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.

Let me wind back a few steps and explain my pessimism. As a child and adult psychologist, I’ve spent much of my professional life listening to stories of pain, trauma, and resilience. Since October 7 and the war in Gaza, the impact of trauma on individuals and communities has been immense. Sadly, the discourse around this trauma has often been polarised – with so many people unable to see and feel compassion for the pain on the other side. 

Alongside my work as a psychologist, I’m also a filmmaker and author. My recent documentary, The Narrow Bridge (2022), follows four bereaved Israelis and Palestinians who lost a child or parent in the ongoing conflict. But instead of choosing hate, these people, and many like them, transformed their searing grief into peace activism. Their journeys show how healing and progress are possible when we truly listen to the pain of both sides and strive for compromise and balance, even in the most fraught conflicts.