HANSARD
SITTING CALENDAR
SEARCH
LIVE BROADCAST
Hansard Dynamic Subject Index
House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-03-31 Daily Xml
Contents
Pdf Xml

Motions

Harmony Day

Ms STINSON (Badcoe) (11:49): I move:

That this house—

(a) celebrates Harmony Day on 21 March 2021;

(b) celebrates our First Nations people as the oldest continuous culture in the world and recognises the ongoing connection of Aboriginal people to this land;

(c) recognises the rich cultural, linguistic, racial and religious diversity of our South Australian community, which contributes strongly to our social, economic and wider cultural fabric;

(d) applauds generations of migrants who have sacrificed so much and worked so hard to establish new lives in South Australia and share their culture with our state;

(e) works to call out and end racism, discrimination and prejudice in all its forms; and

(f) recognises the success of multiculturalism and interculturalism in South Australia and that our cultural diversity is our strength.

I do wish to highlight a number of the wonderful community-building endeavours of my local community of Badcoe in my contribution; however, I wish to start by addressing paragraph (e) of my motion. Paragraph (e) states that this house 'works to call out and end racism, discrimination and prejudice in all its forms'. It is so sad that there is still so much to be said about racism in our community, even in my community, which I would say is quite an enlightened, generous and kind electorate of people. Sadly, even in such a well-informed and friendly place as Badcoe, there are those who have some pretty damaging ideas.

The difficult topic I would like to talk about today before moving on to maybe more pleasant topics is the growing number of conversations I am having with people in my electorate who are of Asian descent, and particularly of Chinese descent, who are raising with me instances of racism in their everyday lives. Typically, the people who have been raising this issue with me are around my age and generally mothers. The racism they are experiencing—quite shockingly, I think—is in public.

The instances that have been raised with me have been out in public, in shopping centres, grocery stores and car parks, while these women are with their children but, strangely enough, not with their partners, so usually while they are alone. One such instance is Christina of Glandore. She is from Taiwan originally and only became a citizen about two weeks ago. She told me only yesterday about an instance in which she was verbally abused and targeted in a car park in our area while she had her children in the car. She did actually confront the gentleman who made the remarks about her and ended up in a verbal altercation with him.

She talked to me about how she frequently experiences racism and racist comments either made directly to her or whispered at her in public. She feels that she has been targeted several times in public, with people referring to her as Chinese and referring to Chinese trade policies, referring to the origins of COVID, referring to China's human rights record and also referring to China as a threat when they address her, even though she is Taiwanese.

Another instance raised with me a few weeks ago was by Li of Clarence Gardens, who is of Chinese origin and has two little children. She told me how she now does her shopping online as she does not want to go to the local shops because people so frequently call her out as Chinese and confront her about her ethnic origin—and not in a flattering way. To have things whispered at you while you are simply trying to do your shopping, while you are looking after your children or while you are getting on in our community, just as anyone else is, is absolutely appalling. I can understand why this woman, who is about my age, now does not even want to go to the shops and does not even want to be out in our community. That is a terrible thing and, to me, such a violation of her right to exist in our community just like anyone else.

One of the things that really stayed with me from that conversation with Li was when she talked about the racism she experienced as a teenager, when Pauline Hanson's One Nation was on the rise, and that the racism and quite blatant comments being made to her now are as bad, if not worse, than that period in the nineties or maybe early 2000s. I really thought that we were better than that. I thought that we were over that as a community and were past that kind of ridiculous racism being targeted at Asian people.

We are not just talking about online abuse here, although certainly that is something that has changed in the last 10 or 20 years, due to the rise of social media and the anonymity that goes with people being able to make remarks about each other or target each other in an anonymous fashion, never really having to be held to account for the horrible things they say.

What we are talking about here is personal and verbal attacks on people in public. I really want to use this opportunity to call that out—obviously, I will have some much more pleasant things to say about some of the great work that different ethnic groups do in my community—and say that this is not good enough, that this is not what people in Adelaide are like and that we should not be standing for this.

There are several other people who have been raising these issues with me at citizenship ceremonies, directly contacting me about it on social media and also from people I have spoken to while doorknocking in places like Forestville and Black Forest. Honestly, it just makes me so sad to hear those stories. I really think that those of us here, and I am sure everyone here, would call it out and would do what they could to try to stop it from happening to people.

It is understandable that a number of those people do not want to come forward and be known for fear of facing further victimisation and absolutely out of a desire to protect their children from this as well. It is outrageous to me that people who left China to build new lives here in Adelaide would be subject to this abuse. It honestly makes me feel really ashamed and disappointed, and it makes me feel sick as well, and I am sure it does that to other people who have had their constituents raise these concerns with them as well.

It is so important that even if we, as Australians, disagree with the decisions made by the state of China, the government of China, we recognise that the state of China is not the Chinese Australians who live in our community. They are not the same. We cannot ascribe the views of the Chinese state to people living here, Chinese Australians who are making new lives for themselves here—and we should not.

There are certainly some pretty horrible things that China has done and continues to do as far as its human rights record goes and we will, of course, continue to call that out, and we should. But just because those things are happening does not mean that Chinese Australians living here in our community support those things. We should not be associating the actions of the Chinese government with people who live quite productively and peacefully in our community and who want to contribute to our society.

A recent study by the Lowy Institute found that almost one in five Chinese Australians say they have been physically threatened or attacked in the past year, with most blaming tension stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic or hostility between Canberra and Beijing. Around one in three community members also say they faced verbal abuse or discriminatory treatment. One in three—that is absolutely appalling. But, encouragingly, in that same report it stated that almost 70 per cent of Chinese Australians still say they feel accepted by Australian society, with almost eight in 10 saying that Australia is a good place to live. I hope we ensure that that not only continues but actually improves so that 10 out of 10 Chinese Australians will say that they value being here.

We have to do better, not only because China is an important trading partner, not only because of the links to tourism and international students, but mainly because we are talking about people and we are talking about real people who live in our community, people who are members of our community just as much as every single one of us here today. We have to call out racism. We have to talk about it and we have to make it clear to everyone in our community that it is not okay.

Obviously, this has been perpetrated by a tiny minority of people, but it brings down the reputation of all of us as a community, so it is incumbent upon those of us who do have the power to speak out to do so and to make sure that we eradicate this racism that is going on in our community. To all those who are subject to this abuse, I am so sorry; we are so sorry. We are here and we are going to do our best to stamp out this unacceptable treatment, this racism that you are experiencing.

In the final few minutes I have, I want to pay tribute to a few groups in my community that are doing some brilliant work. I had the great pleasure of going to the Holi festival on the weekend with my colleague the shadow minister for multicultural affairs. Holi is a pretty fun occasion. We managed to get ourselves completely covered in different colours, and we had a good dance around with the Indian, Pakistani and Nepalese communities in the bright sunshine down at the Semaphore Foreshore. We also soaked up some absolutely fantastic food, music and the wonderful culture that the region around India offers.

There are a large number of people from the Indian, Pakistani, Nepalese, Bhutanese and Sri Lankan communities in Badcoe. They are amazing citizens. I was at the park last night, at Weigall Oval, talking with a family who were there quite late, enjoying the new development, which was partly funded by the previous Labor government. We got to talking about some of the great facilities around the area, and they actually invited me to their child's birthday party tomorrow night. That is the kind of hospitality and lovely welcoming nature of the people from India in our community, that they would think to invite me along to their five year old's birthday party. I have to say, I am very much looking forward to it.

We recently marked the 200th anniversary of the start of the Greek Revolution. I have been to a number of events for that, and I know there are a number of people who are sitting in the chamber right now who have been to some of those events as well. I have certainly learned a great deal in attending those recent events. There are some stories that have really stood out for me, stories of female heroism in Greece. This was way back in the early 1820s, when women were actually fighting alongside men. They were responsible for some incredible feats of bravery that really inspired their nation and sustained them through what was a very long campaign for independence.

I want to draw people's attention to that. If you have the opportunity, it is well worth looking into the history of the role that women played, particularly the women of Missolonghi, who are remembered as pretty brave heroines who inspired soldiers and other women and motivated them to fight right to the end. It is an inspiring story and one that I would recommend people have a look at.

I also want to talk a little bit about our great Italian radio stations. I have been privileged to join them on a number of occasions and speak with them about things that are going on in our community, whether it is fruit fly eradication, festivals that are happening, government policies or Labor's hydrogen policy. It is really fantastic that those communities band together and make sure that there is a reliable source of news, information and conversation in their language to keep those languages alive.

It is even more generous to invite those of us who are not of Italian background to join them and share our experiences and learn about Italian culture as well. As a parliament and as a government, I hope we will continue to provide support to those radio stations that I think do such a great job in supporting Italian-speaking people in our community.

Lastly, I would like to point out that I also recently went to the Sufi Music Dinner, which was a fantastic event. I was very lucky to have a costume given to me, and I had a fantastic night joining in with everyone in the dancing. It was one of the first occasions when we were able to dance after the COVID rules were lifted.

Unfortunately, there may be some video out there of that dancing. I have to say that, in my head, I felt like I was doing it much better than the video revealed. It certainly was a fabulous night. An amazing vocalist and a fantastic band were there as well. It was a real privilege for me and my colleague the member for Ramsay to be able to soak up the culture and celebrate it with them.

There are of course many other cultural groups in my community that have been so warm and welcoming to me in my so far fairly brief time as the member for Badcoe. I would like to extend my thanks to each of them and to assure them that a future Labor government will support them. I think that generally multicultural affairs is a fairly bipartisan effort, and it is good to see the support that the government has provided through grants and other means to those communities in my area as well. I look forward to continuing to attend their events and supporting the ideals we are all striving for.

The Hon. V.A. CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General, Minister for Planning and Local Government) (12:04): I rise to support the motion and thank the member for bringing this motion to the house. Harmony Day coincided with the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, commemorating the Sharpeville massacre that took place in South Africa on 21 March 1960. On that day, police opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration in Sharpeville, South Africa, against the apartheid pass laws.

In 2019, in response to concerns regarding the history of the date, South Australia endorsed a proposal for all Australian government jurisdictions to mark 21 March as a day of reflection and celebrate Harmony Day as a week. The sentiments of the member in moving this motion are well made. We must acknowledge the richness of our community, both multicultural and intercultural, and how important it has been for the development of our state, as particularly since white settlement days we have been a state of migration built on the South Australian Company Act which was a migration program.

Firstly, may I recognise, as the motion does, that in Harmony Week we celebrate cultural diversity, and the significance of our Indigenous South Australians is not to be overlooked. In fact, I want to start with it. It is important to acknowledge their connection to the land during Harmony Week. Recently, I attended and spoke at the book launch of Maralinga: the Struggle for Return of the Lands by Garry Hiskey on behalf of the Premier. I was very proud to do so.

The book documents a very important period in the history of the Maralinga lands and South Australia generally when parliament enacted laws to enable those lands to be returned to the control of their original owners. It is vital for our community to know and understand key historic moments in South Australia like this one. Garry's book focuses on the parliamentary debate which resulted in the return of the Maralinga lands to their owners. I believe that debate showed our parliament at its best.

There is still more to be done, of course, including by government, but the Maralinga people have been resolute and resilient in the pursuit of their rights, and I hope the publication of this book will encourage them to continue to make progress. I encourage all those interested in the history of South Australia, particularly of our Aboriginal people, to read Garry's book. I also look forward to the history of our Aboriginal people being recorded in the Aboriginal Art and Cultures Centre the Marshall Liberal government will establish on the site of the former Royal Adelaide Hospital.

As the member for Bragg, it is also an honour to represent an electorate filled with different cultures. It is also enlightening to learn of the involvement in multicultural traditions and celebrations. I am also very proud to be part of a diverse team with members here from a range of different cultural backgrounds, including our colleague in the other place the Hon. Jing Lee, who is the assistant minister to the Premier.

I feel compelled to spread the message of inclusivity and acceptance of all members of our community and the overarching message on Harmony Day. I recognise the importance of celebrating our differences, and it is clear that one of South Australia's biggest strengths is its cultural diversity. In my own electorate of Bragg, the number and percentage of our migrant population have been quite different over the last 20 years.

China, according to more recent statistics, was the third most common country of birth, and I can say that since those statistics were published it has continued to be a large provider of people who have moved into my electorate. Some are attracted to the very good schools that we have in our area and they are quite happy to pay to go to our public schools to be able to attend and, of course, to support members of their family who are pursuing a university degree here.

They have been very welcome and they now heavily complement a strong representation from India, Malaysia and Italy in my electorate. I want to say that, in respect of the Chinese people in our state, I do not think they have had periods of welcome that we can be proud of. That starts right back from early settlement, when Australia was dealing with Chinese coming to support gold rushes and other advances in our country and then in our state this rejection of the acceptance of Chinese in our community.

Unquestionably, the White Australia policy was another era which may have been something that was acceptable for its time but which has no place in our current 21st-century approach to these matters. Indeed, we are the losers if we do not embrace and encourage those to be here. I have to say that in my own area I cannot speak Mandarin or any language to communicate directly with our Chinese. But I did visit China, I recall, with the member for Chaffey. We were very welcome. I came back with a scroll which I had asked to say 'Vote 1 Vickie Chapman' in Chinese. I found later, in a translation back in Adelaide, that it said 'Vote 1 Ickie Apman'. Let's hope I do not have a candidate who has that name in the scroll.

One change I particularly find memorable in dealing with the enjoyment of these occasions when we come together is the establishment of Chinese dancing lessons in Glen Osmond in my electorate. It is a rich culture. They are very welcome. I am very saddened to see images in relation to the consulate opening yesterday in South Australia. I think that is a stain on us as South Australians.

We must be ever vigilant in speaking out to ensure that discrimination, which is unlawful under our Equal Opportunity Act, is spoken out against and most particularly is one which will be vigilantly pursued if there are breaches thereof. I thank the member from bringing the motion and commend it to the house.

Ms LUETHEN (King) (12:11): I rise to support the motion moved by the member for Badcoe and note the heartfelt thoughts and stories she shared. Harmony Day is a prime opportunity to reflect on Australia's successful multicultural story. Our First Nations people have a very rich history and a deep understanding of the world around us and, personally, I immensely enjoy every event I attend from which I learn more about our Indigenous culture of Australia.

The Indigenous people of Australia have the oldest living cultural history in the world and they go back at least 65,000 years. Indigenous communities keep their cultural heritage alive by passing their knowledge, art, ceremonies and performances from one generation to the other, speaking and teaching languages, protecting cultural material, sacred and significant sites and objects. This needs to be protected and continue.

I am so thankful for the Welcome to Country in which speakers teach me a little bit more each time about Aboriginal language, history, culture and beliefs. I commend the City of Salisbury especially for engaging the most wonderful people who tell stories and share beliefs. I commend Jack Buckskin and Rob Taylor for their wonderful storytelling, which helps us learn how special and important the Indigenous culture of Australia is.

More broadly, South Australia continues to benefit from the many different cultures, languages and religions, enhancing our state's cultural fabric. As a South Australian, I am truly grateful that generations of migrants have made monumental sacrifices and worked hard to begin anew in South Australia and enhance diversity in our community. Accordingly, it is without question that this house must identify and stop racism, discrimination and prejudice so that we can continue enjoying the remarkable success story of multiculturalism and interculturalism that our state possesses.

South Australia should be proud of its vibrancy as a multicultural state. South Australians come from some 200 different countries, speak over 200 languages and follow over 100 different religions. Almost 400,000 South Australians were born overseas and some 270,000 people speak a language other than English at home.

It is interesting to note that today over one-quarter of my constituents have an ancestry other than Anglo-Saxon. Perhaps we do not always think twice about South Australia's cultural diversity, but it is hard to imagine that in 1947 there were only some 43,000 migrants in South Australia, with most coming from Europe, and today there are almost 400,000 South Australians who were born overseas.

Today, the University of Adelaide's Hugo Centre for Population and Housing finds that our migrant population comes from a far broader range of countries, including those in Asia and Africa. The centre has also identified several emerging communities in South Australia hailing predominantly from Myanmar, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. As the member for King, I am dedicated to supporting diversity in my electorate and across the state.

Recently, I attended the City of Salisbury's Harmony Day celebration. It was beautiful to see so many people from so many different walks of life participate in the best parade I have ever seen, singing and dancing at this event. The traditional costumes worn by people from different backgrounds were mind-blowingly amazing.

Further, I will always appreciate the way Mayor Gillian Aldridge makes everyone from all different backgrounds feel important, welcome and proud to be living in the City of Salisbury. As I continue doorknocking in the City of Salisbury and the City of Playford, I am pleased to see different people from different cultural backgrounds all building the wonderful, vibrant community we have today.

Additionally, I am honoured to be able to attend the citizenship ceremonies in my electorate, hosted by the City of Salisbury, the City of Playford and the City of Tea Tree Gully. Within the City of Tea Tree Gully, I would also like to make special mention of the Adelaide Bangladeshi Cultural Club, who recently put their heart and soul into a highly successful Spring Festival 2021 held at the Golden Grove recreation centre to celebrate a blend of western and Bangladeshi cultures.

Further, I have worked closely with Hillbank's Cambodian community to elect their community liaison officers, attend their annual events, help their community and attend their senior citizen events. It was here at one senior citizen event that I learnt how some spiders and grasshoppers can be considered special delicacies, including at weddings, which is a story my own parents brought back after they had been visiting there—before the coronavirus.

The Cambodian community is incredibly welcoming, and I am ever thankful for Sarou's and the committee's efforts to include me. We are enriched through the efforts of our community members who keep traditions alive and share these with us. Thank you to Amit Katiyar and Anuj Kulshrestha for bringing us a wonderful Holi on the Beach celebration again this year. Celebrations, dancing and of course colour powder made this a wonderful family fun day this last weekend.

More widely, the Marshall Liberal government is backing our great state's multicultural vibrancy. This comes at a time in our history when notions of tolerance are being increasingly challenged. Following extensive community consultation, the recently introduced South Australian Multicultural Bill refreshes and modernises the approach to multiculturalism, raising awareness of interculturalism and building even stronger and more vibrant multicultural communities in South Australia.

It is also important to point out that the Multicultural Bill requires a multicultural charter to be established under the bill and for it to contain provisions recognising the Aboriginal peoples of South Australia and their role in our state's diversity. The Marshall Liberal government is building a more harmonious and inclusive state. Harmony Day is a timely reminder for all of us to work to end racism, discrimination and prejudice in all its forms. While we quite rightly commend ourselves every year for our achievements, we cannot fall into the trap of forgetting that bigotry is still out there. I am upset every time a constituent says to me, 'I am not racist but,' and I ask these people to stop and reconsider their beliefs, what they are saying, and how their words fit into a vision for a harmonious and diverse community.

We all have a moral obligation to practise what we preach, to protect and uphold the notions of tolerance and diversity underpinning our community. As the Queensland Human Rights Commissioner, Scott McDougall, recently wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald, Harmony Day is not just about a shared lunch or a coloured lapel ribbon. The deeper message that Mr McDougall suggests is one about a call to action, not only to acknowledge racism but to eliminate it as well. Although Harmony Day is a time for us to celebrate diversity, this fight against racism is far from over. I am proud, both as the member for King and as a South Australian, to be supporting this motion.

Mr SZAKACS (Cheltenham) (12:20): I am very happy to rise to support this motion as moved by the member for Badcoe and so far eloquently supported by other members of this place. The member for Badcoe and the member for King have both touched on the brief part of this motion, which talks about racism and the elimination of racism, and I will seek to do so as well.

It is important to put on the record in the debate on this motion the origins and genesis of Harmony Day. Harmony Day was a product of the Eureka review, commissioned by then Prime Minister John Howard. Multiculturalism, interculturalism, ethnic affairs (as it was once referred to and considered by both major parties) have often enjoyed bipartisan support, certainly within the conservative side of politics, and continue to do so today.

Then Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser was a great champion and advocate for multiculturalism, both in his time as Prime Minister and in a much more activist and ardent way in his life after politics. Importantly, as a former Prime Minister, Fraser in his later years was a fierce advocate for a more humane approach and treatment of refugees, those seeking asylum in this country. Multiculturalism post Fraser enjoyed considerable support from Prime Minister Bob Hawke, himself a great advocate of multiculturalism, and Prime Minister Keating as well, in a less overt policy way, but still enjoying a strong bipartisan support.

The interest I have is in what shifted and changed in 1996 and then from 1999 with the commissioning and tabling of the Eureka report. It is not too fine a point to say that when Harmony Day was first introduced by Prime Minister Howard it was quite heavily criticised by many advocates of multiculturalism, and particularly many advocates from multicultural communities, as well as First Nations communities, as an attempt, either overtly or implicitly, to whitewash what was becoming an increasingly difficult conversation for Australians to have about our problem with racism, our problem with overt, casual and systemic racism.

While Harmony Day continues today to have very strong support from peak bodies, from both sides of politics, it is incumbent on me to talk about the fact that in many people's view, and from many people's perspective, it has pushed out and crowded out the conversation around the elimination of racism from our country. I think the Attorney-General touched on the fact that the date of Harmony Day, 21 March each year, coincides—not by any stretch of coincidence—with the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

The Attorney talked a little in her contribution about our legal framework and her confidence in the legal framework and its ability to stamp out racism. I respectfully completely disagree with the Attorney-General: racism is a huge problem in our community. Each member of this place would be able to speak firsthand about either their own personal experience with racism or the experiences that they as representatives of the community have seen, have heard or have been lobbied about.

The idea that racism can be treated through our legal framework is just not correct. We have a deep problem in our community around talking about race and talking about racism. Without straying into talking about a bill before the house, the current South Australian Multicultural Bill is an iteration of our need for a policy approach to discuss racism and to find a solution to it.

It is also not without importance for me, as somebody who cut their teeth as an activist and in fact was motivated to become politically active by John Howard—not so much his inspiration but more so in opposition to—to call out some of the inconsistencies around the approach of then Prime Minister John Howard, from a policy and government perspective, to Harmony Day and what I think are reasonable criticisms about the crowding out of an otherwise progressive conversation around racism.

I cannot forget, as I have spoken about many times in this place, as a first generation Australian and as a child of a refugee, the consistent approach to an inhumane and cruel discussion and the treatment of those seeking asylum in our country. Sadly, for me, so much of that can be traced back to John Howard: the Pacific solution, the race baiting around Tampa, and the perfect storm around the demonisation of people from a Muslim or Middle Eastern background on the back of the Iraq war and 9/11.

John Howard perfectly and, to his credit, ably weaponised racism as a political tool and as a political divide. I cannot stand here to support this motion without calling out the person who sought for Harmony Day to become part of our national dialogue without calling out that person for his contribution to racism in this country. In doing so, I also indicate how much that, as a personal experience, has motivated me to be standing here today. I very happily and proudly support this motion as moved by the member for Badcoe.

The Hon. Z.L. BETTISON (Ramsay) (12:27): I rise today to support this motion. Harmony Day is held annually in Australia in conjunction with the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. It is held on 21 March and, as many of us here know, it is celebrated widely throughout South Australia. Events are held by schools, councils and community groups, who are encouraged to wear orange to promote harmony, inclusiveness and positivity of our diverse cultures.

The City of Salisbury in my electorate always celebrates Harmony Day very proudly. Mayor Gillian Aldridge, councillors, local members of parliament and I were treated to a wonderful concert by performers from our diverse community. At the start, there was a parade, where people dressed in their national or traditional costumes, and we saw the reflection of the fact that 36 per cent of people living in the City of Salisbury were born overseas.

We saw our Bhutanese community and representatives of the Filipino, Italian, Polish, Zomi, Chin, Vietnamese and Thai communities, amongst many others. What I want to recognise is that this parade was led by representatives of the Kaurna community. They were significantly leading this parade, because something that I have heard over many years is that it is particularly our migrant communities who want to make sure that we are recognising First Nations. They are very keen to understand more about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture. For Harmony Day, we saw our Kaurna community leading the parade.

I often say, 'Come to Salisbury and see the world.' You can see the many waves of migration reflected in our main street, which is John Street. We have several Afghan supermarkets, bakeries, restaurants and fashion shops, and our Indian, Bhutanese and Chin supermarkets are also quite popular. You see people from all over metropolitan Adelaide come to Salisbury to shop to get just what they want there. We have a very popular cafe run by a couple from El Salvador. There is always a line-up out the door at Coffee Amigo.

Of course, we have African clothing, African barbers and a Persian cafe. I have spoken in the house before about the investment by Van Nguyen, who is of Vietnamese background and invested in Salisbury. He saw the potential of Salisbury and invested there. He has the European-style Pacific Big Butcher, so there is a very European feel to that area. We often go in there and people are speaking Polish, but mostly it is staffed by the Vietnamese community, so there is an interesting mix there, which is wonderful. He also invested to refresh the Spaceland cafe and Mobara, which is a Japanese place selling sushi and noodles.

The investment by our diverse community in John Street has kept it alive and it has kept it busy. It is delightful for me as the local member for nearly 10 years to see that investment over time and people having the opportunity to start their first business here in Australia and making the decision to choose Salisbury.

However, like many others, I stand here today to call out our need for more work to be done. Paragraph (e) of the motion states 'works to call out and end racism, discrimination and prejudice in all its forms'. I particularly want to focus on the negativity that our Chinese and Asian communities have felt post COVID. We heard over and over again, cited by former President Donald Trump, that COVID-19 was the China virus. What that led to is eight in 10 people of Asian background being discriminated against, being spat on, being verbally abused and being blamed for the cause of this global pandemic.

It just sounds ridiculous that you would see someone walking down Grote Street or on North Terrace and blame them for something that has become a pandemic that has affected the world. That is just ridiculous. We know at the beginning of COVID that Chinatown businesses suffered immensely because people refused to go to the restaurants. I am calling it out today because, while we are celebrating Harmony Day and while we see the importance of recognising our diverse communities, there is more work to be done and we must call this out.

On the same topic, recent events throughout Australia have caused me concern. A man wore a swastika on his hat at a market in Melbourne recently. The police were called, as people were absolutely shocked seeing this symbol of hate and destruction that he proudly wore. Recently, we heard about a camp for neo-Nazis in the Grampians. Local people were confronted by 20 to 30 men in black shirts with racist slogans who descended upon their small town for a camp.

They talked about white pride, the Ku Klux Klan and white power. They talked about Australia being for the white man. They followed this up by putting stickers on the walking trails asking people to support their movement. This frightened and shocked people and, rightly so, they rang the police for their support. It is important that we call out these things, and important that we know about them.

Just last week, we heard about the Annual Threat Assessment from ASIO. They said that 40 per cent of their work was tracking people who have a focus on national terrorism, who had been radicalised. They focused on the fact that it tended to be men around the age of 25 who are considered a risk to Australia, and what they called out was that their motivation was a social and economic grievance. That is a concern for all of us here, where people feel disenfranchised, so much so that they seek out this area of hate, this area of difference, to feel connected and to be against us.

Only two years ago, we saw firsthand in New Zealand the dangers of this ideology of hate when more than 50 men and women were gunned down while worshipping in their local mosque. It was only two years ago. This is a young man from Australia, filled with hate, who believed he was doing the right thing, believed he was on a mission, that involved the death of 50 people. We stand here in this house today—and I know people are in agreement with me—to recognise our diverse communities, but we have to be united further than this to be aware of this rising concern, to be aware of the increasing right wing extremism in Australia and fight against it.

Most people here, over the years, I have heard talk about their connection to their diverse communities. I actually think one of the unique things about being a member of parliament is being invited to share with people. I particularly had an opportunity as the minister for multicultural affairs, and I see a former shadow minister here today, and it is wonderful to have this. We know why people come to Australia: safety, skills, study, sunshine, and to give their family a better life. These reasons are universal, and that is why we celebrate this commonality and what we aspire to provide for all our families.

I often talk about the characteristics of a migrant who leaves their family and says goodbye—that they are bold and brave. One in two of us in Australia have a parent born overseas, so this is us we are talking about. When we talk about Harmony Day, it is us. It is who we are. While I know across the chamber we have furious agreement about this, there is still work to be done and we must continue to call out racism.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Minister for Education) (12:37): I am very pleased to support this motion and endorse the sentiments that have been expressed in the debate thus far, particularly the ones just expressed, which I am sure this house thoroughly agrees with. It is very important that we celebrate our multicultural and intercultural diversity of society, that we celebrate Aboriginal culture in this house and in our society and that we call out examples of racism wherever they are seen, particularly, as the member just highlighted, examples of racist behaviour by political leaders.

Whether these examples are overseas or here in South Australia, it is incumbent on all of us to call it out and act on it and ensure that people who come to Australia from whatever part of the world, or people whose heritage and culture have been in this country for 60,000 years or longer, can contribute to our community and be free not only from discrimination but from intimidation, abuse, bullying or racism in any of its abhorrent forms.

As the member for Bragg, the Deputy Premier, said, and as the member for Badcoe in moving the motion said, I am really pleased that we start with an acknowledgment of our First Nations people as the oldest continuous culture in the world, and the ongoing connection of Aboriginal people with this land is tremendously important. We now do it in this chamber every day since the member for Hartley, now the police minister, instituted it as a daily practice—previously as a weekly practice—and I commend those who brought that to the house.

It is important that we have a reminder, as we do. I speak now as education minister: in our schools we have a commitment to creating culturally safe spaces for Aboriginal learners but, more than that, areas where all students celebrate and become increasingly familiar with Aboriginal culture.

The motion talks about recognising the rich linguistic, cultural, racial and religious diversity of our community. I come as the member for Morialta, a seat which I believe had, when I was first elected, more people speaking a language other than English at home than any other seat in this house. The numbers may well have changed in the last 10 or 11 years as the community has changed, and the boundaries have changed from time to time as well, but whether it is the most or whether it is just up there the extraordinary contribution of the multicultural community to my seat of Morialta has been across every realm of that community.

It is impossible to imagine suburbs like Rostrevor, Athelstone and Newton without not just the significant contribution of the Italian community to those areas but also the broader contribution of the Greek community, and more recently the Indian community and communities from South-East Asia, who make our area what it is. There is no citizenship ceremony that goes by where that breadth of diversity cannot be seen, and it is celebrated. They are welcomed in the community across Morialta, Campbelltown, Tea Tree Gully, Burnside and the Adelaide Hills councils, which all do a good show in supporting that.

Another area where we do a significant amount of work in celebrating and recognising Harmony Day is through our education department. As education minister, I am very pleased to report to the house that schools right across South Australia took the opportunity on Harmony Day—and, indeed, in the week leading up to it and in Harmony Week following it—to do their own representations, and I would like to share some of those examples.

At Brighton Primary School, students wore orange—indeed, at many of our schools students took the opportunity to wear orange on the day. They had a Harmony Day assembly and they shared kindness rocks with buddy classes. In the South-East at Naracoorte Primary School, after the Harmony Day celebrations students in one of the classrooms I saw created a jigsaw-themed artwork to show how we all fit together.

At Elizabeth Downs Primary School, the students in the intensive English language program—students not from Australia who are given extra support to help them integrate into a school environment where English is the language of instruction—produced cookies for the whole school and were able to share them with students around them, giving them a specific opportunity to interact and celebrate Harmony Day. Through some of the social media shared on the Department for Education website I noticed that those students, as part of their English, reflected on what the attributes of Harmony Day meant in that school: words like 'kindness', 'happy', 'helping', 'safe', 'accepting', 'together', 'belonging' and, perhaps most importantly, 'love'. It was terrific to see.

Ingle Farm Primary School students either wore orange or were encouraged to wear traditional clothing from their culture, and it was amazing to see all the students in those clothes. They worked together on a sort of musical school performance, where Harmony Day was represented through the creation of a school-wide harmony, and apparently that was something to hear. At Mannum Community College, in the member for Hammond's electorate, students wore orange. They had music playing at lunchtime, and had international flags brought together in a bunting display in celebration of Australia's diversity.

The international assembly at Charles Campbell College is one I have gone to as many years as I can get there. It involves dozens and dozens and dozens—over the years more than 100—different cultures that have represented the student body of that school, both from Australians of different heritages as well as a strong international student program that adds to what can go on at that school, and it is always a highlight.

At the Gawler East Primary School in the north, students and families wrote their wishes for the world becoming more harmonious on paper doves the school provided, which were then displayed throughout the school grounds. Look up the school's website or Facebook page for those pictures; they are extraordinarily beautiful and colourful designs produced not only by the students but also by the students with their families to celebrate Harmony Day. That was a great effort.

Kirton Point Children's Centre created Harmony Day art. I saw one of our colleagues in this building sending their child to school, in their first year at Highbury Primary School—one of my local primary schools in the Morialta electorate, although the member for Newland claims half of it because the boundary cuts through the oval—wearing orange proudly. I think many of us, on our Facebook pages and feeds, would have seen our friends sending their children to school dressed in orange, because Harmony Day has become an extraordinarily important part of the Australian psyche. When I was at school I do not know whether this was something that could have been said at that stage.

There are many ways in which we have evolved as a community and which we do better as a community. I think Harmony Day has been a useful lever for us to engage with young people. It is something that creates a lot of fun in school environments and helps our young people to use their own creativity to interact very positively with the intercultural and multicultural approach that we now see in our society.

I want to recognise a couple of more broad community contributions. Every school in South Australia I suspect had some engagement with Harmony Day, and as minister I commend them, and also more broadly throughout the community the work that is done by many to promote multiculturalism and the spirit of Harmony Day. I mention the Multicultural Communities Council of South Australia, and I want to particularly thank Helena Kyriazopoulos and her team.

Thank you for the balloons that you sent to me here, which was a tremendous and joyful reminder for me. I can tell the Multicultural Communities Council that their balloons are still maintaining their structural integrity as they rise proudly in the Minister for Education's office greeting every visitor who comes in, and will continue to do so while the balloons hold out.

I want to repeat a couple of things the Deputy Premier reflected on in her comments. I am going to be hunting down, as she suggested, a copy of Garry Hiskey's book about Maralinga. I remember the launch and being sorry that I could not get there. I am going to hunt down that book, having been reminded by the Deputy Premier.

I certainly encourage members to do so as well, particularly as we head towards the delivery of the extraordinary Aboriginal cultures gallery set to be delivered on Lot Fourteen (the old Royal Adelaide Hospital site) thanks to the investment of this government and indeed the commonwealth government. I think that is going to be a tremendous representation of Aboriginal culture in our state in particular, as well as being a point of interest and a point of education for South Australians of all backgrounds and visitors alike.

I finally report and update the house on the Adelaide Holocaust Museum and Andrew Steiner Education Centre, which was established in the last six months and which is taking so many school visits. The Steiner Education Centre and the Holocaust Museum is booked up right to the middle of the year, and many schools are already booked in for visits in the second half of the year.

I am very pleased to be part of a government that supported the introduction of that outstanding new facility, and I encourage anybody in the community to get along and visit during opening hours. Give it some of your own philanthropic support to ensure that it can continue offering education programs for school students and members of the community alike for many years to come.

Mr WHETSTONE (Chaffey) (12:47): I, too, rise to make a contribution to this motion. I think it is a very important motion that members of this place should reflect on, particularly the celebration of multiculturalism and the recognition of Australia's diversity.

This all began back in 1999 under the stewardship of Prime Minister Howard, but since then we have seen, I think, many more communities and society coming closer together with the introduction of Harmony Day. I think that, since its introduction, we have seen about 80,000 Harmony Week events across not only schools and childcare centres but also church groups, community groups and government agencies.

What we have seen is a coming together of the different cultures, nationalities and beliefs. There is always middle ground, and we know that some are a little more forceful or have a little more of an extreme view on modern-day beliefs. However, what Harmony Day or Harmony Week means is that we are able to come together and talk about our beliefs, we can talk about what it means as a young person, as a businessperson and as a community-minded person, but at the end of the day it brings people together for some of the great events.

In Chaffey, one of the greatest electorates in the state, we continue to see film screening events, meal gatherings, poetry competitions and performances. In South Australia, we have the OzAsia Festival and recently the Governor's multicultural awards, which sadly were constrained somewhat by the pandemic, but they continue to go on.

The Riverland is regarded as one of the largest multicultural communities, home to over 60 nationalities and that has been generated by opportunity, with different nationalities seizing the opportunity to work the land, to farm and to produce food. It puts them into a comfort zone where they are able to work, create their own wealth and create their own empire, and that is why the Riverland is one of the great success stories with different nationalities coming together in harmony.

The ABS statistics suggest that 49 per cent of Australians were born overseas or have at least one parent who was, that 7½ million people have migrated to Australia since 1945 and that we identify with over 300 ancestries. I think that 85 per cent of Australians have agreed that multiculturalism has been good for the country and no more importantly than here in South Australia.

I would like to acknowledge the Assistant Minister to the Premier, the Hon. Jing Lee, for the great work that she has done to bring politics closer to multiculturalism. I know that the Minister for Innovation and Skills has also dedicated a large part of his political career to the great multicultural events and opportunities they create. Both of them need to be commended.

Sure, all politicians work very hard, but especially those two politicians, and of course the Premier, who speaks a number of languages fluently and has done that so that he can interact with the different nationalities in his electorate. In that regard, there has been a great coming together of modern-day politics and multiculturalism.

There are 70 Indigenous languages, with so many dialects, spoken around the country. As our heritage continues to grow, we acknowledge that one of the oldest cultures on the planet is here in this great country. Australia has a great expanse of diversity, from the oldest continuous culture of our First Nations, as I have said, to the cultures of our newest arrivals from around the world.

Harmony Week is the celebration of multiculturalism and the recognition of our achievements as one of the world's most successful multicultural countries. Harmony Week includes Harmony Day on 21 March, which coincides with the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

I would like to commend the Riverland Youth Theatre, which continues to host great events, particularly the Riverland's Harmony Day. That is always hosted on the banks of Lake Bonney in Barmera, with cultural performances, workshops, stalls, activities, food and dance. Having attended many of those, it is always a great opportunity to catch up with many of the group leaders, the group participants, to share food and to share the stories that we so enjoy.

This is why it is important that Harmony Week is recognised. Harmony Day is a very important opportunity for multiculturalism to grow, to be stronger and for the communities that we represent to really shine, with the benefit of multiculturalism being almost in our DNA now. That is why I have made a contribution to this very important motion.

The Hon. D.G. PISONI (Unley—Minister for Innovation and Skills) (12:54): I always enjoy talking about the success of Australia's modern-day culture because it is a culture that has evolved from a very rough start. We know that immigration legislation drafted by Alfred Deakin was designed specifically to favour those from Britain, and we had about a four-decade period here in South Australia before the war when it was the exception rather than the rule.

When you go back to why we had that drafting in the early legislation, it was really all about the industrial issues at the time, particularly about Chinese labour. There was a different work ethic with Chinese labour. When I started my business in the furniture industry, obviously I did a lot of reading about the history of furniture manufacturing in South Australia.

You will come across furniture in antique stores or at auction even today where you can pull the drawer out and it will have a stamp on it that says 'Made by European labour' because there was a campaign to force people, through political pressure and through community pressure, not to support Chinese workers who were working in the furniture industry. It was quite big. I think the very first Chinese migrant into South Australia in the 1830s or so actually started a furniture factory. It was a big issue and those who were here were banned from even bringing their families, and obviously a lot of men were here working in the goldfields during that period.

If we go back before the Second World War, it was pretty ugly when it came to the migration policies in South Australia. Australia wanted to remain British and it wanted to protect labour rights, and we still see some of that today. We see unions like the CFMEU opposing skilled migration programs, even though we know it grows the economy and brings skills into Australia for new industries and industries where there are shortages, so that those opportunities can be made available for more Australians.

A classic example of the success of skilled migration that I came across just recently was a bakery in the main street of Mount Gambier. A couple of teachers who had retired from the teaching service bought the bakery and wanted to make it a really standout business in Mount Gambier. They wanted to be the finest French pastry bakery in the South-East. They advertised for a pastry chef and could not find one. They did end up finding one in the Philippines, through a migration agent, who came to Mount Gambier. That pastry chef has been working for them for the past 10 years and has trained four apprentices of her own in that time. That is how skilled migration works.

We heard the points that were made by the member for Ramsay, that people use the race card or the migration card to blame others for the misfortune they may be in. We have heard that even in recent times. I remember the debate about the school zones around Adelaide High School, when the member for Port Adelaide tried to blame foreign students for being the cause of that. I could not believe that I heard that from the member for Port Adelaide.

Members interjecting:

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: There is a point of order. Minister, could you take your seat, please. At one minute to 1pm, there is a point of order.

Mr BOYER: Thank you, Deputy Speaker—reflecting on another member of the house. I ask that the member for Unley withdraws those comments and apologises.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: I was listening carefully to the minister's contribution. The member who is being reflected upon is the one who needs to raise the point of order, member for Wright.

The Hon. D.G. PISONI: I seek leave to continue my remarks.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.

Sitting suspended from 13:00 to 14:00.

PARLIAMENTARY BUSINESS
MEMBERS
GET INVOLVED
ABOUT PARLIAMENT
VISIT
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY
CONTACT