Maria Kovacic (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister to the Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

I am a proud Australian and I stand here as a proud Australian senator, and I would not be in this chamber without the promise of Australia—a promise extended to my family and to me as a first-generation Australian. That same promise belongs to every Australian from first-, second-, third- and fourth-generation families, right through to the three-quarters of a million Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians who are the first custodians of our national story. We should never be ashamed to call ourselves Australians. We should be proud of it, proud of a country that has welcomed people from every walk of life and proud of a nation built not on exclusion but on opportunity.

We should not remain silent when some seek to distort the immigration debate and use it to divide our country. True patriotism unites; it does not divide. We should never entertain a debate on immigration when it strays into racism and becomes an excuse for hate or when it turns neighbour against neighbour. That line should never be crossed. Migrants have helped build this country. Migrants have worked on our farms, staffed our hospitals, opened small businesses and served in uniform, raising families, paying taxes and shaping the social, cultural and economic fabric of our country.

This kind of division has no place here in Australia. This kind of division weakens us, distracts us and pulls us apart. More importantly, it undermines the values that make Australia strong. Division is not patriotism, and we should not accept that kind of division in our country.