Multiculturalism

Adjourned debate on motion of the Hon. J.K. Mayer:

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.

(Continued from 15 October 2014.)

The Hon. J.S. LEE (20:46): I rise today to speak on a motion moved by the Hon. Kyam Maher and to express my continuous commitment to support and promote a welcoming, diverse and harmonious multicultural South Australia. When we look at the 69 elected members in the South Australian parliament, there is a healthy mix of members from diverse backgrounds, both professionally and also culturally. The Hon. Tung Ngo was the first Australian Vietnamese member elected, and I was the first Australian Malaysian Chinese member elected to this parliament. We are also very proud to have His Excellency Hieu Van Le AO, as the first Asian migrant to rise to the position in South Australia's history as the Governor of South Australia.

We represent people from many communities across our beautiful state. We represent South Australians who came from about 200 countries, but one in four South Australians were born overseas. South Australia has a proud and rich multicultural history, the rich layers added by our multicultural community contributing enormously to all facets of our society. Regardless of where migrants came from, we actively engage at every level of society. Our presence and contributions enable South Australians to enjoy a vibrant and colourful way of life.

I am very honoured to work closely with so many multicultural community leaders and take part in a celebration of many festivals throughout the year as the shadow parliamentary secretary for multicultural affairs. The multicultural calendar for South Australia is packed with activities which include: Italian Festival Carnevale, Schutzenfest, OzAsia Festival, Chinese Lunar New Year, Vietnamese Tet Festival, Croatian Fešta, Polish Dozynki Harvest Festival, INDOFest, Eid Festival, Greek Glendi Festival, African Festival, Indian Diwali Mela, Dutch Festival, Japanese Festival, Korean Festival, Sabantuy—and all those wonderful lists could go on and on.

These events highlight the strength and welcoming nature of South Australia's multicultural sector. I acknowledge the individuals and organisations for preserving their culture through arts, performance, food and their unique customs, and actively engage not just their own community but also the wider community in all their endeavours.

I take this opportunity to pay tribute to presidents, committee members and volunteers of about 1,200 registered multicultural organisations in South Australia for their work in serving the community. Their consistent contributions through leadership and commitment must be highly commended. They have done a marvellous job over the years in building an active and supportive community, and I wish to thank the leaders for their ongoing commitment and willingness to always help others in their role as community leaders.

I want to touch on the White Australia policy. As a migrant to this country, I remember very clearly that when I arrived in Adelaide in 1979 with my family I was put into a language school. During that time, I went to the language school with Vietnamese and Cambodian refugees. Within a few months, as my English got better, I was sent to a mainstream school. The school where I ended up studying was very Anglo-Saxon, to say the least. I was the only Asian kid in that particular high school, and for three months I was not actually able to speak, because I was bullied every day. People called me names. Racism was fairly high during those early days of my time in Australia.

I do want to touch on the White Australia policy. The term 'White Australia policy' comprises various historical policies that intentionally favoured immigration to Australia from certain European countries, especially from Britain, and came to fruition with Federation in 1901. The growth of the sugar industry in Queensland in the 1870s led to searching for labourers prepared to work in a tropical environment, and in the 1870s and 1880s the trade union movement began a series of protests against foreign labour. Their arguments were that Asians and Chinese took jobs from the white men, worked for substandard wages, lowered working conditions and refused unionisation.

The Labor Barton government, which won the first elections following Federation in 1901, was formed by the protectionist party, with the support of the Australian Labor Party. The support of the Labor Party was contingent upon restricting non-white immigration, reflecting the attitudes of the Australian Workers Union and other labour organisations at the time upon whose support the Labor Party was founded.

The Barton government therefore conceived the language dictation test, which would allow the government, at the discretion of the minister, to block unwanted migrants by forcing them to sit a test in any European language. Race had already been established as a premise for exclusion amongst the colonial parliaments. The new federal parliament, as one of its first pieces of legislation, passed the Immigration Restriction Act 1901 to place certain restrictions on immigration and for the removal of prohibited immigrants.

The attorney-general tasked with drafting the legislation was Alfred Deakin. Deakin supported Barton's position over that of the Labor Party in drafting the bill and redacted the more vicious racism proposed for the text in the second reading of the bill. In seeking to justify the policy, Deakin said he believed that the Japanese and Chinese might be a threat to the newly formed Federation, and it was this belief that led to legislation to ensure they would be kept out. He said:

It is not the bad qualities, but the good qualities of these alien races that make them so dangerous to us. It is their inexhaustible energy, their power of applying themselves to new tasks, their endurance and low standard of living that make them such competitors.

Early drafts of the act explicitly banned non-Europeans from migrating to Australia, but objections from the British government, which feared that such a measure would offend British subjects in India and Britain's allies in Japan, caused the Barton government to remove this wording.

Instead a dictation test was introduced as a device for excluding unwanted immigrants. Immigration officials were given the power to exclude any person who failed to pass a 50-word dictation test. At first this was to be in any European language, but it was later changed to include any language. The tests were written in such a way to make them nearly impossible to pass.

The legislation found strong support in the new Australian parliament, with arguments ranging from economic protection to outright racism. The Labor Party wanted to protect white jobs and pushed for more explicit restrictions. A few politicians spoke of the need to avoid hysterical treatment of the question. Member of parliament Bruce Smith said he had:

…no desire to see low-class Indians, Chinamen, or Japanese… swarming into this country…But there is obligation not (to) unnecessarily offend the educated classes of those nations.

Between the Great Depression starting in 1929 and the end of World War II in 1945, global conditions kept immigration to very low levels. At the start of the war, prime minister John Curtin reinforced the message of the White Australia Policy by saying:

This country shall remain forever the home of the descendants of those people who came here in peace in order to establish in the South Seas an outpost of the British race.

Dutch migrants arrived in 1954. Australia embarked upon a massive immigration program following World War II and gradually dismantled the preferential treatment afforded to British migrants. Following the trauma of World War II, Australia's vulnerability during the Pacific War and its small population led to policies summarised by the slogan 'Populate or perish'.

During the war many non-white refugees, including Malays, Indonesians and Filipinos, arrived in Australia, but Labor immigration minister, Arthur Calwell, controversially sought to have them all deported. In 1948 Iranian Baha'is seeking to immigrate to Australia were classified as Asiatic by the policy and were denied entry. In 1949 Calwell's successor, the Liberal MP Harold Holt, allowed the remaining 800 non-white refugees to applied for residency and also allowed Japanese war brides to settle in Australia.

In the meantime, encouraging immigration from Europe, Australia admitted large numbers of immigrants mostly from Italy, Greece and Yugoslavia, as well as its traditional source of the British Isles. Ambitious post-war development projects, like the Snowy Mountain Scheme (1949-1972), required a large labour force that could only be sourced by diversifying Australia's migrant intake.

I want to place on the record that it was Sir Robert Menzies, the Liberal Menzies government, that abolished the dictation test in 1958. Australian policy began to shift towards significantly increasing immigration. Legislative changes over the next few decades continuously opened up immigration in Australia. It was the Menzies government that paved the way for today's very diverse and multicultural welcome into Australia for migrants.

I just want to place this on the record about the Menzies government (1949-1966). In 1949 immigration minister Harold Holt permitted 800 non-European refugees to stay and Japanese war brides to be admitted. In 1950 the external affairs minister, Percy Spender, instigated the Colombo Plan, under which students from Asian countries were admitted to study at Australian universities. In 1957 non-Europeans with 15 years' residence in Australia were allowed to become citizens.

In 1958 the Revised Migration Act abolished the dictation test and introduced a simpler system for entry. The immigration minister, Sir Alexander Downer, announced that distinguished and highly qualified Asians might immigrate. In 1959 Australians were permitted to sponsor Asian spouses for citizenship. In 1964 conditions of entry for people of non-European stock were relaxed. In 1963 a paper 'Immigration: control or colour bar?' was published by a group of students and academics at Melbourne University. It proposed to eliminate the White Australia Policy and was influential towards the end. So, it was the Holt government's Migration Act 1966 that effectively dismantled the White Australia Policy.

In 1966, when the Holt Liberal government introduced the Migration Act it was a watershed moment in immigration reform and effectively dismantled the White Australia Policy and increased access to non-Australian migrants, including refugees fleeing the Vietnam War. After the review of the European policy in March 1966, immigration minister Hubert Opperman announced applications for migration would be accepted from well-qualified people on the basis of their suitability as settlers, their ability to integrate regularly and the possession of qualifications positively used for Australia.

Also, at the same time it was Harold Holt's Liberal government that decided a number of temporary resident non-Europeans who were not required to leave Australia could become permanent residents and citizens after five years. It was not until the Fraser Liberal government's review of the immigration law in 1978 that all selection of prospective migrants based on country of origin was entirely removed from official policy.

I want to put this on the record because I think the Liberal Party has really set the contemporary framework for the immigration program, that encourages this very multicultural society we have now. In the speech given by the Hon. Kyam Maher, he made mention of Prime Minister Tony Abbott, and I want to place some of this on record. The Prime Minister of Australia addressed the National Press Club at the 50^th Anniversary Dinner on 10 September this year. Mr Abbott said:

For my part, I will admit to two significant policy areas where I am now different. I've shifted from being a critic to a supporter of multiculturalism, because it eventually dawned on me that migrants were coming to Australia not to change us but to join us…My vision for Australia is a country where every person is better able to realise his or her own vision…My vision is not bigger governments but stronger people…Our challenge is to empower each person to discover what that is and to make it happen…A better life in a better country in a better world is the star that guides us all.

Tony Abbott made another speech during the holy month of Ramadan and addressed Sydney's Muslim community on 5 August. He praised multiculturalism as a 'heroic dimension to our national history'. He praised multiculturalism, saying that it is a beacon of hope to a troubled and divided world. He spoke about people from all around the four corners of this earth who have come to this country of ours to be welcomed by us to build a better life in freedom for themselves and their children.

Tony Abbott made another speech in Canberra to the Inaugural Australian Multicultural Council Lecture on 19 September 2012. He said:

…I used to worry that multiculturalism could leave us a nation of tribes. But I was wrong and I've changed my mind. The scales fell from my eyes when I discovered—while running Australians for Constitutional Monarchy…that the strongest supporters of the Crown in our constitution included Indigenous people and newcomers who had embraced it as part of embracing Australia…the Crown was not a historical relic but a continuously evolving symbol of our unity above party politics…

The policy of multiculturalism, which all sides of politics support, expresses our willingness as a nation to let migrants assimilate in their own way and at their own pace, because of our confidence in the gravitational pull of the Australian way of life. It is…a fancy word for the generosity of spirit with which Australians have invariably welcomed newcomers to these shores…

Newcomers to this country are not expected to surrender their heritage…Australians expect newcomers and community leaders to respect our laws, our democracy and basic values such as freedom of speech and religion, and equality of the sexes…I am never more proud of our country when the migrants choose Australia. After all, they have chosen this country in a way that the native-born never quite have. They are the ultimate vindication of Australia as a land of hope, reward and opportunity…

I am also a proud ambassador of Welcome to Australia. I participated in the inaugural Welcome to Australia walk two years ago, and I then participated with the Leader of the Opposition Steven Marshall and joined him for the walk. I do want to congratulate the Hon. Kyam Maher for bringing this motion to the chamber, because it is important that we continue to recognise, embrace and welcome. The motion is 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.

With those few words, I commend the motion to the chamber.

The Hon. J.A. DARLEY (21:06): In my 77 years on this earth I have seen many changes in Australia and South Australia especially. My mother worked as a volunteer with the Dutch and Baltic immigrants after the end of World War II, and I recall how, whilst they may have been a little different, dressed a little differently and ate food that we were unaccustomed to, they were made to feel welcome by the community, as many knew of the atrocities that they were trying to leave behind them. Over time, these new arrivals learned to adapt to their new home and managed to integrate into the community whilst still retaining their own sense of identity.

In the 60s and 70s, the Vietnam War saw an influx of Vietnamese immigrants and refugees. Again, there were the differences in dress, food, customs and appearance; however, again they were largely accepted by the community and, like those who came before them 20 years earlier, they eventually managed to integrate themselves into the community while still retaining their own culture and identity.

The late 80s saw a large number of Chinese students granted permanent residency in Australia following the Tiananmen Square massacre. The late 90s saw a large number of immigrants from the Balkans who were escaping from the Yugoslav wars. Immigrants from Albania, Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia moved to Australia seeking a better life.

In the mid 2000s, the focus had been on refugees from Africa, particularly Sudan and Darfur. More recently, immigrants from countries like Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran have sought to call Australia home. In each of these examples, I have witnessed initial uneasiness in the general community with regard to these foreigners. It is generally human nature to fear the unknown, but eventually as people settle in to their new lives, share their customs and teach others about their culture, there is acceptance followed by the community embracing the diversity.

It is sad that there are some in the community who find it difficult to understand that people from other backgrounds may be a little different. It is sadder still when this misunderstanding or ignorance translates into racism and hatred. I often wonder how many of these people who voice their negative opinions sit down for dinner over Chinese food or enjoy having a margarita with their Mexican friends. Whilst it is a pity that a need for such a motion was identified, I believe that most would think that it is stating the obvious. I acknowledge that it comes from a good place and I support this motion.

The Hon. M.C. PARNELL (21:09): I, too, wholeheartedly support this motion and congratulate the Hon. Kyam Maher for putting it on the agenda. I just have some brief comments to make, but before I do I want to reflect very briefly on the contribution of the Hon. Jing Lee, particularly her reference to some of the history of Australia's attitude to people who have come here from other countries, and the White Australia policy in particular.

I think it is probably fair to say that in the 21^st century many of us see this part of Australian history as a period of some shame. Whilst it is always dangerous to judge people of the past through the lens of the present, I think that is a common emotion. However, I welcome her putting that material on the record, because we forget our history at our peril. If you forget your history you are destined to repeat it, and my fear is that some of the attitudes that still persist within Australian society show that we still have a lot of work to do. That goes to the heart of the motion, because the motion notes the important role of elected representatives in promoting a welcoming, diverse and harmonious community. I just wanted to make that observation and thank the Hon. Jing Lee for her contribution.

In my brief remarks I want to particularly acknowledge the work of Welcome to Australia, which has been mentioned before, and it was good to see Brad Chilcott this morning in parliament. He is generally regarded as the founder of Welcome to Australia, and he was here this morning at the invitation of members of parliament for the Islamic information session, and I would like to acknowledge the role that the Hon. John Darley played in bringing that session to us today and making it happen. That is part of the project, the project of members of parliament having a better understanding of the diversity that is the modern Australian community.

Welcome to Australia is a wonderful organisation. Like the Hon. Jing Lee, I have been to the marches and attended a number of events, but I would like to put on the record a couple of paragraphs that describe the work of Welcome to Australia in its own words, because it is an important organisation. From the Welcome to Australia website, under the 'About Us' tab, it says:

Welcome to Australia exists to engage everyday Australians in the task of cultivating a culture of welcome in our nation. The Australia we love is known for its diversity, compassion, generosity and commitment to giving all people a fair go. We'd like to find many different ways that individuals, families, businesses and other organisations can work together to continue to develop these values in our communities, workplaces, schools and institutions.

We also believe that there are thousands of Australians who don't care too much for politics and don't know a great deal about immigration policy—but who do know they care about people. We believe that cultural diversity should be celebrated for the beauty and depth it adds to our society and that no matter who you are, where you're from or how you arrived—you're a person who deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. We hope to coordinate a range of ways in which people can express these concepts in practical, meaningful and positive ways.

That is Welcome to Australia. I think the most recent event was probably the march, but the event before that that I attended was a lecture at the University of South Australia entitled 'An Australian Asylum Seeker Policy Forum'. Speaking at that forum was Brad Chilcott, but also speaking was a most impressive young woman I had not met before but whom I have since had the chance to know better. Marziya Mohammadi is an Afghan woman of tender years—early 20s I would say—and her story, from the way she portrayed it, in some way parallels the story the Hon. Jing Lee relayed to us.

Jing said that she was the only Asian kid in the school or in the class, and in many ways Marziya was in the same boat, in a high school in South Australia's Riverland. There were not a lot of Afghan asylum seekers in that area; I think she was the only one in class. She did tell us a no-holds barred version of discrimination, prejudice and bullying which was distressing to hear, but fortunately she has grown through that and become a confident young woman who I think will make a great contribution to South Australia.

The subtitle of the talk that Brad and Marziya gave that day at the University of South Australia was, 'Where will change come from and what could it look like?' Whilst I did not take extensive notes, one thing that did stick in my mind is that there are very few people who are putting all their faith in politicians to achieve the sort of Australia that we want, but that does not let us off the hook; in fact, in many ways, it should actually be an incentive for us to do better.

The message I think was that change needs to be across society. It is not going to be just members of parliament, but it needs to include members of parliament, and that is why I am very pleased that a number of members of parliament have become ambassadors to the Welcome to Australia cause. The Hon. Jing Lee and the Hon. Kyam Maher I think are both ambassadors, as is the Premier, and they join luminaries from all walks of life, from Missy Higgins through to the Wiggles. I know Kyam is a big fan of the Wiggles.

Welcome to Australia I think provides a model for us as a community to make it as clear as we can to people who have come here from across the seas that this is a welcoming country. We know we have some problems with our multicultural society. Many of those problems relate to the attitudes of those who have been here for longer but, at the end of the day, I think all of us are looking for an Australia that is welcoming and that is receptive and respectful of cultures. That is why I am very pleased that the Hon. Kyam Maher has seen fit to put this on the agenda of the Legislative Council, and I am pleased to support the motion.

The Hon. K.L. VINCENT (21:16): On behalf of Dignity for Disability, I am pleased to take the floor to support this motion calling for a diverse and welcoming South Australia. Statistics from the 2011 Census show that about 350,000 South Australians were born overseas and approximately 220,000 speak a language other than English at home. South Australians come from about 200 countries, speak more than 200 languages, including Aboriginal languages, and believe in about 100 different religions, but culture is about more than country of origin, language spoken or the colour of our skin. I would like to touch on that a little later.

Unfortunately, racism, I believe, is still alive and well in this community, although there are many people working personally and professionally, through their work, to combat this. Aboriginal South Australians are an example of one particular people who are to this day severely disadvantaged.

The Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision has recently released the report titled Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage: Key Indicators 2014. The Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage (OID) report measures the wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, providing information about outcomes across a range of strategic areas and examining whether policies and programs are achieving positive outcomes for Indigenous Australians.

The report shows that nationally, because they do not have funding to give state-by-state breakdowns, for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians economic outcomes have improved over the longer term, with higher incomes, lower reliance on income support, increased home ownership and higher rates of full-time and professional employment. However, improvements have slowed in recent years.

There remain several health outcomes that have improved, including increased life expectancy and child mortality; however, rates of disability and chronic illness and disease remain high. Mental health outcomes have not improved and hospitalisation rates for self-harm have in fact increased. Post-secondary education outcomes have improved, but there has been virtually no change in literacy and numeracy results in schools, which are particularly poor in remote areas.

Justice outcomes continue to decline, with adult imprisonment rates worsening and no change in the high rates of juvenile detention and family and community violence. If any member wants to look more at the document I am quoting from, those stats come from the Productivity Commission and the report is called, 'Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage: Key Indicators 2014.'

As I said, I want to touch on a culture that extends beyond the colour of our skin, beyond our gender, beyond our country of birth and beyond the country that we are currently living in. One such example of this culture is my culture: disability culture, cripple culture. I am a proud 'crip'. I am a proud disabled woman. However, society has a long way to go in catching up with this pride.

I would like to, not so much quote as paraphrase, because I am not going to get the wording exactly right, a sentence that I recently read in a letter which well-known disability rights activist, comedian and journalist, Stella Young, wrote and published, a letter addressed to her 80 year old self. This is her imagining her looking back at the life she will have led as a proud disabled woman by the time she reaches the age of 80: 'It was around the age of 17 that I realised that I was not wrong for the world, that the world was wrong for me, the world was not yet set up for me,' and this remains the case for many deaf and disabled people living with disabilities in Australia.

If we want to be truly embracing of culture and welcoming of diversity in this state and this country, then it would be nice, to say the least, to be able to get through the door. It would be nice to be able to attend a function at the Adelaide Oval, for instance, as I did last week, without having to ask for directions and realise that the person giving them to you did not know how to direct someone without them using the stairs.

We have to wonder how welcoming the Adelaide Oval, as a brand new multimillion dollar development, truly is to people with disabilities. We have to wonder, even though the Stadium Management Authority claims it is adhering to necessary procedures and standards, if this is perhaps indicative of something beyond what standards can dictate, and that is our societal philosophical approach to people with disabilities.

If we are truly going to be embracing of diversity in culture then it is necessary for people with a disability to be able to visit small shops here and there on a whim and not be limited in where we can go and, hence, where we can spend our money. It is necessary for businesses to recognise the strong economic case that exists for embracing accessibility to people with disabilities.

I want to specifically acknowledge and recognise South Australians with a disability and deafness who play their part in shaping our state and whose influence has gone beyond state and national boundaries as they excel in their chosen field. In doing so, it is necessary to acknowledge the barriers that exist, especially for exemptions to the Disability Discrimination Act, which still allow airlines to refuse travel to wheelchair users. This is just one example. I see these examples every day, both in policy and in real life.

To this day, at the age of 26 years old, having used a wheelchair for 15 years of my life, I still find myself occasionally subconsciously apologising when I see people walking down the mall towards me and stepping out of my way, pulling their children out of my way, as if I present some danger to their children or as if I am going to veer my wheelchair and present some major barrier to their right to their space. I still find myself apologising for that, because that is how prevalent this is.

So, as I say, culture goes beyond the colour of our skin. It goes beyond the country that we live in. It has to speak to the body and the mind that we live in as well. While I support the measures specifically outlined in this motion as a very passionate advocate for multiculturalism and yet another ambassador in this chamber for the wonderful organisation Welcome to Australia, we do need to go beyond this very 'undiverse' definition of diversity.

Being welcoming and being embracing means our hospitality sector, our government offices and our public spaces being accessible to all, in both the physical infrastructure and the attitude of the people who inhabit those places. As the examples I have given this evening illustrate (and I assure you they are only a few), we have a long way to go in achieving this goal. Nevertheless, Dignity for Disability supports the motion and looks forward to working with all members to ensure a truly diverse and welcoming South Australia for people.

The Hon. S.G. WADE (21:26): Today I rise to support the motion introduced to the council by the Hon. Kyam Maher and to thank the honourable member for doing so. As South Australians, we are lucky to live in a culturally diverse, rich and accepting community. From Aboriginal inhabitants, to English and German migrants, to Afghan cameleers to Italians, Greeks, Vietnamese and Africans, our province and our state has been shaped and enriched immeasurably by people bound for South Australia, people who brought with them a vast array of skills, traditions, experiences and cultures.

Generation to generation, the vitality and prosperity of our nation owes much to welcoming people to come to Australia. It has been in the past and it will be in the future. In modern Australia, we are enriched in a number of ways by offering a welcome. Obviously, we welcome tourists. In the 12 months to June 2014, there were 386,000 international visitors who came to South Australia, adding $731 million to our state's economy. We welcome students: there were 8,173 new international students enrolling in higher education and VET courses in 2014, taking the total number to 19,530.

We welcome migrants, whether they want to conduct business or make our great state a place to call home. In 2014-15 we will see the Australian migration program take in 190,000 people, with an additional 13,750 places available for refugees. I am pleased to note that the federal government has today announced that it will increase the refugee and humanitarian intake in the next budget by a total of 7,500 places over the forward estimates. There will be an additional 2,500 places in year 3, followed by 5,000 extra places in year 4, bringing the annual intake to 18,750 places.

In that context of a nation which owes so much to a generous and warm welcome, Welcome to Australia is a community movement which expresses that welcome in very tangible terms. It embraces our shared future; it embraces our prosperity. I am privileged to be a Welcome to Australia ambassador, together in this place with the Hon. Jing Lee, the Hon. Tammy Franks, the Hon. Kelly Vincent and the Hon. Kyam Maher.

A key project of the movement is the Walk Together marches, and it was my privilege to represent my leader and the Liberal Party in the Walk Together event on 25 October here in Adelaide. The Hon. Tammy Franks and I were marching together and I thank her for educating me. She was referring to 'Wally', and I asked her, 'Who's Wally?' Apparently, he was Wouter Andrew 'Wally' De Backer, better known as Gotye, the multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter.

Gotye's 2011 single Somebody that I used to know reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 making him the fifth Australian-based artist to do so. On 10 February 2013, he won three Grammy awards. Well might I ask, 'Who's Wally?' It was appropriate that Gotye should march. He himself is a first-generation migrant, having migrated from Bruges in Belgium. He, like thousands of other Australians, is enriching both Australian and world culture.

The Adelaide event was to be one of 18 Walk Together events being hosted across Australia. It was part of, if you like, the trilogy of events: the National Day of Unity, Walk Together events and the National Mosque Open Day. The theme for this year's Walk Together was 'Common People, Common Dreams'. The Welcome to Australia website outlines some of the values of the organisation in the following terms:

We believe that cultural diversity should be celebrated for the beauty and depth it adds to our society and that no matter who you are, where you're from or how you arrived—you're a person who deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. We hope to coordinate a range of ways in which people can express these concepts in practical, meaningful and positive ways.

To pick up those last three words—practical, meaningful and positive—I thought it was unfortunate that the Hon. Kyam Maher, when speaking on the motion, could not resist the temptation to politically attack Prime Minister Tony Abbott and accuse him of giving licence and encouragement to intolerance. In response, I would quote the Prime Minister. He issued a statement clearly associating himself with Welcome to Australia and the National Day of Unity, in which he said:

I am pleased to provide this message for the 2014 National Day of Unity. The National Day of Unity is an opportunity to acknowledge the significant contributions of all who have made Australia home.

This day combines the annual Walk Together event and the inaugural National Mosque Open Day. My hope is that it will bring Australians together to learn more about different faiths and traditions, and to focus on our shared values.

Australia is a tolerant and pluralist democracy. Initiatives like the National Day of Unity encourage people to consider how we can build an even more inclusive and cohesive Australia.

Faith is an important element in our society. For many, it provides meaning, purpose and inspiration to their daily lives.

Our democracy rests on an understanding that every individual counts; and our social solidarity rests on the understanding that we should treat others as we would have them treat us.

As a nation, we have found unity in our diversity and respect in our differences. Together we have built a modern nation on the idea that anyone can get ahead provided they are prepared to 'have a go'.

I congratulate Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders for making the 2014 National Day of Unity possible, and I send my best wishes to everyone taking part.

The Hon. Tony Abbott MP

Prime Minister of Australia

24 October 2014

I stand today, as has the Hon. Jing Lee, to say that the Liberal Party, from the Prime Minister down to humble members of the Legislative Council in South Australia, affirm our commitment to playing our part in a united, cohesive Australia.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (21:33): I was listening to the contributions, and I do congratulate the Hon. Jing Lee for her excellent contribution to this motion, and the other members of the chamber who have made a contribution. I was just reading the motion to myself and I will reread it:

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.

Reading that, I was reminded of something that happened at the last election. I guess I was made aware of it some 12 months before the election when I was at a Property Council dinner to farewell the Property Council governing council chair. I had been fortunate enough to be the shadow minister that dealt with that industry for some period of time. The member for Elder at the time, the Hon. Patrick Conlon, the former minister, had been, if you like, the minister responsible. He and I had either the good fortune or misfortune to be sat next to each other and we started talking about the future, particularly the future of Elder and the Liberal candidate who had been preselected at the time, Ms Carolyn Habib.

What alarmed me that night was that the Hon. Patrick Conlon talked in very broad terms about how Carolyn Habib was a Muslim. I said, 'But Patrick, she's not, she's an Anglican.' He said, 'Mate, by the time we finish with her she'll be a Muslim.' That really upset me. We took some steps to make sure that the community knew that Carolyn was absolutely an Anglican, that she was not a Muslim, she was an important part of the community, she went to Anzac Day services, she laid wreaths.

We certainly embraced her as she was. Her mother is Canadian and her father is Lebanese and she is nothing but a perfectly rounded, home-grown product of the Northern Territory and has lived in South Australia since she was 17. But we saw what the Labor Party did. The Hon. Kyam Maher and his factional colleague, his former colleague, the Hon. Patrick Conlon, and all of his cronies attacked Carolyn Habib in that flyer that went out that said, 'you can't trust Habib'. It was printed in what was described to me by a journalist as an international terrorists' font. That just highlights the hypocrisy of this motion.

The Hon. Jay Weatherill—I am sure this motion has been through the Labor caucus—is very happy, especially if you look at point 3: 'Notes the important role of elected representatives in promoting a welcoming, diverse and harmonious community.' The Hon. Jay Weatherill said that this was not a racist attack at all.

The Hon. R.I. Lucas: So did Koutsantonis.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: So did Tom Koutsantonis. I am reminded by my colleague, the Hon. Rob Lucas, that the Hon. Tom Koutsantonis said that it was not a racist attack. We have both factions of the Labor Party saying that it was not a racist attack, yet nearly every journalist in the nation—and it made the national news and it was broadcast all over Australia—said that this was an outrageous racial attack on a very high-quality young woman who wanted to come into this parliament to represent a portion of the community.

The Hon. S.G. Wade: And a federal Labor politician, I think, criticised it.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: Absolutely. I think federal Labor politician Ed Husic also condemned it. Often in this chamber—

The Hon. S.G. Wade: He knows a racist attack when he sees one.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: Absolutely. As my colleague the Hon. Stephen Wade interjects, he knows a racist attack when he sees one. I am reminded that the Hon. Carmel Zollo and the Hon. Gail Gago would often talk about encouraging more women to enter parliament and that the Liberal Party had a poor representation of women in parliament.

I am disgusted that when we had what was universally accepted as a quality candidate who ran for parliament, at the 11^th hour the Labor Party—and Kyam Maher is part of that Labor Party and probably shortly to be a minister. We are aware of rumours that the Hon. Gail Gago will be stepping down from the front bench, probably between now and Christmas, and retiring from parliament sometime early next year. It will probably be around that five or six-week gap in April. The Hon. Kyam Maher is likely to be elevated to a minister of the Crown.

The Hon. R.I. Lucas: I hope not.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: Some say, 'I hope not,' but I suspect that that is the factional reward for him. Yet this is a party—

The Hon. K.J. Maher interjecting:

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: We are talking about the racial attack. We are talking about a motion that you have put to this parliament talking about how we should be committed to promoting a diverse and welcoming South Australia, how important it is to be open, making sure that we recognise and value the contribution of people from a wide variety of backgrounds, and the important role of elected representatives in promoting a welcoming, diverse and harmonious community.

Yet you are part of a party that was prepared to stoop to the lowest levels I have seen in the 13 years I have been in parliament, attacking a quality young candidate who would have added extreme value to the parliament. I know that she was not from the same political party as you; nonetheless, she would have added a lot of value and brought a different perspective to the parliament. You and your party stooped to one of the lowest levels I have ever seen.

Naturally, I will not be voting against the motion—I support the motion—but I think it is important to remind the chamber that this is a hypocritical act of the highest order, with the Hon. Kyam Maher saying, 'Let's be welcoming, let's be open, let's recognise our multicultural diversity,' yet when it suits the Labor Party they sink the boots into anybody they possibly can.

The Hon. T.T. NGO (21:40): I also rise to add my voice to those who have expressed a commitment to promote a diverse and welcoming South Australia. I thank the Hon. Kyam Maher for bringing this motion to the council. I know personally that he does great work in the community, especially in the country, in promoting diversity. I want to avoid making this a political statement, so I will not respond to what the Hon. Mr Ridgway has just said. I thank—

The Hon. R.I. Lucas: You wouldn't agree with it, would you?

The Hon. T.T. NGO: No, I have a different point of view.

The Hon. R.I. Lucas: Just give us an idea.

The PRESIDENT: Honourable members are reminded not to interject.

The Hon. T.T. NGO: I thank the Hon. Mr Darley, the Hon. Mr Parnell, the Hon. Ms Vincent and the Hon. Mr Wade for their contribution in promoting diversity. It means a lot to me to hear of their genuine support in relation to this matter. I add my voice to those who recognise and value the contribution that people from a wide variety of backgrounds, cultures and beliefs have made and continue to make 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 those who articulate the important role of elected representatives in promoting a welcoming, diverse and harmonious community.

It is obvious that those of us who are not among the first Australians are immigrants or the descendants of immigrants. Our identity as Australians is made up of and has been shaped by 170 different cultures. South Australia's own story is a story of migration. We are and will remain a culturally diverse society. At a time when we have just welcomed leaders from all over the world to the G20 Conference, we can be proud of our country, a country that has been well and truly on show to the world. Prime Minister Abbott, at a breakfast meeting with David Cameron in Sydney a few Fridays ago, extolled the beauty and praised the stability and prosperity of our country. It was good to hear the Prime Minister talking up our country, our economy and our future.

I am a beneficiary of this country's diversity and its welcoming nature. Most of the people present today know my story. As a young boy, and following the war in Vietnam, I came by boat to a refugee camp in the Philippines. On the way our boat was attacked by pirates and our engine was stolen. We drifted and we prayed. Eventually, we were picked up by a boat and taken to a camp. From there, after a year and a half, we came to this very lucky country. I spoke no English but I tried hard, and people were good to me. I went to school and university and had jobs. With the support of my community, I was elected as a local councillor at the age of 22, and now I sit in this place. I have been lucky and I have had plenty of help.

I am a product of all these experiences. In my maiden speech I explained that I felt compelled, and I continue to feel compelled, to repay this country, to foster links between the emerging migrant and refugee communities and their fellow Australians, to promote harmony between people, to facilitate their participation in our social, economic and cultural life, and to help them give voice and form to their own cultural heritage. I am very proud to be part of this community, but I know, too, the challenges and often the hardships that can shape the lives, the hopes, and the aspirations of relatively recent arrivals in Australia.

I believe that resilience is the key and that with hard work, good friends and belief in ourselves we can lead happy and successful lives here. With resilience, I have found that optimism is the key to meeting and dealing with adversity. That concept of optimism is one that I want to discuss. It has helped build the foundation of multiculturalism that supports our state today. I want to acknowledge, as part of this equation, the commitment of the current South Australian government and various governments of the past to the principles of access, equality and social justice. The government's policies are about protecting people's rights and recognising social justice inequalities and taking action to rectify them.

I am proud to be part of a government which upholds the values of a compassionate democracy, that has at its heart community service and participation. However, it is up to all of us, especially us as elected representatives, to extend a welcoming hand to people newly arrived in our country, particularly in South Australia. All have displayed imagination, ingenuity and optimism whatever the catalyst for their journeys and however they made their way here. It is with these remarks that I conclude by commending this motion to the house.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (21:48): I thank all members for their contributions. The Hon. Jing Lee I thank for sharing some of her very compelling personal experiences, and I thank her for her summary of Australian immigration policy over the last century. As I said when I introduced this motion, policies of the past, particularly policies supported by the Labor Party in decades gone, are a shameful part of our political history. However, as I also said when I introduced the motion, some of the language that has been used in the immigration debate by a number of people on various sides of politics shows we have not moved on nearly as far as we should have. I thank the Hon. Jing Lee for her ongoing commitment in this area and support of this motion.

I thank the Hon. John Darley for his considered words. I am always very pleased when the Hon. John Darley and I find common ground through agreement, and this is certainly one of those occasions. I thank the Hon. Mark Parnell for his contribution, particularly his recognition of Welcome To Australia and the remarkable work they do and the remarkable work that Pastor Brad Chilcott does with that organisation.

I think, as I mentioned when I introduced the motion, I was not participating in the Adelaide Walk Together March; instead I helped to lead the inaugural Mount Gambier Walk Together march. Both the then mayor and former Liberal candidate Steve Perryman and I spoke there. I congratulate now councillor rather than mayor Steve Perryman for his very wise words to the Walk Together crowd in Mount Gambier. I also note that the new Mount Gambier mayor, Andrew Lee, participated in the march and I think a majority of the elected Mount Gambier council were at the march. I think that is of great credit, to the elected leaders in Mount Gambier.

I thank very much the Hon. Kelly Vincent for her words and her demonstrated commitment to the Welcome to Australia walk. My kids still ask me who was that nice woman that they walked with last year—it was the Hon. Kelly Vincent. I thank the Hon. Kelly Vincent for a timely reminder about other ways that our community and state need to strive for to be more welcoming.

I thank the Hon. Stephen Wade for his very genuine and demonstrated commitment in this area. I also thank him for sharing his pop culture education. He did not play 'Where's Wally?' but played 'Who's Wally?' I did see that on social media at the time and that gave me a great laugh. I was not there but I did see clips of the performance of Eric Bogle's Shelter, a verse of that at the end of the Walk Together. That is a song that has meant a lot to me and it was very moving.

I note the Hon. David Ridgway's contribution and the current Leader of the Opposition's cameo performance. I thank the Hon. Tung Ngo for his speech night in sharing his experiences. As he outlined earlier this year when he gave his first speech to this place, his experience is one that you cannot help to be moved by, and he has lived the experience as part of multicultural South Australia.

I thank all members for their contributions and look forward to support for this motion. It is a very straightforward motion. The words are not controversial but it is just a reminder that we still have a way to go and that it is something that we need to be debating in this chamber and agreeing to today.

Motion carried.