Josh Burns (Macnamara, Australian Labor Party) | Hansard source

My family came to this country as a mix of migrants and refugees. Some spoke English; some didn't. Some held citizenships; some were stateless. But all of my family understood that the rights, freedoms and opportunities that Australia afforded were precious. All worked hard every single day to create a life for our family and to give back to our incredible country. Yet none forgot the countries and the history that shaped who they are, because the beauty of Australia is that they never had to. Australia is the greatest country on earth not despite our multiculturalism but because of it. Australia is a rich tapestry of cultures, faiths and traditions. It has made us more diverse, more resilient, more appealing and more prosperous. And, just like my family, thousands of others around the country have also given back. It is why we need to make sure that they have access to the basics so they can give everything back to our country—like access to buy their family a home, access to see a doctor and access to world-class education. We don't need to imagine what a monocultural Australia is. We have lived it, and we have said that we should never live it again. We are home to people born in 200 countries with 300 ancestries, and we speak more than 300 languages. That is something that we should all take great pride in.

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