Welcome to Australia

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (15:51): Today I wish to rise to speak about the good work that community organisation Welcome to Australia is undertaking to improve the experience of migrants settling in South Australia, and about the upcoming Walk Together events. Next month, Welcome to Australia will again be holding Walk Together. This event, on 25 October, is a celebration of Australia's diversity and the varied paths which many families took to build a new life in Australia.

Welcome to Australia is an important organisation that is focused on bringing Australians together. The organisation was formed in 2011 and started as a small group of individuals and not-for-profit community organisations committed to providing a positive, compassionate, welcoming voice on asylum seekers and migration policy. Since then, the group has grown in leaps and bounds and into a national organisation that has been successful in providing that compassionate voice in a sometimes difficult and unbalanced public debate.

Welcome to Australia is an open organisation, welcoming those from all cultures, faiths and age groups and from a wide variety of backgrounds and points of view. A key objective of the Walk Together event is to show that Australians of all backgrounds recognise that we are all equal, that we all have common goals in life and that all others deserve to be treated with proper respect and dignity. By spreading this message, Welcome to Australia is hoping to create a more harmonious and accepting country.

Last year's Walk Together event saw thousands of people marching through Adelaide streets in support of a multicultural Australia. It was attended by members of parliament from right across the political spectrum, including quite a number from this chamber. Importantly, both the Premier and the Leader of the Opposition proudly walked at the front of the march. I should note also that that march was attended by our new Governor, His Excellency Hieu Van Le. His recent appointment to the office of governor is a great example of the positive contribution many from different walks of life have made both to this state and to this country.

Creating personal connections between members of our community helps to foster a more positive environment. Having new Australians share their stories, why and how they came to Australia and where they want to go with their lives, is a powerful message. It creates a positive image that can withstand the harsh and occasionally disrespectful messages that come from a small section of the Australian community. By building these connections within our communities, Welcome to Australia seeks to create a more powerful community.

This year 20 events will be held throughout Australia for Walk Together, with events not only being held in capital cities but also in many regional centres, such as Whyalla, Wagga Wagga and Toowoomba. Last year, there were 10 locations and there are 20 this year, so it has doubled from last year to this year. If that keeps occurring, there will be many more around Australia. In particular, I would like to make mention of the Walk Together event taking place in Mount Gambier for the first time this year.

The Hon. R.L. Brokenshire: Are you going?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: I certainly am; I will get there. This will be the first year that a Walk Together march has been held in Mount Gambier to celebrate the town's diverse population. Mount Gambier has a growing number of diverse communities within its area with Italian, Dutch, German, Thai and Filipino populations, as well as growing communities with new migrants from India, Poland, Sudan and the new emerging Congolese and Karenni communities.

At the last census over 1,000 residents in Mount Gambier spoke languages other than English at home. It is a great opportunity to bring communities together for an important walk through the city of Mount Gambier. The event in Mount Gambier will start at Van Sittart Park rotunda at 10am and will end outside the library. I found it very encouraging to take part in the event in Adelaide last year and I am looking forward to attending the event in Mount Gambier in October this year.

I would like to thank the hardworking group that has been roped in to establish Welcome to Australia and the Walk Together march in Mount Gambier. In particular I would like to acknowledge Captain Cameron Horsburgh from the Salvation Army, Fernanda Ikeda from the Limestone Coast Migrant Resource Centre and Pastor Brad Chillcot, the National Director of Welcome to Australia for their passionate work in promoting a more welcoming community and a more welcoming Mount Gambier community.

I hope that, with all the planning that has gone into this event, it will go very smoothly in Mount Gambier this year. In closing, I would like to encourage anyone who can be there to attend an event in their capital city or in Mount Gambier on 25 October, or in Adelaide heading to Elder Park for the Walk Together to Rymill Park. If you are somewhere else in the state or around the country there will be walks nearby. I am sure we all wish to work towards a more inclusive and welcoming Australia.