Ben Morton (Tangney, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This government's multicultural statement is apt for all Australians. Our nation owes its success to more than 300 different ancestries—our First Australians, our British and Irish settlers and our newest friends and neighbours. To this government and to me, multiculturalism is not about us or them; it is about all of us, about unity, mutual respect and values of opportunity, self-reliance and aspiration, whether we arrived last week or whether our ancestors have been in Australia for hundreds or even thousands of years. We will only succeed as a nation when we all feel part of our multicultural success.

We all share democracy and an independent judicial system. We all fight with every breath to defend our freedoms of speech, religion, enterprise and association. Australians are so privileged to be free to make their own decisions, without fear of imprisonment or bloodshed. There is great strength in our shared fundamental values and in Australia's peace, prosperity and democracy in the face of radical and ideologically opposed enemies. Because of this unity, our nation is one of the strongest foundations for those who want to apply their own effort and achieve every potential for their family, their business and our country. I congratulate the Prime Minister and the Assistant Minister for Social Services and Multicultural Affairs, Zed Seselja, for their significant work in building an inclusive and unifying multicultural statement for all Australians.