Teresa Gambaro (Brisbane, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Citizenship and Settlement) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is with great pride that I rise to salute a great Australian, Mr Frank Lowy, who last night delivered the inaugural Australian Multicultural Council Lecture in the main committee room in parliament.

Immigration has made Australia the nation that we know today. It has made us a stronger Australia, and community confidence in immigration provides the foundation for social harmony and the continued success of our immigration program. In the words of Judge Rauf Soulio in his opening address to the lecture last night, 'Multicultural Australia transcends the usual division of politics, and the diversity is the defining strength of Australia.'

Since World War II immigration has transformed Australia from a nation of some seven million to one of more than 22 million, with more than 260 different diverse cultural backgrounds. In that time, immigration has seen more than seven million people settle here, including 750,000 refugees. As a Jewish immigrant from Czechoslovakia, Frank Lowy spoke about fleeing from the Nazis in World War II, and he is a testament to the opportunities that Australia has provided to people from many different backgrounds.

I am very proud to say that I share in this heritage as I was born to Italian immigrant parents who owned and operated the local corner store. They worked hard to develop their business, which employed hundreds of people and contributed to the Australian economy. They supported their family and also contributed greatly to community life, particularly to those who were disadvantaged. I have the honour of having been elected to the federal parliament not once but twice, and it is indeed a very, very humbling honour and one that has been afforded to only about 26 people in 100 years. I am delighted to be here for the second time.

Australia is arguably the world's most successful immigration nation and, as Frank Lowy reminded us last night, we should resist the temptation to view Australia's multicultural experience through rose-coloured glasses. Our success is not something we should take for granted and nor should we be misguided about the reasons for our success. That is why the universal condemnation across our great nation in response to the violence in Sydney is a tribute to us all.

Extremism has no place in Australia. Extremism is not part of the fabric of Australian society; it is not part of our cultural diversity. To those who would seek to hurt their country with their prejudices and their hatred, I say this: you have no place here. If you sought to weaken our resolve against racial and religious prejudice, you have failed. If you sought to divide us, you have failed. We stand united against you. Australians come from nations and ethnic cultures right across the world and have the right to express cultural identities and beliefs in a very tolerant society, but that special privilege comes with the rights and obligations of being an Australian citizen and respecting the rule of law. We must jealously protect and maintain our national unity and social cohesion as an immigration nation. We have policies that decry racism, that reject discrimination and that recognise our diverse backgrounds. We should continue to be conscious of removing barriers to participation in the Australian community. In fact, we should be more insistent about that participation.

To achieve this, we need to focus policy on appreciating the things that we have in common rather than just celebrating the things that are different or the things that divide us. But we must also insist on a 'one rule for all' approach, and we must build a culture that is based on participation, on shared responsibilities and on shared obligations rather than just on equal entitlements.

Australia is the land of the fair go. Australia is an enormously wonderful country that has been good to many migrants like my parents and future generations of migrants. But opportunities will be realised only by those who have a go. Our most successful immigrants have always understood, appreciated and celebrated what is great about Australia. We are a nation that is rich in ethnic, cultural and linguistic diversity, and Australia is a great nation that has been built by migration.

Federation Chamber adjourned at 12:48