At a time when Muslim Australians are regularly called upon to "integrate" and to publicly defend their religion and cultures, they are actually doing much of the hard work to build bridges in Australian society according to the author of a new research report.

In Whose Responsibility? Community anti-racism strategies after September 11, 2001, Dr Tanja Dreher, Research Director for the UTS Shopfront community program, examines the way government and community organisations have responded to increased tensions in Sydney since 2001, with the Cronulla riots of a year ago as another landmark.

Following up on a report last year that found racially motivated violence and verbal abuse in NSW rose significantly in the months following the September 11 attacks in the US, the new study "highlights the enormous efforts that many in the Muslim, Arab and Sikh communities have made to address fears and misconceptions and to build better relationships across differences."

Dr Dreher said strategies to respond to events such as Cronulla had been "heavily reliant on the generosity of the very individuals and communities experiencing increased fear and harassment."

"For community workers, doing antiracism and crisis response work detracts from core business activities such as service delivery, case management, advocacy and community development," she said.

"Interviewees reported that 'racism creates a lot of work for community organisations' at precisely the time when staff and clients are most under stress. Most community antiracism work remains under-resourced and dependent on volunteer and unpaid labour.

"To ensure equitable, effective and sustainable responses to crises in community relations, it is vital that the work of crisis response and strengthening community relations is not left to the very communities targeted.

"Despite many successes, most people involved in community antiracism work remain frustrated at what is seen as a lack of interest among the public, policymakers and media, and the dilemma of 'preaching to the converted'.

"Arab, Muslim and Sikh communities may well be reaching out, but that effort has been met with uneven concern and commitment among the wider community and mainstream institutions."

Dr Dreher said the communities recognised that part of the solution was improving media skills, but responding to outbreaks of negative reporting was "ongoing challenge".

"Government interviewees and community representatives alike felt that the tone of reporting in mainstream media and public statements by senior figures in government could undermine all the good community relations work.

"There is a widespread perception that media reporting is one of the most important factors in community relations, and also one of the most difficult issues to address."

The report is now available through UTSePress.

News photo on UTS home page by Turki Al-Fassam