2017-03-20
Today Malcolm Turnbull has given a speech outlining his vision for multicultural Australia.
The speech is more warning than welcome, with a focus on the risks of terrorism and border security and the need for migrants to embrace Australian values if they are to integrate.
The Greens have a different view.
So here is our multiculturalism statement: multiculturalism is a wonderful thing.
Australia has been enriched by the migration of people from all over the world.
We often hear that migrants need to embrace Australian values, but actually, we learn from each other.
The sum total is that we are a better nation.
Because at the core of the issues and ugly incidents we’ve seen both here in Australia and in other parts of the world are these policies of exclusion, which say to some groups of people “you’re not really welcome here”.
That’s what Malcolm Turnbull's Statement says today.
The new multiculturalism statement is an attack on multiculturalism and a dog whistle to people on the fringes of society who don't want to see us chance and embrace iinclusion and diversity.
Australia is an inherently multicultural nation.
There were hundreds of languages spoken by First Nations long before the Europeans came.
It's part of the Australian identity. It's part of my identity. It’s who we are, and it’s what we’re all so proud of.
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