Dai Le (Fowler, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I move the following motion championing Australia's multicultural strength:

That this House:

(1) acknowledges:

(a) more than half of the Australian population was either born overseas or has one parent who was born overseas; and

(b) nearly a quarter of Australian residents speak a language other than English at home;

(2) notes:

(a) the importance of government in creating an inclusive society where everyone feels they belong;

(b) the importance of national broadcasters like SBS and ABC in reflecting and engaging with culturally and linguistically diverse and Indigenous communities and promoting social cohesion and inclusion; and

(c) perceptions of fair and adequate representation in the media directly correlates with multicultural communities' sense of belonging;

(3) encourages:

(a) policymakers and government bodies to engage with culturally diverse communities in policy development;

(b) the Australian Public Service to commit to ensuring that diversity of leadership representation is reflected across its leadership levels;

(c) media organisations to ensure staff, senior leadership and boards reflect Australia's rich diversity; and

(d) SBS to play an active role in ensuring talent from multicultural backgrounds is given opportunities to excel within the organisation; and

(4) calls on the Government to:

(a) take into account multicultural communities and their needs when formulating policies, allocation of funding, and resources;

(b) ensure English classes are funded for newly arrived migrants and refugees to ensure their successful integration into Australian society;

(c) ensure newly settled migrants and arrivals are aware of their rights and responsibilities;

(d) improve the process to recognise overseas qualifications so migrants and refugees can contribute to Australia's skilled workforce;

(e) effectively consult with cultural communities to inform the Government's Multicultural Framework Review.

Our country, and the world, faces social, political and economic turbulence following the pandemic. The Scanlon Foundation's 2022 social cohesion study found that while social cohesion increased in Australia during this period, it is now declining as we adjust to life after this turbulent time. But the study also found that, population wide, our nation's support for multiculturalism is high and growing, with 78 per cent believing that migrants make Australia stronger, up from 63 per cent in 2018. That's why I am putting forward this important motion, as I believe this House has a critical role to play to ensure that the policies, the conversations and the decisions we make from Canberra champion our cohesive Australian multicultural community and identity.

We know that more than half of the Australian population was born overseas or has one parent born overseas. In my electorate of Fowler, the multicultural heartland of Australia, 70 per cent of my community speak a language other than English. That brings me to the role that the Special Broadcasting Service plays in encouraging and highlighting how multicultural Australia is now a fact of life in our society. Representation is critical. My life before being elected as member for Fowler was as a journalist and reporter for, firstly, Fairfax community newspapers then later with the ABC. I was the only Asian face in the newsroom. During the nineties, while reporting on local issues, my community was demonised and ostracised across all media outlets, even by our elected politicians. Had there been representation from people with lived expense of this community, it would not have ignited the flames of division that we felt at the time.

Studies by the University of Canberra and SBS have shown that how multicultural communities are represented in the media affects their sense of belonging. The Scanlon Foundation found that Australians' sense of belonging has declined from a score of 100 in 2007 to 81 in 2022. Belonging is a key element in creating a social, cohesive society. Further research from Media Diversity Australia also found that while diverse representation has improved on our screens and airwaves, there is still some way to go. The Who gets to tell Australian stories? report found that while public service broadcasters have improved representation in on-screen talent or in their stories told, commercial networks still severely underrepresented CALD communities in their broadcasting. Furthermore, in the newsroom and boardrooms themselves, leadership is also lacking in cultural diversity. With this, I'm proud to launch the Parliamentary Friends of SBS alongside my colleagues the member for Monash and the member for Calwell. As a public broadcaster, SBS has serviced Australians for approximately 45 years, covering stories in multilingual and multicultural media forms. I commend SBS for its commitment to ensuring that everybody's voice is captured and included. A young constituent shared with me how she grew watching her father tuning into the Vietnamese segment of SBS to learn about what was happening around the world. This experience shows that multiculturalism in the media is a powerful tool that can travel through generations.

Yes, diversity in the arts, culture and media is important, but so is representation in what we do as policy-makers. Media and politics go hand in hand. The media will report on the government policies and, therefore, the government, at the end of the day, is ultimately responsible for formulating policies to enable a cohesive, multicultural Australia. It is very exciting to see this parliament being one of the most culturally and gender diverse, but we are yet to see how this will translate into leadership roles, decision-making and policies that will benefit communities we represent and the cultural diversity within them. Australia will continue to be more diverse as time progresses, so I ask government institutions to ensure multicultural communities are included and are on their minds when formulating policies. This will eventually be reflected in mainstream media through the stories we see and in mainstream institutions at leadership levels, where lived experiences, cultural knowledge and diverse perspectives will enable better policy outcomes and decision-making that will make Australia a stronger and more cohesive nation.

As we sit in the prestige of this parliament, I am reminded that our voices are a powerful tool to ensure that the policies we deliver are reflective of Australian multicultural society.

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