Anne Aly (Cowan, Australian Labor Party, Minister for International Development) Share this | Hansard source

I too want to record my deep sadness on the death of the Hon. Nick Bolkus and honour his outstanding service to our nation. Senator Bolkus was a pillar of the Australian Labor Party, as the minister outlined in his speech just then, and he was also a pioneer of multicultural Australia. As the first federal cabinet member of Greek heritage, he demonstrated to many of us who were watching from the outside that representation is not just symbolic; representation matters.

Senator Bolkus didn't simply inherit the story of migration; he lived it. And he lived that story through his longstanding career advocating for people from every background. He was a minister in the Hawke and Keating governments, and in 1993 he was appointed Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs and the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Multicultural Affairs. In both of those positions he worked relentlessly to ensure that the immigration system of this country was fairer and more inclusive. He understood what many in the labour movement understand: inclusiveness is not just an abstract exercise; it has a profound impact on the day-to-day lives of ordinary Australians in their ability to secure employment, in their ability to access services, in having their views heard and in their sense of belonging to this nation.

Senator Bolkus was the Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs at a time when the Keating government asked Australians to look outward to Asia and inward to our own social cohesion. He understood that multiculturalism had to be about inclusion and participation, not just about food and festivals, and that we recognise a community not just because their food tastes like chicken but because of the many contributions that they bring to Australia. One of his greatest legacies was his stewardship of the Racial Hatred Act 1995. He was the early architect of the legislation that protects Australians from hateful attacks based on their heritage, the colour of their skin or their place of birth. It's unsurprising that this was, of course, a hotly contested ideological battleground back then, but sadly that is still the case today.

Senator Bolkus at that time had to navigate some contentious debates within the other place, and he had to build cross-party agreement in order to get the bill passed. He did that by championing the argument that, in a successful multicultural democracy, freedom of speech does not include the right to destroy another person's dignity because of the colour of their skin or their heritage, and his speeches from that period reflect a clarity of purpose that continues to inspire us today. He said then that Australia's future lies not in assimilation but in the rich tapestry of cultures that weave our national identity, and indeed those words are true today.

In that same sense, we acknowledge that Senator Bolkus was behind the formation of the Multicultural Advisory Council, a standing body of coordination and advice to government, ensuring that our most diverse communities had input into how multiculturalism was shaped, and it formed the foundation of today's Australian Multicultural Council, which continues to do that important work.

Prior to Senator Bolkus, the then ethnic affairs portfolio was responsible for delivering government services to non-English speakers. He took the portfolio in a different direction, a direction that would have been perceived as being groundbreaking at that time, rightly arguing that our diversity is in fact an economic asset. He recognised that our diaspora communities are not just people in need of assistance but, rather, bridges to the global economy. He advocated the view that Australians who speak Greek or Mandarin or Vietnamese or Arabic are our competitive advantage in a globalised world. He, in fact, moved multiculturalism from being at the periphery of social policy to the centre of economic policy. Every time we refer today to cultural capability in business or in government, or when we refer to the trade links created through people-to-people relationships, we are drawing upon the same arguments that he advanced 30 years ago. That is some legacy.

When I was a child, we didn't practise our cultural heritage or traditions publicly. We listened to Umm Kulthum and Abdel Wahab in the quiet of our living room. We fasted for Ramadan by politely refusing food and drink so we were not having to answer questions about why we didn't drink water during the day, and we broke fast quietly over home cooked meals in our dining rooms. We didn't practise publicly. Something changed that, and one of the most profound things that changed that for my family was SBS. SBS gave us leave to speak our language publicly, to eat our food publicly and to celebrate our cultural traditions publicly. Under Senator Bolkus's leadership, SBS grew. He really championed it and advocated for expanding SBS. It developed from this specialised broadcaster into what it is today: a national organisation that reaches millions of Australians with news and programs in over 60 languages—a broadcaster that truly reflects the diversity of our nation.

He also made significant advancements in Australia's refugee policy—as if all of that wasn't enough, there's more. In response to humanitarian crises around the world, he streamlined visa processing for those fleeing persecution, and, as many before me have noted, in 1993 he played a critical role in granting permanent residence to tens of thousands of Chinese students and their family members—those who had come prior to the Tiananmen Square incident, which is recalled quite vividly by those of us who can. That decision garnered international recognition, and in his valedictory speech many, many years later, he referred back to that moment with great pride, stating: 'The sky didn't fall in and the hordes didn't invade.'

Sadly, though, those same expressions of border anxiety exist today. The passage of time proved that Australia, when tested, rises to the challenge and holds firm on our values of equality and humanity—values that Senator Bolkus put into practice all those years ago in 1993. Today, we also draw inspiration from his steadfastness in holding these values, even while other political and social forces seek to exploit division, appeal to fear and undermine our democracy.

Arguably, his most lasting legacy is in relation to the status of citizenship itself. Senator Bolkus believed that Australian citizenship should be a celebratory occasion, not just an administrative requirement. I've heard this described variously as moving beyond formal citizenship to citizenship actually being something that we feel, that we celebrate and that we that we take in, in the way in which we practice our lives. He worked to enhance the significance of the pledge of commitment. He wanted the experience of becoming Australian to be a moment of profound inclusion.

Like many members in this House, I attend citizenship ceremonies quite regularly. At the most recent one, there were about 200 people taking the citizenship pledge, and I reflected with them on that part in the citizenship pledge where we pledge allegiance not just to Australia but to Australia and her people. I asked the people in the room to look around and take in the environment and the atmosphere of that citizenship ceremony and to recognise that they were about to stand up and pledge their loyalty to the people in that room with them today, as well.

I watched the faces of the people who were getting their citizenship as I spoke this and watched them again as they spoke those words when they took the citizenship pledge. I saw the intense pride when they spoke those words, the intense pride and the recognition that becoming Australian meant that you were pledging your allegiance to a people—to sharing their values and their democratic beliefs, as well as their rights and responsibilities. Indeed, every time I'm fortunate enough to attend a citizenship ceremony, I reflect on just how significant Nick Bolkus's impact was in making sure that they are celebratory moments, as is that very significant part of the citizenship pledge.

I've spoken a lot about Senator Bolkus's contributions to multiculturalism and to modern Australia because they matter to me. They mattered to me as a young woman growing up in Australia, being able to look at somebody in the parliament who reflected my own feelings, my own voice, my own desires and my own sense of what it means to be Australian and what it means to belong in this nation. I think that gives you all a sense of just how significant and just how impactful Senator Bolkus was as a minister in the government here in this place. I never knew him. I never got to meet him, and I never got to shake hands. I would have loved to have had the kinds of experiences that the minister for health was speaking about. I would have loved to have sat with him and garnered some of his wise words and just drunk all of that in. But I am living proof that what he did mattered. I am living proof that what he did had an impact and will continue to have a lasting impact on this nation.

In closing, I just want to also extend my sincerest condolences to Senator Bolkus's wife, Mary, and his children. We mourn the loss of a great advocate for migrants and a distinguished parliamentarian. I hope that his family finds comfort in the knowledge that his contribution to Australia in opening the hearts and the minds of successive generations will never be forgotten. Rest in peace, Senator Nick Bolkus, and may we continue to build the inclusive Australia that he spent his life striving for.

Debate adjourned.

Federation Chamber adjourned at 19:29

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