Terms of Reference

Terms of Reference

 

Islamophobia in Australia

Islamophobia has a long history both in Australia and internationally, with a significant increase since the 7 October, 2023 Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel and the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

This has given rise to the increasing urgency of addressing Islamophobia in the domestic Australian context.

The surge of reported Islamophobic incidences has occurred in both physical and online contexts.

These threaten the safety and security not only of Australia’s Muslim community but also of Australia as a whole and its future as a peaceful, free, cohesive and diverse multicultural society.

As part of the Government response, a Special Envoy to combat Islamophobia (the Special Envoy) will be appointed for a term of three years and report directly to the Prime Minister and the Minister for Home Affairs.

The Department of Home Affairs will provide Secretariat, strategic communications and policy support.

 

Function of the Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia

The Special Envoy will assist and advise Government by:

  • providing advice to the Prime Minister and the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs to inform policy development, legislation, campaigns (in accordance with the Australian Government Guidelines on Information and Advertising Campaigns by non-corporate Commonwealth entities) and programs that will go to effectively combatting Islamophobia and social cohesion factors that drive the behaviour across online and social media, traditional media, and within education, arts, culture and industry sectors
  • promoting public awareness and understanding of the impacts of Islamophobia, by highlighting diverse Muslim Australian identities, the ongoing contributions of Muslim Australians to the building and progress of Australia, and combatting stereotypes and misinformation in communication channels
  • engaging with public and private sector stakeholders across whole of society and using research and data to identify the drivers of Islamophobic behaviour
  • supporting efforts to address systemic and interpersonal racism, hate speech, discrimination and divisive language (including Islamophobia) through public education and awareness, through engaging in media opportunities, facilitating roundtables and participating in public discussion with the support of the Department of Home Affairs
  • identifying ways to strengthen broad social cohesion, including fostering inter-faith dialogue, for all Australians
  • undertaking other related tasks that may be necessary from time to time.

All communications of the Special Envoy will be attributed to the respective Special Envoy and not the Department of Home Affairs, the Prime Minister, the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs or the Australian Government as a whole.