The people of Bendigo could be forgiven for breathing a sigh of relief when the media reported the violent clashes in Melton over the weekend.



As the federal member for Bendigo, I for one was relieved that this time it wasn’t our town, it wasn’t our name and it wasn’t our streets which had been hijacked by extremists.

That is not to say we do not sympathise with the community of Melton – we do, wholeheartedly. We know how it feels to have our town invaded. On too many occasions over the past few months Bendigo has played unwilling host to ugly scenes like those in Melton at the weekend.

Far-right groups like the United Patriots Front and Reclaim Australia have attempted to infiltrate our town, spinning irrational and downright ridiculous lies, playing on people’s insecurities and fear of the unknown.

For months letterboxes and Facebook pages have been bombarded with anti-Islam propaganda. Countering the lies through positive engagement and education continues to be one of our main local challenges.

The rightwing extremists, and the opposing Say No to Racism groups, have become regular visitors to our city. Images of these angry protesters have been splashed across the nation’s newspapers and TVs.

There’s no escaping these images and the questions they invoke when you’re the local MP.

Bendigo is a welcoming city, filled with cultural and religious gems – including one of Australia’s most beautiful cathedrals, the largest Buddhist monument in the Western world and one of the oldest Chinese temples in Australia. Yet for those who do not know our town, the name Bendigo has become synonymous with racial tension.

Now when people outside the electorate ask me about Bendigo, it is not about our thriving art scene, our award-winning restaurants or our beautiful Goldfields streetscapes. No, they ask about the “Bendigo mosque troubles”. Their impression of Bendigo has been shaped by the images that have been broadcast into their homes, cars and workplaces via the mainstream and social media.

However, the scenes at the weekend remind us this is not just a Bendigo fight. The fact that far-right groups had chosen a different battleground reinforces what we already knew. This is not a Bendigo or a Melton problem. This is not about a mosque or a school. This is outsiders using our towns as a platform to pursue their ideological attack on the Muslim faith and immigration at large.

I acknowledge some locals are opposed to the mosque. I have met with people in my community who have expressed concerns about Islam and fear Sharia law. This is a democracy, people have the right to ask questions and share their concerns in a calm and respectful manner.

Equally, it is my role as their local MP to remind them that Australia is now a multicultural society where every individual’s right to practice his or her beliefs and follow cultural traditions within the framework of the law, is respected and protected.

The members of these far-right groups are not being patriotic. Australia values multiculturalism and a fair go; to defend these values is a better expression of the Australian spirit than isolating and repressing a particular set of people for their beliefs.

Australia’s strength has always been in our diversity. One shining light to come out of this episode in Bendigo’s history has been the groundswell of local movements promoting inclusion and diversity.

There have been social media campaigns like “Racism. It Stops with Me”. A flurry of coloured balloons was released to counter the black balloons tied to council and my offices by anti-mosque demonstrators. More recently the movement “I Believe in Bendigo” and its trademark yellow has been splashed all over town as a sign of diversity and tolerance.

What is disappointing is the lack of political leadership nationally from the Coalition government, under Tony Abbott and now Malcolm Turnbull.

To this day, Bendigo is still waiting for the prime minister to condemn the violence and anti-Islam hate speech. A local cafe owner, Jayson Tayeh, who publicly said he would “like to see prime minister Malcolm Turnbull join the opposition leader’s unequivocal commendation of intolerance” is still waiting.

This is not and should not be a partisan issue. Victorian premier Daniel Andrews, local MPs and Liberal-affiliated and independent councillors alike have all made public their support for the mosque and condemned the violence, racism and hate speech of these right-wing groups.

There has been, however, a complete silence from the federal government on this matter. For some reason there is a lack of political willingness to condemn the actions of these far-right groups.

Whether this silence is political or ideological, it is a national shame. It is the role of the prime minister and his front bench to set the example, to say, “This is racism and we do not accept it in Australia”.

Bendigo will overcome this. It has been a hard few months but this is not who we are. One by one we will win back every local who has believed the nasty anti-Islam propaganda.

Bendigo is a raw, vibrant, fun and edgy community. We have challenges but we have the innovation, passion and spunk to overcome it. To us in Bendigo, standing up to those who oppose the mosque is more than just balloons and festivals. We are staring down racism in our own backyard.