Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On Sunday a walk for respect was held in the suburb of Lakemba in Sydney. It was the largest community action that has ever taken place in the Canterbury area, and it was in response to the plans of the current Attorney-General to change section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act.

It was, I have to say, the best way to protest against that action, because what the community did was show the government what harmony looks like, what multicultural Australia looks like at its best. We had people from every continent. We had drumming groups from every continent sounding their drums together. We had a welcome to country ceremony. We had representation from across the entire local community—businesspeople, workers, pensioners, children, people of every age and every faith and with heritage going back to every continent, from throughout Australia.

That is the way that modern Australia should deal with racial discrimination: to see ethnic diversity as something to be celebrated and not as a threat. In referring to the community leaders there, I should note that Rugby League greats Hazem El Masri and Steve Mortimer were both there, with the rest of the community.