Premier Jacinta Allan has denied her government is using multicultural events for party-political purposes, fresh from hosting an Iftar dinner where dozens of Labor ministers and backbenchers attended alongside a solitary Coalition MP.
In a passionate defence of the publicly funded dinner, Allan said the gathering of Victoria’s ethnically diverse Islamic community with senior government figures and Victoria Police Commissioner Mike Bush on Wednesday night would reassure Muslims confronting rising Islamophobia.
“Events like last night send a very clear message to them that not only do they deserve to feel safe, but you have a government, a policing agency, who support and will work hard to protect your right to be safe,” Allan said on Thursday.
The evening program, which featured speeches from Allan and Multicultural Affairs Minister Ingrid Stitt, an “in-conversation” segment with the premier but no address from a faith leader or member of a non-Labor political party, has added to concerns taxpayer-funded multicultural events have become politicised.
“It seemed to be more of an electoral propaganda session than a multicultural event,” one Islamic community leader, who declined to be named for fear of professional and community repercussions, said.
“The message was, if you don’t support Labor your success story won’t happen. It was a campaign event.”
Sheikh Moustapha Sarakibi, a member of the Board of Imams Victoria, welcomed the annual event, which was this week staged for the first time on a large scale since the start of the war in Gaza in 2023.
“We did feel supported,” he said. “It was probably one of the most diverse gatherings I have seen of the Islamic community. That is a positive thing.”
A similar event in Sydney was cancelled last week by NSW Premier Chris Minns following a breakdown in the relationship between his government and Muslim communities.
Sheikh Moustapha agreed it would have been good to have greater political diversity at government-hosted events.
“What party they are from shouldn’t matter. If they are members of parliament they will have people from the Islamic community in their constituencies,” he said.
Opposition Leader Jess Wilson and Greens leader Ellen Sandell were invited to the dinner after the shadow minister for multicultural and multifaith affairs Evan Mulholland wrote to the premier expressing his concerns that multicultural events were being used to promote the electoral interests of the Labor Party.
Neither Wilson nor Sandell were able to attend due to short notice. The only non-Labor MP in a room of about 800 people was upper house Liberal MP Nick McGowan, who took Wilson’s seat.
This week, The Age reported that government communications released to the opposition under freedom of information showed the involvement of the Premier’s Private Office in vetting invitation lists, seating arrangements and speaking opportunities at a number of government-funded multicultural events.
The documents released show that at the Premier’s Multicultural Gala Dinner, held last August at a cost of $438,000, 190 seats were reserved for Labor ministers, advisers, MPs and their guests, while only one table was set aside for the Coalition. Then-opposition leader Brad Battin and his wife were seated at Allan’s table.
The dinner was hosted by the Victorian Multicultural Commission and funded through the Department of Premier and Cabinet.
In her speech to Wednesday night’s Iftar dinner – a nightly celebration for observant Muslims to mark the breaking of fast during the holy month of Ramadan – Allan cited a “racist, vile” attack on an Iftar dinner in Ballarat last weekend as evidence of rising hate against Muslims.
“We have to be honest about the challenges that exist today,” she said. “Anti-Muslim hate is real. Muslim women being abused on our streets is real. Mosques being targeted is real. Young Muslims feeling judged before they even have the chance to speak is real.”
She also accused unnamed MPs from rival parties at state and federal levels of fanning Islamophobia.
When pressed on Thursday about why more non-government MPs were not included on the guest list for Wednesday’s dinner, Allan said: “Normally, I would describe this approach from the Liberal Party as petty, but it is so much more divisive and dangerous than that. The Liberal Party are only offering division. One Nation are only pushing them further to the extremes. We stand with Victorians, all Victorians, all colours, all faiths, all cultures.”
She said the accusation her government was misusing public funds for political purposes was “resoundingly incorrect”.
The opposition has referred its concerns about four events staged last year – the Premier’s Multicultural Gala Dinner, the Premier’s Diwali State Reception, a Shrove Tuesday celebration and the Premier’s Lunar New Year event to the Victorian Public Service Commission.
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Chip Le Grand leads our state politics reporting team. He previously served as the paper’s chief reporter and is a journalist of 30 years’ experience.Connect via email.
