The came as Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told Parliament Islamist terrorists were to blame for heightened concerns among Australians.
“The Islamist terrorists have succeeded in raising levels of anxiety about Muslim immigration, about the role of Islam itself within Australia,” Malcolm Turnbull told Parliament.
Speaking about racial tolerance, Turnbull said only a small minority of Muslims had tainted Islam, but claimed, “the resolution of this conflict within Islam will ultimately depend on Muslims”.
Mr Shorten said attacks on minorities were weaker when parliamentarians set an example and showed the way.
"As leaders we have a responsibility to unite not divide," he told MPs.
"To reject the falsehood of a strong man or a strong woman imposing simple 'us verses them' solutions."
"We are not being swamped by anyone", he said, in response to Senator Hanson's comments the nation was in danger of being swamped by Muslims.
Survey findings
The Australian National University surveyed 1200 Australians in July on their attitudes towards national security and terrorism.
In one of its clearest results, the poll found 71 per cent of Australians were ‘very concerned’ or ‘somewhat concerned’ about the rise of Islamic extremism in Australia.
“During Prime Minister Abbott, this issue was promoted heavily,” Director of the ANU Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies Professor Amin Saikal told SBS.
Mr Saikal said issues such as Islamic extremism, terrorism and Islamist ideologies had been used interchangeably blur the line between violence and terrorism.
“There was a fear of [terrorism] which is still very much instilled in the public,” Professor Saikal said.
“Prime Minister Turnbull has made a special effort to be to modify the language and be more nuanced.”
Tolerance was the theme of the Prime Minister’s address to Parliament today.
“As leaders our job is to explain the facts, reassure citizens and ensure that everything we do is calculated to keep Australians safe,” he said.
“While there are Muslim Australians, including converts, who support the terrorists and seek to do us harm, they are a tiny minority whose madness offends and appalls Australian Muslims, as much as it does the wider Australian community.”
The survey found 70 per cent of Australians also answered that the country’s Muslims should not be subject to additional scrutiny simply because of their religion.
While terrorism is on many Australians’ radars, the report also found not many felt in danger.
The survey said 55 per cent of respondents were ‘not at all concerned’ or ‘not very concerned’ about being the victim of a terrorist attack.
There have been no large-scale terrorist attacks on Australian soil.
But there have been a number of so-called ‘lone wolf’ attacks: the Lindt café siege and the killing of Numan Haider in 2014, the death of Curtis Cheng in 2015 and a stabbing attack in Minto, south-west Sydney, in September.
But, nearly 60 per cent said the Turnbull Government should be doing more to prevent terrorist attacks in Australia.
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