Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Small Business) Share this | Hansard source

I'd like to follow on from the previous speaker by saying it's 100 per cent right that you do not need to speak full English to be a patriotic, committed, invested Australian. But, when it comes down to providing pathways so that people can be full participants in the Australian way of life, we know the foundations of people's language and capacity to communicate with their fellow citizens are not just something that is, frankly, desirable; they are also the pathway by which people can not just become citizens and full economic participants but, of course, also socially integrate into the rest of the country. We don't want to be a nation of enclaves. We want to be a nation of big citizens enlivened by their full participation in the rest of the community.

That's the basis on which we're supporting the Translating and Interpreting Services Bill 2025, because we see the capacity for new Australians to become full participants in the Australian way of life as central to their success. We want them to succeed. That is why, of course, we had the Fraser government establish SBS many years ago. It made an investment in the future broadcasting potential of this country so that it didn't matter where you were, where you landed from and where, of course, you built a life in this country. You had not just a pathway to connect back to the knowledge and information that was available from your traditional homeland but, in addition to that, a clear pathway to English education and to becoming a full participant in the Australian way of life. That is liberalism lived large, and we want to see that at every point, because it's in the best interest of investing in our people. The legislation we're talking about here is nowhere near as grand as the great Liberal achievement of broadcasting for multicultural Australia. This is a much more technical one. But it still is part of making sure that, no matter how you came to this nation and whatever the cause, there's a pathway for you to have that sense of full citizenship.

The previous speaker spoke particularly about those who go on the pathways of resettlement through migration programs, including refugees. These are often people who were displaced because of intolerable acts and prejudice and persecution in their homeland. What they are seeking when they seek a pathway for resettlement here in Australia is not just safety—although that is, of course, absolutely true—or avoiding refoulement—although that is also true. It is to then go on and build the foundations of a life where they can build and invest in their family, become economic participants and do things like establish small businesses. I know, Deputy Speaker Aldred, that with your past history at the Franchise Council you understand that new Australians are some of the biggest investors in small businesses, because they understand that that's the pathway for wealth and opportunity. That, of course, is why so many of them become horrified at how Labor seeks to demonise the self-employed, the small businesses and those who stand on their own two feet and why they see such common ground with the spirit of the speech which I give today, which I know that you and other members on the Liberal side, such as the member for Longman, share with me. The member for Longman fundamentally understands that full economic participation and small businesses are the foundation of our economic success—not just as individuals or families but as communities—and therefore also the pathway for our shared success as a nation.

We know that TIS National has operated since the 1970s, and we know the important role that it plays. We know that it is an essential part of making sure that translation services through telephone operations can be central to every Australian being able to participate. Of course, this in itself is one of those great achievements that we have supported along the way for many years. What we want to do is continue to expand those services to make sure that they're contemporary and meet the challenges of the 21st century. We want to make sure that, if you make this nation your home, you have the resources and the capacity to live out your best life for yourself and your family.

This is an important step. It's a central step because it speaks not just to the type of nation that we are, but, more importantly, to the type of nation that we want to be—a cohesive and connected one where people have a sense of equal dignity and understanding about who they are and what they want to achieve together. That's the basis on which I support this bill.

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