Jewish, Hindu and Iranian groups call out Labor hypocrisy

Grassroots Jewish, Hindu and Iranian groups have banded together to draw attention to Labor’s lack of action over rising anti-Semitism and racism ahead of the federal election.

Queensland Jewish Collective co-directors Roz Mendelle and Hava Mendelle, with their mobile billboard part of a new campaign against federal Labor in Indooroopilly, Brisbane. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen/The Australian

A collection of grassroots minority groups have banded together to call out Labor’s lack of action over rising anti-Semitism and racism ahead of the federal election through a new advertising campaign.

The Minority Impact Coalition – a collaboration between the Queensland Jewish Collective, Iranian Novin Party and Hindus of Australia – launched the project last week, which will target Labor-held Sydney, Melbourne and southeast Queensland.

The campaign urges Australian voters not to be “fooled” by Labor, with the group claiming the government is “playing both sides” of politics by calling out social division while also preferencing the Greens, who are stoking anti-Semitism.

While the federal election has not been called, the ad series will be displayed on billboards, trucks and social media in the coming weeks. Community members feature in several advertisements, including Sydney midwife Sharon Stoliar, who has previously spoken about anti-Semitism in the healthcare system.

MIC spokeswoman Hava Mendelle said there has been a “massive breakdown” in social cohesion across the country under Labor, which needs to be called out.

“We were called the lucky country once,” she said. “It doesn’t feel so lucky any more.”

Ms Mendelle, a Jewish first-generation Australian, said she no longer recognises the country she grew up in.

“Politicians aren’t doing enough to really ensure that we are cohesive and that we are a community,” she said.

“That’s what Australia Day is about. Instead, you’ve got people out there who are saying, ‘death to Australia’. Are you kidding me? People have come here because they want a better life; that’s the Australian dream.

“The Greens have been at the forefront of this anti-Australia rhetoric and Labor is just sitting idly by on their hands not doing anything. Call out the Greens, preference them last.”

The campaign will target five to seven Labor-held electorates in Queensland, Sydney and Melbourne.

One such seat is the Ipswich seat of Blair, west of Brisbane, which long-serving MP Shayne Neumann holds on a margin of 5.2 per cent.

One of advertisements the Minority Impact Coalition is running against federal Labor ahead of the election.

Midwife Ms Stoliar migrated with her family from Sri Lanka when she was a child and has always voted Labor.

But she plans to vote for the Coalition for the first time as she believes it is the “safest bet” for her children, my family, Australian values and peace.

“I’ve always voted Labor because they favoured nursing, working-class people and migrants,” Ms Stoliar said.

“I’ve been very disappointed and let down at their lack of addressing any of the rising anti-Semitism and the racism and lack of protecting people who need to be protected. I’m disgusted by them allowing terrorism to just flourish in this country.

“I can’t donate huge amounts like other people can to the Liberal campaign, so this is my way of doing whatever I can to help change the perception of Labor in immigrant areas and help immigrant communities who might be set on voting Labor to question why a brown woman of colour is on a poster saying that ‘racism flourishes under Labor’.”

The Australian understands Ms Mendelle has been encouraged to apply for Liberal preselection to run for the Greens-held seat of Griffith in Brisbane, which is comfortably held by Max Chandler-Mather.

The Queensland Jewish Collective ran a similar and successful campaign against the Greens at the state election in October.

The party lost one of its two seats, and support for the remaining sitting member, Michael Berkman, slipped 7.4 per cent on first preferences.