Matt Smith (Leichhardt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

One thing people might not realise about the Far North is just how diverse the people who live there are. Obviously we are very proud of our two ancient and distinct cultures, those of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, whose languages and cultures inform our design and even our slang. We also have many locals, right across Far North Queensland, who represent the diversity of the world. We've got people who can trace their lineage back to the First Fleet. We've got descendants of families who came across eager to take part in the gold rushes or to start the sugar industry. We have people whose relatives fled to Australia after the world wars. And we have a wide range of newer migrants from across the world.

One of the things I was most proud to do in the last year was attend citizenship ceremonies in Cairns and to be able to see the joy of those people who became Australian citizens. My beautiful partner, Renee, was one of them. This is what Australia is: it's hope and opportunity. And why wouldn't you want to come to the Far North? It's awesome. While we have seen some in Australia fighting against multiculturalism, I am proud to say that the Cairns community has embraced our new arrivals. Just this year we've had Chinese New Year, Cinco de Mayo, the Indian festival, the Italian festival, the Greek festival, the Filipino festival, the Thai festival—the list goes on and on. And at our recent Cairns Festival Grand Parade we had floats representing cultures from all over the world. I'm very proud of what we've achieved here in the Far North.

Recent developments, though, have left some of my constituents from diverse backgrounds a bit worried about their safety. No-one should feel unwelcome because of who they are. Our residents of Indian descent in particular seem to have borne the brunt of this anger and hatred, and that is not okay. And, while Cairns was spared some of the ugly scenes we saw in the capital cities featuring Neo-Nazism, the Indian community did reach out to me for assistance.

Prior to this, over the last few weeks, I've attended multiple celebrations of Indian culture in the Far North. On 17 August, I attended the Hindu temple to celebrate Janmashtami, the birth of Krishna. People spoke of love, of one people and of purpose in life being more than the search for material possessions. The following week I attended the Cairns Indian Festival hosted by Subash Chetry and the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin. This was a celebration of the diverse nature of Indian cultures and brought together around 10,000 people to learn, laugh and celebrate what the Indian community has brought to the region. When our region has faced natural disaster, GOPIO has always stepped up, providing food to volunteers, rescuers and victims. They did it during Cyclone Jasper, and in the more recent flooding events they headed down to Ingham. I was proud to stand with them and their community to celebrate.

Last week I attended Onam, the southern Indian celebration of the harvest. It is a Malayali tradition that also celebrates the return of King Mahabali, who was so loved that the gods were jealous and banished him hell. But every year he returns to celebrate the harvest with his people. At each event I was struck by the care, the joy and the community spirit. I am overjoyed that they have chosen to call Cairns and the Far North home. They make Australia better. I say to those in my community who might feel scared or vulnerable during this time: please know you are welcome.

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