Labor was warned its perceived ‘one-sided' Israel support over Gaza raised social cohesion concerns
The home affairs department warned the government as early as November 2023 that its perceived one-sidedness in support of Israel during the Gaza conflict left Palestinian and Muslim Australians feeling 'extremely angry' and 'betrayed' , as well as concerned about social cohesion, documents reveal.
A November 2023 briefing document to the then immigration minister, Andrew Giles, was obtained by Guardian Australia under freedom of information laws. It discussed 'social cohesion measures', including a $25m package announced in October 2023 to strengthen resilience and improve support to Australian Palestinian, Muslim and other communities in Australia after the 7 October Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent war waged by Israel in Gaza. A total of $52.8m had been approved for social cohesion measures relating to the conflict, according to the document.
On the perception of the government at that time, the Department of Home Affairs told the minister that Palestinian and Muslim communities were 'feeling extremely angry, hurt, and betrayed by the perceived one-sided government messaging and lack of support for Palestinians in Gaza, and for Australian communities'.
The department said community members were traumatised by the conflict, distressed about the welfare of those in Gaza, and felt that 'statements from senior leaders are undoing previous progress on improving social cohesion'.
Communities had called for 'more balanced statements from the government' amid fear about increased Islamophobia and hate speech, the department advised, and the response to the funding announcement had been lukewarm.
The brief stated that Jewish communities were appreciative of the funding announcements but were concerned the package's funding would not be accessible to all Jewish Australian communities, and feared for their safety and instances of antisemitism.
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A total of $7m of the package to support Palestinian and Muslim communities was set aside for media organisations, with AAP and SBS given $3m in funding to combat misinformation and disinformation about the war. This funding was scrutinised in mid-2024 in Senate estimates, and Palestinian groups expressed frustration at the partial reallocation, given another $25m in funding had gone directly to the Executive Council of Australian Jewry.
The 2023 briefing document cited the 'significant media interest' in the conflict and its impacts in Australia, and stated that the funding rationale was based on community concern about 'misleading, divisive and insensitive' coverage.
'There is significant media interest in the Hamas-Israel conflict, including how its impacts are being felt and played out in the domestic setting and government's response,' the department stated. 'Communities have reported that statements from public leaders have polarised public debate, exacerbated tensions, and decreased impacted communities' sense of belonging.'
Home Affairs was cognisant of the potential issues involved in Australia's security department becoming involved in media factchecking through funding, noting that the department 'could be criticised for impinging on the editorial independence of' both AAP and SBS and be perceived as 'censoring public debate and discussion or political opinions'.
The department had previously faced criticism from the right, including politicians such as Liberal Alex Antic, for making over 500 requests to social media companies to take down misinformation and disinformation related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Its advice highlighted that the grant guidelines under the funding package highlighted both agencies' editorial independence, and the department 'will not and cannot seek to influence editorial decisions'.
When asked about the department's decision to divert some funding to media organisations, rather then entirely to the community directly, the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, told Guardian Australia: 'There are serious challenges at the moment in making sure the government supports communities through an extraordinarily difficult time. I'm focused on that and I'm continuing to consult with the relevant groups.'
In the past 18 months, the opposition has criticised the Albanese governmentover its response to rising incidents of antisemitism in Australia. It has accused Labor of failing to offer appropriate support to Israel in the region, including after Australia split with the US in a December vote at the UN that called on the end of Israel's 'unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as rapidly as possible'.
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