Multiculturalism

Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. F. Pangallo:

That this council—

1. Recognises that our identity as South Australian is made up of the threads of many stories woven into one intricate tapestry made richer and more vibrant by the contributions of our First Peoples and the migrants who choose to make Australia home;

2. Repudiates racism in all its forms and any retreat from a policy of multiculturalism; and

3. Gives its unambiguous and unqualified commitment to the principle that whatever criteria are applied by Australian governments in exercising their sovereign right to determine the composition of the immigration intake, race, faith or ethnic origin shall never, explicitly or implicitly, be among them.

(Continued from 19 September 2018.)

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (20:14): I rise on behalf of the opposition to support this motion. Labor is pleased to support the motion, because Labor values South Australia's cultural diversity and the enormous contribution immigration has made to building this great state, our community and our economy.

Our cultural diversity is our greatest strength and I thank every diverse community in South Australia for what they bring and contribute to our state. Labor rejects prejudice in all its ugly forms, including that based on race, religious affiliation and ethnicity. About a third of South Australians were born overseas, making us a rich, diverse and multicultural society—one which we should never take for granted.

There is a small minority in this country who would use race and religion to divide Australian society. They would seek to bind our migration laws to a person's race and religion, and seek to deny access to someone wanting to make this great country home based solely on the colour of their skin, where they were born or where they worship. There is also a small number in our community that would seek to impede the progress of reconciliation with our First Nation people by perpetuating hurtful stereotypes and denying them a voice.

Respect, unity, acceptance and diversity make our state a stronger, better, more vibrant place. Those values that we so often espouse are the ones that should guide and underpin all that we do and how we interact. Whenever and wherever xenophobic ideas are propagated, they must be challenged. In fact, this motion does just that, and that is why Labor is pleased to support the motion.

The Hon. J.S. LEE (20:16): I rise on behalf of the government to support this motion, and recognise that South Australia is made up of very diverse and multicultural community groups. There are certainly many, many stories, and mine is one, as is that of the Hon. Irene Pnevmatikos. We have the Hon. Connie Bonaros, the Hon. Frank Pangallo and maybe many, many others who have come from different countries to make sure our rich tapestry and our diversity becomes a valuable part of South Australian society.

We would also like to pay tribute to the First People. Our Indigenous community has not had the most glorious days in the past, but we are working towards reconciliation and our goal of ensuring that this is their place as well. We value their contribution enormously. We definitely repudiate racism in any shape or form; it should not be tolerated. People should embrace the concept of standing up to racism and prejudice in our community. We must all do our part, as elected members, to stand up and speak for those vulnerable communities who perhaps do not have a voice.

In terms of the motion to support and advocate, state, local and federal governments should all stand up and exercise our rights to ensure there is a balance in our communities. In terms of the immigration intake, that is a matter for the federal government as it is under their jurisdiction. With those remarks, I support the motion.

The Hon. F. PANGALLO (20:19): Again, I would like to thank the contributions of the Hon. Russell Wortley and the Hon. Jing Lee. They are two members who really embrace multiculturalism in South Australia. I often bump into Russell and his wife, Dana, and also Jing and Eddie are constantly at functions and are always well received by South Australia's multicultural and ethnic community.

Interestingly, what prompted me to file the motion was the maiden speech of Queensland Senator Fraser Anning. I am not going to remind you what he said, but it was appalling. All I can say is that he continued to be divisive in his short term in parliament and I for one was glad he met an ignominious end.

Since I filed this motion, multiculturalism, immigration, race and faith have continued to remain in the spotlight. In fact, in that period in between, of course, we had all the uproar relating to religion. We had the Israel Folau saga. When those issues do come to the fore, it actually bonds our nation, in a good way. There is always some good that comes out of those isolated incidents that initially will cause a furore but then the nation bonds together and everybody recognises the valuable contribution that we have from people from various backgrounds in our society.

They also value our way of life and we should protect strongly that our society is a free one that is also free of violence and uproar and the sorts of demonstrations that we see in many other parts of the world at the moment, such as Hong Kong, the Middle East—where unfortunately it still continues—and France. But we seem to be able to overcome those hiccups and come together strongly as a nation. With that, I thank everybody for their contributions and I commend the motion to the chamber.

Motion carried.