Nova Peris (NT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak about a truly inspiring Australian who has generated much-needed debate on who we are as a nation. He has forced us to question what kind of nation we aspire to be. The whole country was polarised by Adam Goodes's firm stance on naming and calling out racism in our football stadiums and off the field. Unfortunately, not everyone agrees with him, and the level of malice and criticism directed at Adam Goodes by some sections of our community can only be described as pure racism. Such was the viciousness of the public attack on Adam that it has revealed a deeply ingrained nastiness in our national psyche. It has also created anxiety and fear that we may no longer recognise our neighbours, our friends, our colleagues and even some of our own family members. Some of them might be racist—or they might not be and do not agree with our own racist view—but why did it come to this, and how can a proud Aboriginal man whose sporting skills and work ethic saw him drafted into the AFL's Sydney Swans in 1997 and saw him rise to the top of his game, earning two Brownlow Medals and going on to become the 2014 Australian of the Year, become the target of sustained racist booing and bullying while he was in the workplace: on the footy field?

Racism stops with me. Racism should stop with everyone. My son idolises Adam Goodes. My son loves football. My son is also a proud Aboriginal boy. The last thing I want is for my son to grow up in a country where he is afraid to express himself and his culture. That is what scares me most.

I want him to feel okay about being Aboriginal and feel okay about expressing his Aboriginality. I am afraid that the debate about Adam Goodes has made people—not just Aboriginal people but people of all backgrounds—afraid to be themselves. This is not warm and fuzzy. This is not bleeding-heart thinking. This is what makes Australia great. This is what makes Australia what it is today. Our nation was founded on immigration and multiculturalism. Our nation's greatness owes itself to that.

I want to now focus on the way forward, on the positive side of this debate. Forget all the negativity that has surrounded this saga; let us look to the future. I think it is important to focus on what we can achieve from now on, thanks to the powerful stance that people like Adam Goodes have taken. There are lessons to be learned from this. What he has critically done is remind people that being Aboriginal is something to be proud of. It is something to be valued. Just like being an Australian is something to be proud of. We cannot forget that Aboriginal people have a culture that is 40,000 years old. We can call that our own, and nobody can take that away from us.

What Adam Goodes did was show young Aboriginal boys and men that their Aboriginality is not something to be ashamed of. He has shown them that their Aboriginality represents something great. It represents thousands of years of history. It represents strength, family, culture and pride. He has reminded all Aboriginal people that if you use that pride in culture you can achieve anything in life. After all, nothing can be achieved by anyone without first feeling proud of yourself.

He has reminded all of Australia that at the end of the day we stand united. We are all human beings, we all have our own cultures, our own beliefs, our own languages, our own stories, our own histories but, in the end, we are all united in our diversity. We all bleed the one red blood. If we are to move forward as a nation and if we are going to close the gap on Aboriginal disadvantage, Aboriginal people must have a sense of pride in themselves and their culture. We cannot achieve anything without first believing in ourselves.

Adam Goodes has reminded us that it is okay to stand up for yourself and your history, no matter what that history is. If we see racism or discrimination, let us not ignore it—let us fight it head on by having an open and truthful discussion and debate about it. Let us educate ourselves about each other, about the deep hurt that people feel when they have been denigrated, vilified and made to feel less human by those who are weak of mind and mean spirited.

I stand here a proud Labor woman, because Labor is an inclusive party. It was Labor that ended the Wave Hill walk-off when Gough Whitlam handed back the Gurindji land to Vincent Lingiari. It was Labor and Gough who enacted the racial discrimination act. It was Labor that formally apologised to the stolen generations. It is Labor that will continue to stand up for all Australians.

I will end on these words from Adam Goodes as he accepted his 2014 Australian of the Year Award:

Growing up as an indigenous Australian, I have seen and experienced my fair share of racism. Whilst it has been difficult a lot of the time, it has also taught me a lot and shaped my values and what I believe in today.

There are always two ways we can look at a situation—we can choose to get angry or not, we can choose to help others or not, or choose to be offended or not, we can keep our silos or educate ourselves and others about racism and minority populations.

It is not just about taking responsibility for your own actions, but speaking to your mates when they take our their anger on loved ones, minority groups or make racist remarks.

We are all equal and the same in so many ways. My hope is that we as a nation can break down the silos between races, break down those stereotypes of minority populations, Indigenous populations and all those other minority groups.

I hope we can be proud of our heritage regardless of the colour of our skin and be proud to be Australian.

To Adam Goodes, I say: congratulations. You have done your country proud and you have made me proud to be Aboriginal and Australian. I will continue to stand with you to make our streets and public arenas safer places for all people of colour and difference. Thousands of Australians also stand with you.

I hope the controversy surrounding Adam Goodes can lead to something positive. I hope it can lead to better outcomes for everyone. I have faith in the Australian people. I have faith that we can strive to work together and end ugly passages like what we have seen with Adam Goodes. Keep going, Adam Goodes, we are all with you.