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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2015-03-19 Daily Xml
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Multiculturalism

Ms DIGANCE (Elder) (15:17): I rise today to speak on multiculturalism, a vision championed by a great South Australian Labor premier, Don Dunstan. In my electorate of Elder, I am privileged to have close relations with many such groups. Today, I am pleased to welcome to the house my guests, two remarkable and energetic local communities: the Pan-Laconian Society of South Australia and the Islamic Society of South Australia. Welcome, I am really delighted you can join me today.

In relation to multiculturalism, the Governor in his recent speech talked of the need to move beyond acceptance and in its place find understanding, the latter giving rise to an active relationship of mutual two-way engagement. Australia is an exciting country and home to many diverse cultural groups all living together under one flag. The 2011 census shows Australians as identifying with more than 300 different ancestries, with 43 per cent having at least one overseas-born parent. Almost a quarter of Australia's population at 2011 was born overseas. South Australia mirrors this national collage on a smaller scale.

Our great state is home to people from more than 200 culturally, linguistically and religiously diverse backgrounds, and collectively we speak more than 200 languages and believe in about 100 religions. Approximately 350,000 South Australians were born overseas, and some 220,000 speak a language other than English at home. Almost 13 per cent of South Australia's population is made up of migrants from non English-speaking backgrounds, the figure rising to almost 25 per cent when the children of the migrants are added.

Along with the two groups with us today, Elder is also home to a large number of multicultural and religious associations, including the Santa Maria Goretti Italian group, the Acholi Community Association, the Polish community and the Hindu Society. These groups contribute in so many ways to the local community, from acts of kindness and compassion for the disadvantaged and elderly to social and religious activities and observations.

One group of my guests today is the Pan-Laconian Society, a not-for-profit group established in 1966 to provide Greek Australians with social, cultural and educational contact for their families and friends and local community alike. It has 445 members, with an almost even split of membership of male and female. They are based at Plympton Park Family Centre and bear the name Pan-Laconian Society.

The family centre hosts club nights, meals, seminars and evenings, and many will attest to the amazing pasta nights and Sunday barbecues. Philanthropy is an important focus for the Pan-Laconians and, in recent years, members have raised more than $70,000 for local South Australian charities and more than $10,000 for much-needed medicine for a regional hospital in the Laconia area of Greece.

My other guests are the Islamic Society of South Australia, based at the Park Holme Mosque, and they too are a not-for-profit organisation established in around 1940. In addition to its religious and cultural objectives, the society of around 2,000 members aims to provide the local community with social, educational and spiritual services. The group, with their imam, have recently shown support to Australia's Grand Mufti for his visit to Indonesia's Islamic leaders to plead for the lives of the two Australians on death row. 'Mercy and forgiveness lie at the heart of Islam for those who repent and have reformed their ways,' he said last week.

Today, as a result of the aspiration and vision of the Islamic Society of South Australia, I have the privilege of announcing the Muslim community's inaugural Al Salam Festival (the peace festival) which will be held at Rymill Park on Sunday 26 April. The aim of this festival is to promote the message of peace and address the stereotypes about Islam. All members of both houses of parliament today have received a personal invitation to this event, and posters will soon follow.

May we applaud the benefits of multiculturalism, with the many and varied across-social, educational and economic realms. With each new wave of migrants to our shores come new forms of cultural expression, different skills and expertise, languages, food, clothing, festivals and tradition. My office and I support and advocate on behalf of all multicultural groups in my community, and I am really pleased to have all my friends in the gallery today. Welcome.

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