In a powerful adjournment speech to the House of Representatives, Labor MP Tim Watts denounced the rise of anti-Indian rhetoric by the far-right and called for renewed commitment to Australia’s multicultural identity. He warned of a growing global and local trend to demonise the Indian diaspora.
“In far-right circles around the world, there’s now an emerging trend to specifically single out Indian diaspora communities in anti-immigration rhetoric.”
Watts added that media reports have noted a significant increase in overtly racist AI generated material targeting Indian Australian communities on social media platforms like TikTok.
The speech comes after The Australia Today’s exclusive reporting on a new wave of digital attacks, fuelled by generative AI and deep-seated stereotypes, against Indian-Australians.
He also criticised former LNP MP George Christensen for falsely claiming that the Albanese government “rigged” the election by allowing more Indian migrants into the country.
Watts, who has served as Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs in the Albanese Government since 2022 and is currently the Special Envoy for Indian Ocean Affairs, spoke passionately about the changing face of Australia’s parliament. He highlighted the symbolic significance of new MPs being sworn in on the Bible, Koran, and Bhagavad Gita, and praised the gender equality seen on the government benches.
“These are beautiful stories encompassing the glorious diversity of modern Australia,” he said, framing the moment as an embodiment of what Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called ‘progressive patriotism.’
Watts, the author of The Golden Country: Australia’s Changing Identity and Two Futures: Australia at a Critical Moment (co-authored with fellow MP Clare O’Neil), emphasised that Australia’s cohesion is not a fixed state but an ongoing process that requires active engagement and empathy.
He also slammed Advance, a right-wing political lobby group that published an anti-immigration video singling out Indian and Chinese migrants, which controversially included a photo of the Prime Minister wearing a turban at a Sikh event.
“What are they trying to achieve by sharing a picture of the Prime Minister wearing a turban in an anti-immigration video?” Watts asked.
“Why did they not use a picture of any other group referenced in that report?”
He said, “Unfortunately, in the last parliament, some in this place chose to exploit the challenges we faced, demonising some groups and seeking to divide the Australian community for political gain.”
“The Australian public rejected this at the last election, and many of the most enthusiastic practitioners of this kind of politics are no longer with us in this chamber as a result.
But there are lessons for those who remain and for their parties.”
“For the Greens, the lesson is that you can’t build a political movement condemning everyone who disagrees with you. You can’t build a political movement based on the premise that everyone who disagrees with you is either financially corrupt or morally evil. Unsurprisingly, this approach to politics doesn’t persuade anyone who didn’t already agree with you beforehand, and it makes it impossible to build a big enough coalition to actually deliver anything on the issues you care about.”
He concluded by urging the new Liberal Party leader to publicly reject such divisive rhetoric and contribute to building a “modern Australia” that reflects and respects its diversity.
“All of us in this chamber should work together in this cause,” Watts said. “I welcome the Liberal Party joining this mission.”
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