In Victoria, some fear One Nation's rhetoric is stirring ugly divides

And nowhere in Shepparton does the phrase come more to life than at trials night for the Goulburn Valley Suns under-18s.

Ten nations and 15 different languages take to the pitch in regional Victoria, aiming their sights on becoming the next Pelé, Maradona or Nestory Irankunda.

The budding soccer stars have parents who work as teachers, mechanics, engineers, nurses, and factory workers.

Many arrived in the northern Victorian region over the past decade.

Jacques Safari came to Australia aged seven via a refugee camp in Kenya.

"In other places in Australia, you see there's not really that much of a multicultural [community], but here in Shepparton, it's very welcoming," he said.

Nearly one in five residents in Shepparton were born overseas, hailing from more than 100 different ancestries.

It is a snapshot that speaks to the broader diversity of Victoria, where 30 per cent of people were born outside of Australia at the time of the 2021 census.

As Victoria's hotly contested state election plays out, some of those diverse communities are sounding the alarm on a rise in racist rhetoric.

Youth mental health worker Neha Samar started life in Mumbai before building a career and a family in Shepparton.

"I love Shepparton … this is the place that has really welcomed me,"

she said.

But recently, Ms Samar had a chat with a friend and talk turned to the upcoming election.

"We've been friends for a very long time, more than a decade, since I moved to Shepparton," she said.

"She tells me how excited she is about One Nation. My initial feeling is to say 'why are you saying this?' … I took a step back and I decided to approach with curiosity.

"And she said that, oh, you know, there's a big issue with immigration right now. But Neha, you're one of the good ones and you're not the problem."

Ms Samar said the conversation initially left her feeling alienated but also prompted a wider discussion in the community about welcoming newcomers.

"You fear what you don't know... that's what humans do," she said.

"It's been really revealing as to what the overall thinking is [about immigration] and how we go about challenging that thinking."

The Ethnic Communities Council of Victoria told the ABC racism had topped the annual list of concerns from its membership for the first time.

"This rhetoric, this talk of monoculturalism has been actually frightening for some and alienating for others," the council's chief executive Farah Farouque said.

"Some people … find that they're being directly abused on the streets."

One Nation and the Victorian election

On the national stage, debate over immigration has loomed large.

One Nation has promised the most dramatic cuts to immigration — and Labor and the Coalition have also committed to cutting Australia's migrant intake.

While immigration is not something controlled by state policy, Victoria's election year has coincided with the release of controversial campaign material from One Nation targeting migrants.

One video, which the party insists is "not racist", features a young man of African appearance wielding a machete and a suicide bomber who appeared to be of Middle Eastern descent saying "I shouldn't have been let in".

Another video filmed during New Year's celebrations in Melbourne's CBD heavily features people with black and brown skin, with the party's Victorian secretary asking viewers to "spot the Westerner".

One Nation has been polling in the double digits ahead of the November 28 state election, in a three-horse race with the Jess Wilson-led Coalition topping the polls and Ben Carroll-led Labor in second position.

Polling suggests the minor party has some support among established migrant groups in Australia, but researchers have also found examples where conservative migrant voters would vote Labor to stop One Nation.

Former Labor strategist and pollster Kos Samaras said the current situation in Victoria was triggering "very unusual" voting behaviour.

As one example, he said the two-party preferred vote between Labor versus One Nation in the Indian-Australian community, is around 70 per cent for Labor. 

"That means there is a portion, a minority [of that community], that are supporting One Nation," Mr Samaras said. 

The same constituency returns a 55 per cent Labor vote in a two-party preferred Labor/Liberal race.

Mr Samaras said this "clearly" shows that there are "conservative voting Indian Australians who would tactically vote for Labor to stop One Nation".

One Nation Victoria did not respond to written questions about whether its messaging was contributing to migrant communities feeling less safe.

When asked about the rhetoric of his party on immigration at a press conference, One Nation's Victorian leader Warren Pickering told the ABC more than 35 per cent of the party's Victorian members were born overseas.

"There's always going to be people that have concerns because they've maybe swallowed some of the previous prejudice or stigma associated with this party," he said.

"Now, we are trying to break down some of that stigma, providing the open advocacy and allowing dialogue with all of our communities, regardless of their ethnic origins.

"So nobody need fear a One Nation government."

Pollster Kos Samaras noted the 35 per cent born overseas figure would presumably also include people born in New Zealand, the UK and South Africa.

Back in Shepparton, Ms Samar said whatever the political mood may be, Shepparton remained a largely welcoming community.

"This is my home. And I'm here to stay," she said.

"I'm going to be doing everything in my power to make sure that the next generation that grows up in this beautiful multicultural space.

"[Whether that's] playing soccer, playing their favourite sport, that they're able to, like, look at each other and not feel like they belong or they don't belong."