‘No Hatred’: Australia Vows Crackdown On Racism Against Indian Truckers

Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has responded directly to mounting reports of racist abuse targeting Indian-origin truck drivers across the country, confirming new government-funded protections and issuing a pointed rebuke to politicians he accused of stoking division in an exclusive interview with NDTV’s Senior Executive Editor Aditya Raj Kaul.

Asked about a rise in racial slurs, verbal harassment and even death threats delivered over CB radio to Indian-origin drivers, Burke acknowledged the trend as a “grim reality” and laid out a two-part response: what the government is doing and what it is saying, insisting both matter equally.

On action, Burke pointed to a network of dedicated centres now operating in every Australian capital city, set up specifically to protect migrant workers’ rights. “We have made a very significant investment in centres… dedicated to the rights of migrant workers,” he said, noting these are funded through trades and labour councils to reach visa holders who face “an extra layer of vulnerability” compared to citizens. He acknowledged many workers are reluctant to approach government authorities directly, preferring to “report in a quiet way initially”, a gap the centres are designed to close.

Burke also confirmed a structural fix to a long-standing vulnerability: new visa protections ensuring workers who report exploitation cannot be retaliated against by employers cancelling their visas. “If that’s the scenario, you have no power,” he said of the old system, calling the reform central to giving migrant workers real leverage to speak up.

But Burke reserved his sharpest comments for the political rhetoric he said fuels such abuse. “There have been some politicians who have made some horrific comments about the Indian community,” he said, without naming individuals, adding that “every time that happens we just need to absolutely stand firm in solidarity.”

He directly called out Australia’s right-wing political spectrum, Liberal, National and One Nation politicians alike, for remarks he said had “encouraged Australians to turn on each other,” and expressed hope that “those three right-wing parties over time walk back” from such rhetoric.

Burke framed the response in terms of national identity, insisting Australia “has never been a monocultural country” and drawing a direct parallel with India’s own long multicultural history. “We’re like an orchestra. There are a whole lot of different instruments, but they play in harmony together,” he said. “The only thing that people should have to leave behind are hatreds.”

The comments come as the Indian community, one of Australia’s largest and fastest-growing migrant communities, has grown increasingly vocal about safety concerns even as bilateral ties with New Delhi reach new highs following Modi’s visit.

Burke’s willingness to name political rhetoric as part of the problem, rather than treating the abuse purely as a policing issue, signals a notably direct approach from Canberra as it seeks to reassure Indian-Australians that “racism will not be tolerated”, in his words, at a moment of heightened diplomatic goodwill between the two countries.