Keith Wolahan (Menzies, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yesterday, I had the privilege of going to the Chinese community roundtable. At that meeting was a man named Minwen Wu. He has founded a group called English Corner, which takes its inspiration from Speakers' Corner in England. Speakers' Corner in England has a history that goes back 250 years. It's had speakers such as Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin and George Orwell—speakers very familiar to all sides of this House, and some appear in essays that we've seen.

The purpose of this corner, which is at Box Hill, is for people to stand on their feet and practice English. We often take for granted that we can speak English from birth. We learn it from our parents, not from birth. Even though I was a migrant, I came here knowing English, but so many in my community don't know English and have to learn. There is no better way than standing in front of your peers and explaining what it is you stand for and what it is you are passionate about. I want to commend this group.

They meet every weekend in Box Hill. I encourage anyone in the Box Hill area to go and meet them and to listen. I did, and they don't just practice English. They speak about politics. They speak about our community. They speak about our environment. They speak about a better Australia, and I encourage us all to attend. I thank the organisers for putting on such a wonderful example of our communal language, and I commend them.