Muslim communities after October 7 – the Australian Human Rights Commission’s (AHRC) Seen and Heard project.

Launched after October 7, 2023, and funded by the Department of Home Affairs, this two-million-dollar initiative promised to listen to affected communities and translate those insights into meaningful anti-racism interventions. Australians of all backgrounds should be proud such a commission has been established to monitor our multicultural society.

But do I think the recent antisemitic attacks will be documented by Seen and Heard? Do I think the project will develop any meaningful anti-racism interventions? I very much doubt it.