Behind the 'Minority Impact Coalition'

An alliance of right-wing Zionists, Hindu nationalists and Iranian monarchists is running an astroturfing campaign against Labor and the Greens in culturally-diverse electorates in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.

The Minority Impact Coalition describes itself as “a diverse coalition of Australian citizens from multi-ethnic backgrounds, who believe in the importance of social cohesion, inclusion and Australian values” and who have “come together to take a stand against the Labor government”.

Besides Labor swapping preferences with the “radical and divisive” Greens, the group’s grievances include Labor’s apparent opposition to “Israel's war of self defence” in Gaza and Lebanon and the fact that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is not listed as a terrorist organisation in Australia. The group also claims Labor “do not defend the Hindu community in Australia from defamatory attacks by the ABC and their Greens' [sic] allies”.

The group has also paid for mobile billboards in the Victorian seat of Macnamara urging Labor MP Josh Burns to preference the Greens last.

A favourable writeup by The Australian in March described the group as “a collection of grassroots minority groups”. But while the group has bought billboards and distributed tens of thousands of flyers in multiple cities, its organic online presence is minimal. Its Facebook page, which was created in February, has just 459 Likes, while its Instagram page has a slightly more respectable 1,642 followers.

Despite its lack of organic reach, the group has spent nearly $20,000 on ads across Meta platforms in Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales in the last month, reaching between 175,000 and 200,000 people. Two of the group’s Meta ads claim to show “support for the Taliban and ISIS at Sydney University”, while another states that “Labor won't stop the spread of terrorism in Australia”.

Reels on the group’s Instagram also claim poet and Greens candidate Omar Sakr “lies about hate crimes”. In a statement released yesterday, Sakr called the posts “malicious” and “defamatory”.

“This is my response: 1 - Free Palestine. 2 - If you’re going to quote me, do so in full. 3 - You’ll be hearing from my lawyers soon,” Sakr said in his statement.

“I. WILL. REPORT. YOU.”

The group’s campaign material is largely fronted by Sharon Stoliar, a midwife and academic at Western Sydney University.

Stoliar is also a prolific campaigner against healthcare workers who express support for Palestine. In December 2023, Stoliar published an open letter promising to report NSW healthcare workers who chant “from the river, to the sea” at pro-Palestine rallies to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency.

“When you chant ‘from the river to the sea Palestine will be free,’ you are not supporting the Palestinian people. You are supporting Hamas,” Stoliar says in the letter.

“When you chant these words in public while wearing NSW Health uniforms, you are representing NSW Health in a call for genocide of Jews. YOU. ARE. SUPPORTING. TERRORISM.

“If I see anyone in NSW health uniform chanting these words, I. WILL. REPORT. YOU.”

Stoliar has also shared a video in which a speaker claims “the majority of Palestinians actually want the death of Israelis”.

The Queensland Jewish Collective

The three organisations listed as endorsing the Minority Impact Coalition — the QLD Jewish Collective (QJC), Hindus of Australia, and the Iran Novin Party — also have minimalist public profiles. Michael West Media has reported on QJC’s activities since registering as an entity in July, including its extensive campaign against the Greens ahead of last year’s Queensland state election in which it accused the party of “promoting terrorism in the Middle East, genocide of Jews and persecution of minorities elsewhere”.

The Minority Impact Coalition’s electoral material is authorised by Josh Turier, one of QJC’s co-directors. A personal Facebook account listing its username as ‘Joshu Turier’ has posted extensively in support of Israel.

“I have a small favour to ask.... if you are an Instagram user, please follow one or both of the Instagram channels I'm associated with,” reads an April 13 post, followed by links to the QJC and Minority Impact Council’s Instagram pages.

“Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore gets my vote for ‘most evil, reprehensible bitch in Australia’”, reads a post published on October 22, 2023.

Responding to a question about the post, QJC co-director Azin Naghibi said “the comment Joshu made on his personal Facebook profile before QJC was an organisation or an idea, should be taken in the context of the aftermath of the October 7th 2023 Hamas attacks on Israeli civilians. These were the most brutal and heinous murders of Israelis, Arabs, Filipions [sic] and children in the history of Israel. It is astonishing that a person of such public significance as the Mayor of Sydney (Clover Moore) was unable to take ‘one side or the other’ (her words in SMH Oct 22, 2023) two days after this heinous event.”

Another, published on October 18, 2024, shows a picture of a smashed watermelon – a widely recognised symbol in support of Palestinians.

“Looks like someone familiar. What a shame,” one of the comments on the post reads.

“Nice melon,” reads another.

“I imagine that a handful of people who viewed this image would have their own interpretation,” Naghibi said in response to a question about the post.

“However, it's concerning that a journalist of your calibre is more concerned with this image than photos glorifying the Holocaust that are currently circulating online.”

Hindus of Australia and the Iran Novin Party

The other two groups that make up the Coalition — Hindus of Australia and the Iran Novin Party — have even smaller profiles than the QJC.

While Hindus of Australia has a website and several social media accounts, none contain any information about the organisation’s structure, leadership or activities. Many of the group’s social media posts appear to be videos or images taken from groups like the Hindu Council of Australia, a large and well-established peak body with a similar name. In August, the group held a small rally in Brisbane protesting the persecution of Hindu minorities in Bangladesh and expressing support for Israel.

The Iran Novin Party appears to have no formal domestic presence at all. The group derives its name from the Imperial State of Iran’s former ruling party under Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi. In 2023, the party was “refounded” with the aim of restoring Iran’s monarchy under Reza Pahlavi, the late Shah’s son who fled with his family to Egypt after the Islamic Revolution of 1979 and proclaimed himself Reza Shah II upon his father’s death in 1980.

The Iran Novin Party’s most high-profile domestic spokesperson is Hesam Orouji, director of facilities and public events for the Iranian Society of Queensland. Orouji has appeared on Sky News and written for Spectator Australia alongside QJC co-director Hava Mendelle.

Hindus of Australia has been contacted for comment.

Fundraiser for Noor and Hoor Hammad

Because Noor’s mother needed surgery earlier this month, less money than usual has gone to her and Hoor.

Now that Gaza is nearly out of food, I’m ramping up the effort to try and secure visas for the family. If you are able to provide legal or immigration assistance, please reach out.

Otherwise, donate what you can.