Human Rights Commission considers discrimination complaint against Peter Dutton over Gaza comments

Complaint lists numerous public comments by the Liberal leader, a staunch supporter of Israel, which it alleges show discriminatory behaviour towards Palestinians, Muslims and Jews

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The Australian Human Rights Commission is considering a complaint that alleges Peter Dutton discriminated against Palestinians and Muslims in public comments after the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks and during the subsequent war in Gaza.

The complaint, coordinated by the law firm Birchgrove Legal, includes allegations that “Palestinian-Australian, Arab-Australian and Muslim-Australian complainants” reported feeling “dehumanised … and humiliated as an ‘Other’ who does not and should not matter to Australia” as a result of some of the Liberal leader’s public commentary.

“justifying or otherwise failing to condemn violence against Palestinian civilians by Israel in likely breach of international humanitarian law”;

“erasing the human rights and equal dignity and worth of Palestinians by denying crimes and atrocities committed against them”;

“and conflating Palestinians as being terrorists or terrorist sympathisers”.

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