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Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2016-03-09 Daily Xml
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Matters of Interest

Welcome to Australia

The Hon. G.A. KANDELAARS (15:22): Today I rise to speak about Welcome to Australia, an organisation that was the brainchild of well-known South Australian community leader Brad Chilcott. I recently met Brad and Mohammad Al-Khafaji, the new CEO of Welcome to Australia. It is worth giving a brief outline of both Brad and Mohammad. Brad is the founder of Welcome to Australia, a national movement of people, communities and organisations committed to the vision of a welcoming and inclusive Australia known for its compassion, generosity and celebration of diversity.

Brad regularly challenges the status quo to advance social issues in the community by articulating his thoughts in the opinion pieces he publishes online to win the hearts and minds of the readers. Brad is also one of the most effective and successful campaigners in Australia, utilising innovative ways to raise awareness or to mobilise people in a short period of time. Brad is passionate about helping young people realise their full potential through friendship and positive encouragement. Brad also recently donated a kidney to his eight-year-old son Harrison.

Mohammad migrated to Australia with his family in 2003 at the age of 13 as a refugee from Iraq. For a number of years he and his family had lived in Iran and Syria. Mohammad is grateful for the opportunity Australia has given him since arriving in Adelaide, and he is keen to give back to the community that welcomed him and his family when they arrived. Mohammad studied for a Bachelor of Software Engineering at the University of Adelaide and has worked in the IT industry for a number of years.

Mohammad was recently appointed CEO of Welcome to Australia, making him the first full-time paid staff member of the national organisation. Mohammad hopes to use his skills to grow the organisation and make it sustainable. He is also the Youth Chair of the Federation of Ethnic Communities Council of Australia, the peak body representing ethnic communities in Australia.

Welcome to Australia exists to give to asylum seekers, refugees and other new arrivals a warm, dignified and positive welcome to Australia, and to give everyday Australians the opportunity to engage in a practical act of welcome that assists in building social cohesion and maintaining community health. Welcome to Australia began as a conversation between a number of individuals and not-for-profit organisations that believed there needed to be a positive voice in the public conversation around asylum-seeking refugees and multiculturalism that was not politically aligned or focused on policy, but rather invited Australians to join in dreaming of an Australia that could be.

Welcome to Australia's flagship event is Walk Together, held around October every year all around Australia, to celebrate the beautiful multicultural Australia we all share. I know that a number of members of this parliament participated in the Adelaide Walk Together last year, including the Premier, Jay Weatherill, and the Leader of the Opposition, Steven Marshall. Walk Together is a celebration of diversity and a loud declaration that thousands of Australians believe we can become a nation known for its compassion, generosity and welcome.

In 2015, 29 cities and regional centres participated in Walk Together and had more than 20,000 people uniting to say 'welcome'. Adelaide had the largest crowd, with more than 7,000 people marching. An initiative of Welcome Australia is The Welcome Centre located at Brompton. It provides support to asylum seekers, refugees and new arrivals through English classes, volunteer and work experience opportunities and emergency relief.

The Welcome Centre is a place of friendship, a place where everyday Australians and new migrants can meet and share stories. The Welcome Centre's main objective is to foster people-to-people relationships and to inspire and welcome people new to Australia. I congratulate Welcome to Australia, in particular Brad and Mohammad, for the work they have undertaken and are continuing to undertake to make refugees welcome in our community.

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