Opposition leader slams Victoria Premier over attacks on Indians, racism

London, Feb 11(ANI): Victorian Opposition leader Ted Baillieu has criticized Premier John Brumby for the manner in which he has failed to tackle the issue of attacks on Indian students and racism.

Addressing the Australia India Business Council, Baillieu highlighted that the issue will be a dominant part of the domestic political debate in the lead-up to November's state election.

Baillieu said that racism was a real and present problem in Victoria, but Brumby was refusing to confront it and as a result the problem was getting worse. He also said that it was a failure of leadership.

"Leadership starts with the recognition that we have a real problem. Leadership is not the hapless and eternal provision of excuses, nor endless public relations appearances to create the illusion of activity in the absence of real action," The Age quoted Baillieu, as saying.

Baillieu further said that he had warned about the dangers of growing violence and racial attacks against international students four years ago, which the government refused to listen to by dismissing and denying the existence of the problem.

"'We have a major law and order problem in our community. I have warned about this for many years to a government that has dismissed and denied the problem. And for years this government has allowed the problem to escalate, so increasingly more sectors of our community have fallen victim," Baillieu said.

"Violence in our community is now affecting all of us - and it has also spread to groups in the community such as international and in particular Indian students who are the target of both andom, violent attacks and racial attacks," he added. (ANI)