Motions

Multiculturalism

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (16:00): I move:

That this council—

1. Is committed to promoting a diverse and welcoming South Australia;

2. Recognises and values the contribution that people from a wide variety of backgrounds, cultures and beliefs have played and continue to play in shaping South Australia—from the thousands of years of history and culture of the traditional owners of this land to the very newest residents to call our state home; and

3. Notes the important role of elected representatives in promoting a welcoming, diverse and harmonious community.

Today I move a motion that at its heart reaffirms that this council is committed to a welcoming South Australia, a South Australia that welcomes the diversity of cultures and experiences that so many have brought to this state from all over the world, a South Australia that welcomes inclusion and tolerance, and a South Australia that recognises we are stronger and better as a society because of this diversity and it enriches all of us as individuals.

We are indeed fortunate to live in a country that includes the oldest living culture in the world. The land on which we stand is Aboriginal country, always has been, always will be, but today this land is shared by so many people from so many parts of the world. Statistics from the 2011 Census show that about 350,000 South Australians were born overseas and about 220,000 speak a language other than English at home.

South Australians come from about 200 countries, speak more than 200 languages, and believe in over 100 religions. Migrants from non-English speaking backgrounds make up nearly 13 per cent of South Australia's population and when the children of migrants are added, this figure rises to nearly 25 per cent.

We are truly a diverse and multicultural community and we are better for it. We have seen many groups settle in South Australia over decades past. For example, large Italian and Greek populations have enriched our state and a sizeable Vietnamese population has further contributed to our shared diversity. Today we are seeing new and emerging communities making their own and welcomed cultural contribution to our state.

However, in recent times debate in this area has not always brought out the best in all of us and not always the best in all of our elected representatives. Some of the debate on immigration and particularly those seeking asylum has been divisive and unhelpful. This is a complex area where many people are genuinely trying to do what they think is the right thing.

When federal MPs spoke of the Christmas Island boat tragedy a few years ago you could see the genuine distress that wrestling directly with these issues and the people involved brought. However, some of the language used in this debate has been very unfortunate. Terms such as 'queue jumpers' and 'illegal immigrants' are not only factually incorrect but are often used deliberately and designed to dehumanise, offend and to be inflammatory. Such language and rhetoric has no place in an informed debate.

Although the language used in this debate is now reaching dangerously divisive levels, I have to say my own party has not always got it right in the past. In decades gone by the Labor Party's support of the White Australia Policy is and ought to be seen as shameful, and some of the language and characterisations over recent years that have been used in the immigration debate, right across the political spectrum, whether intended or not, have been distinctly unhelpful.

I and many others have become particularly concerned and distressed at recent comments made that have inflamed prejudice, caused division and fostered hate. Many of the comments of Senator Cory Bernardi have been as ridiculous as they have been spiteful. When he tweeted last month 'note burqa wearers in some of the houses raided this morning?' he went beyond being 'stupid', 'ignorant' and 'out of touch' as others have labelled him and became just plain racist.

It is incumbent on his parliamentary leader to pull him into line here as he has on other occasions on other issues. It is not enough to leave it to others to condemn him; his leader ought to do the same. But that has not happened. What we have unfortunately seen are further comments from the Prime Minister when he said he wished the burqa was not worn and it made him feel uncomfortable.

Even if what a person chooses to wear genuinely makes our Prime Minister feel uncomfortable, the result of this statement does nothing to further cultural understanding and harmony. In giving tacit support to Senator Bernardi's comments by refusing to condemn them, and then by his own comments, the Prime Minister has effectively given licence to the intolerance that is occasionally shown by a small segment of our community. Many things may be said of Tony Abbott, but he is not completely politically unaware. He knew, or ought to have known, the nature and quality of the comments he was making, and the likely effect they would have.

At the request of senator Bernardi, and apparently with the knowledge of the Prime Minister's Office, the presiding officers of the two chambers of the federal parliament then made rulings about what visitors could wear when visiting their parliament to observe proceedings. New measures were introduced to force any woman wearing particular attire to sit segregated in a glass box if they wished to observe the House of Representatives or the Senate. We do not have the time here today to examine the chorus of condemnation that followed, but it is probably best summed up by an editorial in The Advertiser the day after, which read:

To force Muslim women wearing a burqa to sit in a glass cage in parliament is demeaning and unnecessary.

Make no mistake: this is xenophobia dressed up as security…

How did we get here? In Australia, a country generally so well regarded for acceptance, how did we arrive at such a dark place that warranted such a blunt rebuke and criticism from our daily newspaper? Frankly, it is when our political leaders and political representatives, by their comments, actions or inactions, either by design or stupidity, effectively give licence to and encourage intolerance. That is how we get to the sort of place where these sorts of things can happen.

I cannot speak of political representatives' comments fuelling intolerance without mentioning the new Palmer United senator, Jacqui Lambie. There are a number of things which she has said that are just plain wrong, and often offensive, but perhaps the most repugnant was her comment a few weeks ago that, 'Anyone who supports Sharia law should pack their bags and get out of the country.' She followed this up by trying to justify it with this clarification: 'If you're not going to show your allegiance to our constitution and the Australian law, then get out.'

I am not a religious person, and I am certainly not an expert on comparative religion and theological constructs, so I am grateful to academics and others who have helped me better understand what this means and its implications. By senator Lambie's reasoning, any person who adheres to religious exclusivism and the divinity of their god that they choose to follow should pack up their bags and leave the country.

I do not think senator Lambie envisaged that most people who follow mainstream organised religion should be required to pack up their bags and leave the country; I am pretty sure she was singling out just one group, and that is what makes her comments so insidious. She was singling out one group of people because of their beliefs. Senator Lambie is rapidly becoming the Pauline Hanson of this era, and her attitudes and comments will be regarded in history just as shamefully.

When such comments are made and when such attitudes are not challenged and condemned, it demeans all of us and lessens all of us as a whole. We have an obligation to ensure Australia is a welcome society that brings out the best in all people to call our state and country home. I have said this earlier: our state has been enriched by its diversity, and it continues to be the case.

I have made previous contributions in weeks gone by that in just over a week we can all show our commitment to a tolerant and diverse South Australia by taking part in the Walk Together march on 25 October, starting in Elder Park at 1pm, and in many other locations around Australia, including Mount Gambier, where I will be walking.

In addition, anyone who wants a better understanding and appreciation of some of the different faiths that make up South Australia, around the country on the same day there are mosque open days, including the mosque on Marion Road here in Adelaide. I encourage all members who are interested, and all South Australians, to avail themselves of that opportunity.

Mr President, I would like, as you have, to acknowledge the people sitting in the gallery here today and briefly share a couple of stories, because I think it is important in the context of this motion. Arefa Hassani is in the gallery today, and I am privileged to share her story and some of her thoughts. Arefa was born in Afghanistan and fell victim to the Soviet-Afghan war and the chaos and bloodshed that occurred during the war and after. Thousands of civilians were unfortunate casualties of this war, and, like many others, Arefa's family suffered.

Arefa's father arrived in Australia by boat back in 2000, and her father has been referred to as 'illegal', a 'queue jumper' and other things. Her father came to Australia, staying in detention for about eight months, then on a Temporary Protection Visa for about three years. Soon after, what was left of Arefa's family moved to Pakistan until they were sponsored by her father; however, her two brothers were over 18 and not granted visas. The day came when she and her mother had to board the plane to Australia and say goodbye to her brothers. She says of some of her first experiences in Australia:

Not only did I start at a new school, which is difficult enough, but in a different country; with a different culture, language, set of regulations, everything. The first few years were probably the hardest years of my life. Not only did I have to fit in to a new school and make a few new friends, I was back to square one. Not being able to speak English was a huge barrier, which knocked me back emotionally, academically and socially. Because I was simply unable to communicate, I kind of disappeared into a universe of my own, which probably gave some people the wrong impression. Many probably assumed that I liked being alone and thus stayed away and the few that did try to get to know me failed because it must have been like talking to a cardboard cut-out seeing as how I could not understand or respond.

Her time in Australia has been hard, yet it has moulded her as a person. If it were not for the opportunities that Australia has given her, specifically her school for accepting her into its community and providing her with an education, she would be a very different person than she is today. Arefa is thankful and acknowledges that she is fortunate to be able to wake up each morning with a sense of purpose. She has also said that:

Right from the first day that I stepped on to the soil of this country, every day, every hour, every minute and every second, I have wished that everyone I left behind could one day have the opportunities that I have. It has been a long journey indeed, and one that has shaped me into the individual that I am today, and formed some indelible memories that will shine through no matter where I go or who I become.

Mr President, Manal Younus is also in the gallery today. Her family are of Eritrean origin; however, her older sister, brother and herself were born in Saudi Arabia as her father was working there at the time. Manal notes that her family faced significant discrimination as a non-Saudi living in Saudi Arabia. Before she was born, an Australian nurse who was working in Saudi Arabia become very close with her family. She would later become, and remain to this day, Manal's mother figure despite their 61-year age gap.

Manal's father was not permitted to return to Eritrea due to the political situation and he decided that their family should move to Australia. He knew that here his family could be united, his children would not be discriminated against by the system and they would have equal access to education and a bright future. As soon as Manal was born, she and her siblings were taken to Eritrea to live with their grandparents while her dad came to Australia. Her father worked for three years, became a permanent resident and saved to bring them to Australia. Manal met her father for the first time in Singapore when she was 3½ years old.

When they arrived in Australia, Manal and her siblings enrolled in Gilles Street Primary School, which is a quite diverse school as many would know. She went to child care where kids do not really notice differences. They were very well received and accepted as children and there was little prejudice shown towards them. In fact, Manal said that they received an overwhelming amount of kindness. However, in the early and mid-2000s Manal noted that different attitudes started to prevail. The rate of immigration was increasing and with it the levels of hostility and racism that her family were subjected to also seemed to increase. Looking back at these years of growing up Manal says:

I look at how the discrimination we faced since these [times] have affected us…and I consider myself lucky. My brother who was two years older than me, and my sister who was four years older bore the crux of teenage racism. My brother would get jumped and teased. He would have authoritative figures pick on him and call him racist names. All of this has affected him in such a way that his whole life and faith, his relationship with his family, the general Australian population and other immigrants have been deeply affected. He has become more resilient and most people love him but anyone who bothers to get to know [him] will quickly learn that he wasn't always so confident.

While the attitudes Manal and her family have endured are significant and not to be downplayed, she is keen to balance that with the positive reactions she has received. Again, she says:

The hostility that I have had to endure has been so strongly overshadowed by the acceptance that I have encountered. For every one hostile comment, I have received millions of kind words. This has made me grateful and it encourages me to do what I can to give back to the community that did so much for me. I am now comfortable around anyone of any nationality, religion or cultural background.

Manal is now in her third year of university, is a volunteer for the Oaktree Foundation and many other non-government organisations and is the assistant national director for Welcome to Australia, helping other new arrivals feel welcome in their new home.

The accepting, tolerant Australia Manal and others are promoting is the sort of society I want my kids—Marley, Flynn and Jai—to grow up in, and I thank you and so many others like you for the great work that you do. I am committed to promoting a diverse and welcoming South Australia, and I recognise the contribution that people from a wide variety of backgrounds, cultures and beliefs have played and continue to play in shaping a better South Australia. It is incumbent on members of this council—in fact, it is our responsibility—to promote and embrace diversity, not division. I commend the motion to the chamber and look forward to further discussion on it, and a vote in the coming weeks and months.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. T.J. Stephens.