Australia PM:  We’re a tolerant, multicultural nation

Australia will act with “full force” to prevent attacks against Hindu temples, said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the conclusion of his visit to India.

The issue was raised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Hyderabad House where the two sides held a formal dialogue. Mr. Modi had said the attacks on Hindu temples in Australia had “worried” India.

Mr. Albanese, in response to a question from the Australian media on Saturday, said, “I gave him [Mr. Modi] the assurance that Australia is a country that respects people’s faith. That we don’t tolerate the sort of extreme actions and attacks that we’ve seen on religious buildings, be they Hindu temples, mosques, synagogues, or churches. This has no place in Australia. And we will take every action through our police and also our security agencies to make sure that anyone responsible for this faces the full force of the law.”

“We’re a tolerant, multicultural nation, and there is no place in Australia for this activity,” he added.

Mr. Albanese had not addressed the issue in his press statement in the Hyderabad House on Friday though the matter was emphasised by Mr. Modi and by Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra.