MEDIA RELEASE

28 July 2026

The Australian Muslim Advocacy Network congratulates Senator Mehreen Faruqi.

Yesterday, the Full Federal Court threw out Pauline Hanson’s appeal. All three judges agreed. She lost on every single ground.

The Court backed what Justice Angus Stewart found back in November 2024. Senator Hanson broke the law when she told Senator Faruqi to pack her bags and go back to Pakistan.

That post breached section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act. That is the law that makes it unlawful to publicly abuse someone because of their race or where they come from.

The Court said Hanson’s post was anti-Muslim and Islamophobic. It said the post was just another version of an old line thrown at people of colour for generations: go back to where you came from.

The Court said the post was likely to be deeply offensive, insulting, humiliating and frightening. Not just to Senator Faruqi. To migrants. To Australians whose families came here recently. And to Muslims of colour right across this country.

Senator Hanson argued that being a politician gave her a constitutional right to say it. The Court said no. Section 18C is good law. Her “fair comment” defence failed as well.

“This is a win for every Muslim calling this country home,” said a spokesperson for AMAN.

“Senator Faruqi fought for four years so a court would say out loud what our community already knew. This is racism. And it is against the law.”

“Australian Muslims have watched this language become normal inside our own parliament. The Court has now made it plain. A seat in parliament is not a free pass. Free speech has never meant the freedom to tear people down for who they are or where their family came from.”

Four years in court is a heavy load. It costs money, time and peace of mind. Senator Faruqi and her family carried that load in public, and they deserve credit for it.

We also thank Race Discrimination Commissioner Giridharan Sivaraman. His help to the Court on ‘intersectionality’ of racism made a difference.

This case also exposes a hole in our law. AMAN has been pointing at that hole for years. So did the Envoy to Combat Islamophobia in his report. He recommended that Muslims get the same protection from hate that other communities already have, like Jewish and Sikh Australians. The Albanese Government ignored him. That is shameful.

Government would not lead. So Senator Faruqi led instead.

Now it is reported that Pauline Hanson may take this to the High Court.

Australians deserve to know who pays for that. Senator Hanson has raised money from the public to fight the Albanese Government. Will she spend it on this instead? She should say so plainly.

So far, every round of this case has only made the law stronger for Australian Muslims.

ENDS.

The post Court Win Against Hanson is a Win for Every Australian Muslim appeared first on Australian Muslim Advocacy Network.

As the 50th ALP National Conference runs at the Adelaide Convention Centre, the Australian Muslim Advocacy Network (AMAN) today releases evidence documenting more than 45 instances in which the verified X account of former Labor Senator Nova Peris OAM amplified content dehumanising Muslims and Palestinians — including material she affirmed in her own words. Peris is the current patron of Labor Friends of Israel, alongside former Victorian Premier Dan Andrews.

AMAN has compiled and archived 45 posts published between April 2024 and March 2026. The material has been assessed against AMAN’s twelve-category framework for identifying dehumanising speech, developed for use in legal proceedings. Every one of the twelve categories is represented.

We ask the Australian Labor Party to state that this conduct and material has no place in the movement, and to act accordingly.

Among the material documented about Palestinians

• A post asserting that Gaza is full of savages who know nothing but killing.
• A post calling Palestinians fucking monsters and, expressly including women and children, a sick, depraved society that praises death and death alone.
• A post describing the behaviour of Palestinians as like a pack of feral dogs, and asserting they should not be allowed to run a bath, let alone a country.
• A post asserting that the entire population of Gaza constitutes two million terrorists, and that a drastic change is required to fix this.
• A post proposing that Gazans be offered to Ireland, Canada and Pakistan.
• A post describing Palestinians as the most demonic culture on earth.
• A post asserting that the only people starving in Gaza are the hostages.
• A post mocking ‘“the poor children” of Gaza.’
• A post describing Palestinians as savages who want to drink our blood.
• A cartoon contrasting Palestinian and Israeli mothers, asserting that Palestinian mothers do not love their children.
• A post stating that the population of Gaza, including children and women, constitutes a rotten society that brought this upon yourselves.

·Among the material documented about Muslims:

• A post referring to Muslims as ‘satan worshipping cockroaches” that “need to be eradicated.” [now deleted]
• A post describing Muslims as primitive and savage, and as UTTER DEMONS, in relation to the assault of a 13-year-old girl at a Sydney school.
• A post objecting to a Nine News journalist reporting on air while wearing a hijab in the aftermath of the Bondi massacre.
• Footage of an Islamic prayer service in a Sydney park, captioned This does not belong in this country!
• A post demanding Australia stop importing Islam.
• A post suggesting a prominent Australian sportsman should recuse himself from public advocacy because of his association with “Islamic money.”
• A post treating Islamic faith as a slur for political candidates.
• A repost of Tommy Robinson, founder of the English Defence League.
• A post declaring that Islam should be banned in the West.

Amplification by an Olympic gold medallist, a former senator and a recipient of the Order of Australia confers on this material a standing in Australian public life that its authors could not otherwise obtain.

The frequency of Ms Peris’ dehumanising reposts has escalated in the past 12 months, showing a dangerous trajectory if she is not held to account by the Party.

Labor has a choice this week: deal with this through a process the public can see, or let it stand. There is no third option, and silence is a decision.

Media enquiries: advocacy@aman.net.au

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Everyone deserves to feel safe from racism at university. No student should be treated as less than human because of who they are. We believe universities should be able to protect all students and staff equally.

But the plan the government put forward yesterday won’t do that. It asks every university to create a special definition of Islamophobia, Antisemitism and Racism against First Nations peoples to deal with racism complaints. The problem is that this approach leaves out many groups who also face racism. Writing a separate definition of racism for each community means some people get protected while others get left behind.

Universities can hand out serious punishments, but they don’t work like a real court with all its rules and resources. So, they need one clear guide to follow, not a different definition for each group. Just like the law itself, there needs to be one single standard that guides universities when they handle these complaints.

That’s why we suggest the Dehumanisation Framework instead. It focuses on “dehumanisation,” which means talking about people as if they are less than human. This kind of hate speech has come before and gone along with terrible violence many times throughout history. The Framework gives universities one clear guide that protects everyone.

Our vision is a fair system that works for all students. The Framework is explained in this submission to the Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion. Eleven Muslim organisations have backed the plan, and the Jewish Council of Australia has even told the Royal Commission that the Dehumanisation Framework should be looked at as part of online safety changes.

The Framework follows international human rights law and Australian hate speech law. It’s meant to protect people because of who they are, so it doesn’t cover comments about countries, armies, or political beliefs and the people who hold them.

AMAN has spent about seven years building and testing this Framework through legal cases, and it’s based on research, including case law, hate-crime studies, and atrocity-prevention studies. It’s a proven idea that could help universities treat every student fairly. We call on TEQSA and Australian universities to explore and embrace the Dehumanisation Framework in consultation with their staff and students.

Signatories:

Australian Muslim Advocacy Network (Aman) 
The Muslim Vote 
Muslim Legal Network (Vic)
Australian Federation Of Islamic Councils
Shia Muslim Council Of Australia

The post AN ‘ISLAMOPHOBIA DEFINITION’ ADOPTED BY UNIVERSITIES WON’T FIX THIS MESS.  THERE MUST BE A SINGULAR STANDARD TO FIGHT DEHUMANISATION. appeared first on Australian Muslim Advocacy Network.

13 July 2026

Australia must only fund and contribute to technology that upholds the dignity and safety of human beings, not enabling atrocities.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is giving a major speech at the National Press Club on Australia’s guardrails for AI. There is one big question he needs to answer.

Will his government stop Australia from paying for, or helping to build, AI technology that could be used to help carry out war crimes or genocide? Or technology that is developed through ‘testing’ by Israel on Palestinian civilians?

Right now, Australia has no clear rule that says no to this. Our trade and customs laws are silent on it, and we are asked to ‘trust’ the government rather than have them set clear rules.

Australia also has no law requiring large companies to disclose the truth about genocide risk in their value chains. We need legal pathways to hold those companies to account.

Meanwhile, the Australian Defence Force and AUSTRAC (the agency that tracks money and crime) have signed deals worth many millions of dollars. These deals are with a technology company called Palantir, which has close ties to US President Donald Trump and the Israeli military.

Many other countries (Switzerland, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark) have already walked away from deals with this same company. They did so because of data sovereignty and national security concerns.

There is also a new law moving through the United States Congress. It is expected to pass this month. This law would integrate the US and Israeli defence industries, including AI tech. That means the US could support Israel’s military without calling it “aid.”

If this happens, Australia would automatically be pulled into the same industrial base as Israel. Our Defence Minister Richard Marles says we already have a “seamless industrial base” with the US, thanks to AUKUS reforms since 2022. AUKUS Pillar II includes AI tech.

We cannot profit from people’s suffering. That is simply not an option for a multicultural country.

With a legal framework that reflects the values we all share, everyone, no matter who they are, can be treated equally and feel a sense of belonging and trust.

ENDS.

The post Will the government pass laws to stop Australia supporting AI tech linked to atrocities? appeared first on Australian Muslim Advocacy Network.

11 May 2026

The Australian Government and the Future Fund are doubling down as DeepCut News reports that Australia’s sovereign wealth fund drastically increased its investments in arms, tech and banking companies contributing to the Gaza genocide in 2025.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers, Finance Minister Katy Gallagher and Future Fund chair Greg Combet are all implicated, as is the Prime Minister, who could make it clear that Australia will not profit from human suffering, but refuses to do so.

In a brief statement, a Future Fund spokesperson said: “Exclusions to the investment portfolio are reviewed on a regular basis and updated in line with recommendations from independent research providers.”

Why is the Albanese Government not using its power to compel Australia’s Future Fund to stop Australia profiting from serious violations of international law?

Why is the Albanese Government, on one hand, saying illegal Israeli settlements are an obstacle to peace, but then allowing Australia’s Future Fund to profit from their expansion?

A spokesperson for AMAN said, “Australians are being told that Australia is facing the risk of extreme politics based on racism, but what is more racist than profiteering from genocide and ethnic cleansing?”

“Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza, is violently expanding its settlement of occupied Palestinian land, and is now in Lebanon. Apparently, those lives do not matter to the Albanese Government.”

ENDS

The post Future Fund double downs on blood-soaked investments while PM supports appeared first on Australian Muslim Advocacy Network.

The fallout in the country is likely bolstering ONP support so it is a shocking cynical play that Hanson herself is pushing for Australia to increase its military commitments to the war, which will prolong the cost-of-living crisis. You can’t simultaneously support a war and complain about the direct consequences at the same time, unless you’re suggesting it’s a worthwhile cost to bear.

It is misleading for the Prime Minister not to explain the impact of increasing military contributions to the US and Israel war effort, as the Defence Minister confirmed yesterday (with details to be “worked through”).

After the US and Israel’s illegal attack on Iran, Iran has been mainly blocking fuel to countries that are contributing to US and Israel’s war effort, a fact repeatedly hidden by the Albanese Government. Yesterday, the Prime Minister criticised Iran’s actions as illegal, but continues to say it’s up to the US and Israel to determine whether their own actions are illegal.

Yesterday, Defence Minister Richard Marles denied his government was hiding the extent of the fuel crisis from the Australian people.

Our communities deserve safety, accountability and truth – a foundation strong enough to hold us, not harm us.

But the major parties and One Nation Party are upholding a US war machine designed to protect US weapons companies before our people.

Families are demanding that Australia pull back its contributions to the US/Israeli war to protect them from a cost-of-living crisis here and protect the millions of people whose lives are under threat from US/Israeli bombs.

It will likely already take generations to recover from the disproportionate killing of children and strikes on homes and civilian infrastructure.

There are 15000 Australians in Lebanon while Israel continues a plan to bomb and take over the land.

Honesty is how we build systems our people can trust and move toward a future where our communities are safe, supported and able to live long, healthy lives.

ENDS.

The post Labor and One Nation must be honest on how our war contributions are driving cost of living crisis appeared first on Australian Muslim Advocacy Network.

The Prime Minister must fully answer for the safety of 900 Australians who are reportedly embedded throughout the US military in operational roles at all levels, as well as the civilians bombed in this illegal war.

Yesterday, the PM confirmed that three Royal Australian Navy personnel were on board a US submarine that sank an Iranian warship earlier this week.

In response, we heard from the PM that “no Australian personnel have participated in any offensive action against Iran.”

The PM has skirted the question of his obligations towards their safety and the safety of targeted civilians by discussing offensive actions rather than operations.

It contradicts a wealth of evidence put on the record by the Australian defence minister about the extensive and critical role of Australian personnel within US forces, including in leadership roles and at the Pentagon.

In the attached background, we provide evidence from Australian defence, information on the legal risk, and specific questions that require answers.

Ends.

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AMAN condemns the Albanese Government’s cancellation of community funding on the basis of ‘social cohesion concerns.’

Minister for Multicultural Affairs Anne Aly and the local Labor MP, Julian Hill, announced last night that the Government would renege on a major election commitment to the Shia community in that electorate for a community centre, citing ‘social cohesion’ concerns.

This follows a raft of commentary from Labor leaders demonising Shia Muslims who are mourning the illegal assassination of Khamenei.

Weaponisation of grief for political purposes

Just weeks ago, we were told that inviting Israel’s President to Australia after the Bondi mass shooting was justified because it would be a comfort for grieving Jewish Australians, even though the UN Commission of Inquiry found he incited genocide against Palestinians.

Premier of NSW, Chris Minns, told the community to “remain respectful”. We were told we should separate the “head of state” from the actions of the government he represents.

Our National political leaders weaponised the grief of the Jewish community to justify an invitation to Herzog.

Now Albanese, Minns, and other federal cabinet ministers weaponise the grief of the Shia Muslim community for a different political purpose: to reinforce foreign and defence policy and lessen the intense scrutiny they are currently facing for supporting an illegal war.

No ‘calm and measured’ government

According to our Defence Minister, 900 Australian defence personnel are embedded in the US military, and we continue to supply arms and intelligence to the US, so the absence of any red lines is legitimate grounds for scrutiny. The government’s position that they have enough evidence to support the US and Israel’s actions, but not enough evidence to say if it’s illegal, is embarrassing.

Their attempt to deflect attention by cancelling funds, demonising a community who have committed no crime, is evidence of impulsive and unprincipled governance.

The fact that any funding can be cancelled over ‘social cohesion’ concerns without any procedural fairness raises questions about the funding for Zionism and Israel-related activities (like the implementation of the Antisemitism envoy’s report), as well as Hindu activities that engage in the burning of effigies that cause deep harm and humiliation to caste-oppressed and Muslim groups by revering past atrocities and tragedies.

The government brushes away those concerns. So, what criteria are being used for ‘social cohesion concerns’, and will it be applied universally? This is not ‘calm and measured’ government as the Albanese Government claims to be.

ENDS.

The post AMAN condemns reported cancellation of community project over ‘social cohesion’ concerns appeared first on Australian Muslim Advocacy Network.

AMAN has referred an article by Chris Merritt published in The Australian, titled “Islamic bodies seek to abolish hate speech laws yet jail those who criticise religion” (19–20 February 2026), to the Australian Press Council.

The headline and article are false and materially misleading. The joint community submission did not seek to “jail those who criticise religion”.

Its primary position was that criminal hate speech laws should be removed. As a secondary and reluctant position, it supported extending existing protections—currently limited to race and ethnicity—to cover the targeting of people because of their religious belief or activity. 

Such protections for people already exist in civil laws across the country and include public-interest exceptions, which we also called for in any criminal version.

The article also falsely claims the organisations sought to exclude “religiously motivated” attacks from terrorism laws in a separate submission. No such recommendation appears in the relevant submission. 

This claim follows a swathe of opinion pieces in the same masthead propagating the same lie.

The article also tries to tarnish the reputation of Muslim organisations that were signatories: the Australian Muslim Advocacy Network, the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, the Australian National Imams Council, the Lebanese Muslim Association, the Muslim Legal Network NSW, Muslim Votes Matter, the Muslim Women Association, the Shia Muslim Council of Australia and the Muslim Vote.

The same article also asserts that criticism of Zionism amounts to hate speech, which Australian courts have rejected.

“Such media campaigns are designed to mobilise anti-Islam sentiment, highlighting the role that The Australian plays in driving that movement and pointing to the strong overlap between Zionist and Anti-Islam movements,” said a spokesperson for AMAN.

The NSW submission is here:

https://www.aman.net.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/20250806-Joint-Submission-Independent-Review-NSW-Criminal-Incitement-of-Hatred.pdf.pdf

The INSLM submission on defining terrorism is here:

https://www.inslm.gov.au/system/files/2025-10/joint-community-submission-coordinated-by-aman-dtreview.pdf

ENDS

The post AMAN files complaint over The Australian’s false claims about Muslim bodies appeared first on Australian Muslim Advocacy Network.

We are proud to stand alongside a coalition of Australian community organisations calling on Universities Australia to adopt a single, unified anti-racism standard that applies equally to all communities, regardless of race or religion.

Australia’s universities must uphold one clear and principled framework to address racism, bigotry and discrimination. Fragmented or group-specific definitions risk creating confusion, double standards and unequal protection.

Why a Unified Standard Is Necessary

We believe that adopting an Islamophobia definition alone will not resolve the serious concerns raised about the proposed Antisemitism definition. Creating multiple narrow definitions does not strengthen protections. It risks entrenching inconsistencies and silencing legitimate political expression, including criticism of states.

Anti-racism must be consistent. It cannot depend on which community is being discussed or which political issue is being debated.

Developing separate standards for different groups creates gaps and competing thresholds. Universities need clarity, fairness and coherence, not layered definitions that undermine trust.

Supporting the Definition of Dehumanising Material

Together with our coalition partners, we strongly support the Definition of Dehumanising Material as the foundation for a unified anti-racism standard.

This definition is grounded in extensive research from leading scholars and institutions, including work on atrocity prevention and hate crime data. It offers a comprehensive and principled approach that protects all groups based on race, religion and ethnicity, while preserving space for legitimate political criticism.

Dehumanisation strips communities of empathy, dignity and protection. It has preceded some of history’s worst atrocities. Today, Palestinians are experiencing acute and dangerous forms of dehumanisation. Ignoring this reality undermines the integrity of any anti-racism framework.

What Dehumanisation Looks Like

Dehumanisation often appears through harmful stereotypes that portray racial or religious groups as threats to society or as collectively responsible for the actions of a few. These narratives erode equality and open the door to discrimination and exclusion.

Double standards in fighting racism are dangerous. Universities cannot adopt different standards for different communities and still claim to uphold equality.

Our Call to Universities Australia

We are urging Universities Australia to:

• Set aside the proposed Antisemitism definition
• Adopt the Definition of Dehumanising Material as the foundational standard
• Directly consult with impacted communities, anti-racism policymakers and human rights experts
• Commit to ongoing engagement after implementation

Starting with one clear, unified standard ensures consistency, fairness and transparency, especially in situations where competing claims of racism arise.

One Standard. Equal Protection.

If universities are serious about combating racism, they must reject dehumanisation in all its forms and apply one coherent standard to everyone.

We remain committed to working constructively with institutions to ensure that anti-racism policies protect all communities equally and uphold the principles of justice and dignity for all.

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