Muslim voters say election delivered strong message despite Labor landslide

Australia Broadcast Center

07-05-2025

Muslim Australian Hawraa put Labor last on her ballot paper for the first time at this year's federal election.
Hawraa, who only wants to be identified by her first name, said she wanted to send Labor a message: "Do not take us for granted."
A voter in the Victorian electorate of Wills, Hawraa was "disappointed" at news
Despite the result, Hawraa said the close race and first preference vote swing towards Ms Ratnam gave her hope, and showed the Muslim community was energised
.
"We've learned a lot from this time, and it is only the start of the mobilisation of the community and of the Muslim community," Hawraa said.
"
More and more people are wanting a more dynamic crossbench … a progressive crossbench that will push Labor to do better and do more.
"
Samantha Ratnam spent the final days before the election speaking with voters at early-polling stations.
(
ABC News: Nicholas White
)
Many Australian Muslims have told the ABC they feel "betrayed" by the government's
Wills was Labor heartland, but now the seat that belonged to Bob Hawke is squarely in the marginal column.
Advocacy group Muslim Votes Matter targeted federal seats across Australia during the campaign and despite Labor's landslide win, a closer inspection of the results told a more nuanced story, said the group's spokesperson Ghaith Krayem.
"When we look at those electorates, those seats where we targeted our effort, a different picture emerges," said Mr Krayem.
He pointed to the Wills and Calwell electorates in Victoria that recorded swings in primary votes away from Labor candidates.
"There's no doubt in our mind what was different [in those two seats] was the mobilisation of our community."
NSW results 'mind-blowing'
A Muslim Vote convener campaigns for Ahmed Ouf, who stood as an independent in the seat of Blaxland.
(
ABC News: Marcus Stimson
)
In the two electorates with the largest Muslim population nationally, Watson and Blaxland in New South Wales, Muslim Votes Matter and a second, unaffiliated lobby group, The Muslim Vote, endorsed two independent candidates.
In Watson, the groups backed Muslim candidate Ziad Bassyouny to run against Labor's Tony Burke.
In Blaxland, Ahmed Ouf ran against another Labor incumbent, Jason Clare.
While neither independent won, and Labor retained both seats, the pair did secure a lot of first preference votes, said Mr Krayem.
Photo shows
Sheikh Wesam Charkawi Muslim Vote convener
The Muslim Vote campaign has taken aim at the Labor Party's "failure to stand for justice on Gaza and Palestine" as it looks to unseat Parramatta MP Andrew Charlton.
"For Ahmed to get 19 per cent primary, and for Ziad to get almost 17 per cent on primary, that is a significant achievement," he said.
"They've set themselves up really well for the next election."
Zakariaa Wahid, Islamic Council of Victoria chief executive, said the primary vote results were "mind-blowing".
"They [the candidates] did not exist until this election; we're not talking about independents [who] have been around for years and years," said Mr Wahid.
Zakaria Wahid from the Islamic Council of Victoria said there was growing political awareness in the Muslim community.
(
Supplied
)
Those results showed the Muslim community mobilised for this federal election like never before, he added.
"We've seen political literacy and political awareness in the Muslim community in a way that has never happened, not even close to it.
"There's a growing push and a growing number of people that are becoming part of this voting bloc".
Gaza at the heart of voters
The AEC continues to count votes in some tightly contested seats.
(
ABC News: Mackenzie Heard
)
Among them is Shiraz, a second-generation migrant
,
who lives in the Victorian seat of Scullin and has traditionally voted Labor.
For the first time at a federal election, Shiraz voted differently.
Shiraz, who also only wants to be known by his first name, said he preferenced Greens first, followed by independent candidates.
"We want the government to hear our voices and concerns, not take our votes and support for granted," he said.
"
It sends a strong message that we do have a voice that can't be ignored.
"
He added he also wanted to break down the long-standing dominance of two major parties.
Shiraz believed the major parties had not done enough to support Palestinian people and were too complacent in relation to Gaza.
Hawraa, who is from southern Lebanon, said her community also felt "completely neglected and ignored".
She said the community was disappointed that Australia continued to have an arms trade deal with Israel,
Photo shows
A young man gestures while speaking and sitting on the couch
Dissatisfaction with the Albanese government's stance on Israel-Palestine among many Arab and Muslim voters threatens to unseat Labor MPs, in some places for the first time.
However, many Muslim community
members who spoke to the ABC said the "swing against Labor" had been taking place over a long time.
They said they felt the federal government had responded more strongly to a spate of antisemitic attacks last year compared with the increased number of Islamophobia attacks.
The community members had also been calling for
"[But] Gaza was the largest example of how Labor has consistently become disconnected with this Muslim voter base, and especially how people feel taken advantage of," he said.
"Labor's lack of effort and lack of effective response to a genocide that's going on coupled with various other elements such as the rising Islamophobia … that will definitely be a factor in the minds of Muslims."
Rita Jabri Markwell,
from the Australian Muslim Advocacy Network, said even though the impact of the Muslim vote was not "as strong as it could have been", Labor candidates were still left fighting to retain their seats.
"It really is a warning to those members of parliament that if they continue to ignore those voters they may be paying an even greater price at the next election," the lawyer said.