Australia’s growing tolerance for racism a threat to democracy

As racism shifts from the fringe to the mainstream, Australia’s social cohesion and democratic stability are being quietly eroded, writes Dr Victoria Fielding.

AUSTRALIA IS A PROUD, multicultural country, yet throughout our history, we have failed to adequately address the challenges of racism, White supremacy, discrimination, hatred and bigotry towards racial minorities and immigrants.

The rise of the anti-immigration “March for Australia” movement, the Bondi terror attack – an act of violent antisemitism which also stoked islamophobia – last week’s failed bombing attempt on Indigenous community members at the Perth Invasion Day protest and Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party surging in the polls should have all the alarm bells ringing that Australia is on the precipice of a catastrophic schism in social cohesion which is undermining public safety, cultural togetherness and ultimately, Australia’s democracy.

The Scanlon Institute’s 2025 report on Australia’s social cohesion demonstrates that Australia is at a dangerous tipping point. Although it finds 85% of Australians support multiculturalism, 51% think immigration levels are too high – the highest level ever recorded – and 48% think migrants take Australian jobs.

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Drilling into the figures more, it is clear that even those who support immigration are far more supportive of White immigrants from countries such as the UK and the U.S., than those who are not White, particularly from Asia, the Middle East and Africa. There is also a large bias against immigrants of Islamic faith, and the report highlights rising prejudice towards people of Hindu, Jewish and Sikh faiths.

Despite the report finding that Australia’s existing high levels of social cohesion are buttressing the community from the toxic consequences of division and hatred, the normalising and mainstreaming of anti-immigrant attitudes is continuing apace.

This mainstreaming includes a growing number of politicians joining the One Nation anti-immigrant chorus, including Independent MP Bob Katter who has been involved in the March for Australia movement (despite his grandfather immigrating from Lebanon). Former Deputy Prime Minister and former National Party Leader Barnaby Joyce is also doing his bit to mainstream racism and hatred by leaving the Nationals and joining One Nation.

The Liberals’ far-right MAGA Senators Alex Antic and Jacinta Nampijinpa Price also work hard to legitimise extreme anti-immigration narratives. How extreme the Liberals’ anti-immigrant rhetoric should be is one of the key fractures in the party, putting Opposition Leader Sussan Ley’s leadership on life support.

Australian media is also contributing to rising hate towards minorities. Social media is awash with anti-immigrant activists who sit on a normalising spectrum between avowed Neo-Nazis and March for Australia organiser Bec Freedom (who ABC Verify found, coincidentally, seems to have a friendly relationship with Nazis).

In the mainstream news sphere, News Corp is always happy to throw its weight behind divisive, hateful anti-immigration commentary. Indeed, it profits from bigotry.

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To comprehend the dangerous consequences at the end of the slippery slope of the mainstreaming of hatred towards non-White minorities, you only have to glance in the direction of U.S. President Trump’s mass-deportation regime, which is currently terrorising the country and tearing it apart.

Trump’s ability to whip up and politically benefit from anti-immigration sentiment has been central to his political success, a success that has been catastrophic for America’s place in the world, the country’s social cohesion and the sustainability of its democracy. Consider that the 2024 Election exit polls showed 12% of voters thought the issue was the most important in the election and 89% of those voters voted for Trump. Polling over time also showed concern about immigration in the U.S. was at an all-time high in the election year.

If you need another cautionary tale, which is not as extreme as America’s (yet), anti-immigration sentiment is also currently tearing the UK apart. After playing a central role in the economically disastrous Brexit, opposition to immigration is again surging, placing obnoxious, serially alleged racist and lying charlatan Nigel Farage’s Reform in front of the Labour Government in many opinion polls.

In the wake of the Bondi terror attack, the Government is holding a Royal Commission on Anti-Semitism and Social Cohesion. This Inquiry should seek to understand how hatred towards all minorities, whether they be racial, religious, immigrant or Indigenous Australians, is dangerously fraying Australia’s social cohesion. Importantly, this inquiry is an opportunity to ensure those responsible for the spread of this hatred are held accountable.

It is not too late to stop a wave of hate and division from overwhelming Australia. First, we need to name the problem before we can hope to solve it.