Victoria’s parliament will formally investigate the rise of far-right extremism in the state and the risk it poses to multicultural communities.
A motion for the inquiry was approved by the state parliament on Wednesday amid a recent emergence of extremist and neo-Nazi groups into public view.
Far-right extremists infiltrated anti-vaccine, government, and pandemic power rallies in Melbourne last year, with experts saying they have sought to capitalise on pockets of anger and uncertainty around COVID-19 in the community.
Alongside the overall rise of far-right extremism, the probe is set to cover the risks it poses to Victorians, especially the state’s multicultural communities; the violent potential of the groups; their recruitment and communication methods; and what can be done to counter their rise.
It is also set to look into how the pandemic has affected growth and links the movement has to other forms of extremism and anti-vaccine misinformation groups.
Victorian Greens leader Samantha Ratnam, who introduced a motion calling for the inquiry at the end of last year, said she had experienced first-hand harassment and abuse from the far-right.
“There should be no place for far-right extremism in Victoria,” she said in a statement.
“Yet at the beginning of last year, we saw white supremacists openly gathering in regional Victoria. And throughout the pandemic, we’ve seen these groups play into the genuine fears and anxieties of Victorians in an attempt to mobilise and grow their movement."
She said the inquiry was needed to ensure “the safety of all Victorians, especially multicultural communities”.
“History has shown us what happens when we don’t act quickly.”
The inquiry is set to report by 31 May.
Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria chair Eddie Micallef welcomed the inquiry, saying it was important to better understand the far-right’s impact on the state’s social cohesion.
Mr Micallef said attacks and abuse of multicultural and Indigenous people in Victoria was nothing new, “but the difference is that these groups are becoming more coordinated and effective in abusing these vulnerable sectors of the community”.
He said it was “very frightening” to see violent scenes and pro-Donald Trump flags at some of the mass anti-government protests last year.
“I think we have a lot to be fearful of.”
Victoria will introduce Australian state and territory-first legislation later this year to make the public display of Nazi symbols illegal.
Amid the rise in conspiracy theories during the pandemic and fears for the safety of MPs, the federal government last week said it would spend more than $60 million to combat violent extremism.
The Australian Federal Police told SBS News last year the Joint Counter Terrorism Team's caseload covering nationalist and racist violent extremism had risen by 750 per cent in the previous 18 months.
