Charlotte Walker (SA, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

There's something pretty special happening around Australia right now. People who have never watched football—soccer—before are setting alarms in the middle of the night. Pubs are packed; live sites are heaving. Families are gathered around televisions cheering the Socceroos on. And what's striking is that Australians from every background see themselves in this team because this team looks like modern Australia. Players whose families come from places like South Sudan, Cyprus, the United Kingdom, Croatia, Guinea and Italy all pull on the same green-and-gold jersey—different stories, different cultures, one team.

This is not a weakness. It's one of Australia's greatest strengths. Recently, we've heard voices arguing Australia should somehow become a monoculture, as though diversity is something to fear rather than celebrate. But if you want to know what Australia looks like at its best, don't listen to the culture warriors; watch the Socceroos. Watch 11 Australians trusting one another, relying on one another and working towards the literal same goal. That's the country most Australians recognise—a confident country that doesn't ask people to leave their heritage behind to belong here, a country where your family's story can begin anywhere in the world, but your future is proudly Aussie.

Sport has always had a remarkable way of bringing us together. For 90 minutes, our politics, our postcodes and our backgrounds matter a little less. We celebrate together, we suffer together, and, when Australia scores, everyone is on their feet together. As the Socceroos continue their World Cup campaign, I know the whole country will be behind them. They aren't just representing Australia on the world stage; they are repping the very best of who we are as a nation.