Source: Australia Government Statements 2
Good morning everyone and thank you so much for being here this morning.
I am actually quite honoured to be here in India and delighted to be speaking to you all today at the Dr Ambedkar International Centre. Dr Ambedkar’s vision for India is iconic not only for India, but throughout the world: that vision, that equal opportunity, inclusivity and pluralism are key human values to which we should all aspire. There could not be a better venue than this Centre, a centre that bears his name, for me to reflect on the values that we share as Australians, as Indians and indeed as citizens of humanity.
If I was giving this speech in Australia, I would have started with an acknowledgement of country of our First Nation’s people. Because Australia’s story starts with our First Nation’s people. The culture of First Nation Australians has existed for over 65,000 years. Their knowledge, wisdom and connection to country continue to shape Australia of today. And as somebody who has a deep admiration for textiles, I want to use the analogy of weaving because the stories of our first nations people is the warp, that long piece of yarn that runs through the fabric of our modern identity, an identity that is also shaped by the weft, the horizontal yarn, the stories of the 27 million people who are proud to call Australia home. Including more than one million Australians of Indian heritage.
Modern Australia in many aspects is a migrant nation – half of all Australians were born overseas, or have a parent born overseas. My story is one of these stories. I am an Australian. But I am also a migrant. At the age of two, my family chose Australia, settling in the western suburbs of Sydney.
We quickly became part of the local community, with neighbours from Britain and New Zealand, but also from China, Greece and the former Yugoslavia.
My Australia is defined by my childhood in the suburbs where we would gather under the hot sun to play a game of the legendary Aussie driveway cricket. We improvised wickets on the garbage cans pausing intermittently to move the wickets to allow cars to pass by. We played for hours under the hot sun interrupted only by the cry of parents standing on the front porch letting us know it was time to come inside for dinner. And each child’s name called out in the dusky sky, a different accent could be made out. Greek, Italian, English, Irish, Indian, Swedish, Chinese, Arabic, Australian. Nobody made fun of each other’s strange names or the funny way that our mothers or fathers called for us.
As young children, we didn’t see the world through our differences. Only for our love for Aussie driveway cricket and our shared Aussieness.
But as I got older, I became more conscious of my difference. Certainly not through my own choice.
I began to question my ability to succeed. I started to self-justify my value, my belonging as an Australian. I was born the second girl child and the daughter of an engineer who became a bus driver in a part of a world where a second girl child, daughter of a bus driver could only ever hope to a second girl child and daughter of a bus driver. Yet I stand here today as an Australian Cabinet Minister, as a former professor and academic, as a mother of two pretty amazing sons, and soon to be grandmother, and as a proud migrant.
My story might be uniquely Australian, but it is not a unique story. It is a story of coming to Australia for opportunity and staying to give back to Australia. Many of the Australians of Indian heritage – our second largest migrant community – share a similar story. Stories like that of Amar Singh, who founded Turbans 4 Australia – an organisation which distributes food and grocery hampers to people during times of need or crises. Amar embodies what it means to be Australian and to belong to a country where we all look out for each other, and for this he was recognised as Australia’s local hero in 2023. Or the story of Peter Varghese, who today is the Chancellor of the University of Queensland.
But who was previously Australia’s top diplomat having served as the Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. And before that, as Australia’s High Commissioner to India.
Then there are the stories of Indian Australians who today lead major Australian companies.
Individuals such as the CEO of mining giant Orica, Sanjeev Gandhi. Or Tarun Gupta, the CEO of Stockland, one of the largest real estate development companies in Australia. Or Vandita Pant, the CFO of Australia’s largest company, BHP. Not only are these Indian Australians supporting the prosperity of Australia, but they are also strengthening Australia’s trade and economic relations around the world, including with India.
There are so many stories I could share. I would certainly not have enough time today to do that.
When you look at it, the Indian Australian community’s story is one of enormous and valued contributions to modern Australia. Yet Indian Australians have sometimes being made to defend their belonging to Australia. Unfortunately, there are some in the world, including in Australia, who espouse intolerance whether through ignorance, through fear or inexplicable hatred.
You may have heard of the hurtful language at some of the recent anti-migration rallies, including comments that were targeted specifically at Indian Australians. Now, most people in this room will know someone in Australia – perhaps family, perhaps friends or colleagues. They understandably may have felt uneasy at these comments and at these events. To have felt out of place in the only place that they know as home. To have felt unwelcome – to have felt unwanted – to have felt like they needed to justify their belonging, to justify their presence. I felt their anguish. And sadly, I also knew what they were feeling. Because I have been there, I’ve been there with my own belonging was questioned and no Australian should ever feel this way. And so, let me repeat my message, the Australian Government’s message, to all Australians – and to all Indian Australians. We value you. We thank you. We stand by you. You belong in Australia. And so, to the people who would tell immigrants to “go home” – I say: “they are home!”
I want to reassure everyone that the divisive rhetoric expressed at the anti-migration rallies is not shared by the overwhelming majority of Australians. It is not the Australia that I know. It is a minority, extremist sentiment held by a vanishing small group in our country. Recent studies have in fact found that the large overwhelming majority Australians think multiculturalism is good for our country. Understandably, the Government of India has expressed their concern to my government about these recent anti-immigration protests. Our position on the Indian diaspora in Australia cannot be clearer than how our Prime Minister put it. He said, “You’re welcome here, you make our country stronger by being here.”
I appreciate that the Government of India recognised that the actions of this small group do not represent the broader Australian community. And I am proud of our core Australian values of fairness, kindness and above all compassion I am proud that Australia is a country that welcomes those who have come across the seas as we sing in our anthem. I am proud that Australians sing loudly and proudly the words: “We are one, but we are many and from all the lands on earth we come”
Australia’s strength comes not just from our diversity but in our recognition of the value of that diversity. Economically, socially, politically. And the Australian Government will stand against any attempts to divide Australians and undermine our social cohesion. We do so in the full knowledge that we live in a world where pluralism is under threat, and in some places, it is in retreat. My government knows we are not where we want to be yet. But action starts at the very top. Or the very bottom depending on how you look at it.
It is telling that when Australians went to the voting booths just a few months ago, they elected our most diverse government in the history of Australia. Several Indian Australians are now members of the Federal Australian Labor Government, representing communities across the country. Parliamentarians such as my dear friend Zaneta Mascheranas, who is of Goan Indian heritage and an engineer by background too, I might add. And my other good friend, Varun Ghosh, who swore his oath of allegiance in Parliament on the Bhagavad Gita. Both from Western Australia, I might add. They are joined by other colleagues with heritage from Sri Lanka, Malaysia, China, Mauritius, Laos, Singapore, Kuwait and Egypt, Because to represent a modern multicultural nation, our nation’s leaders and policy makers need to reflect that.
Australia’s social cohesion, our religious pluralism and our success as a multicultural nation is not something my government takes for granted. So, I make this promise here today and every day. As Australia’s Minister for Multicultural Affairs, I will work tirelessly to ensure all Australians – no matter their name, no matter their skin colour, or cultural background – feel safe, feel valued, and can participate fully in the economic, social and political life in Australia.
This is the first time the multicultural affairs portfolio has been a standalone function in Australia’s Cabinet – a true reflection of the importance, our prime minister Anthony Albanese places on this issue. In July, I opened Australia’s very first Federal Office for Multicultural Affairs. The Office is already working to implement policies and deliver programs to protect and strengthen Australia’s social cohesion. And there is so more still to come. Because, at a time of increasing global instability and uncertainty, we cannot afford to allow the instability to penetrate & weaken the fabric of our society.
We also need to work with international partners who recognise that through cooperation, we can build the future that we want together as equal partners with a common vision for a safe, inclusive & prosperous world. And I am proud that Australia and India’s relationship is closer than ever.
Our two countries share that vision of a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.
But it is a vision being challenged – by climate change, by technological innovation and disruption, geostrategic competition, just to name a few. And no one country can navigate these global challenges alone. This year we celebrate a milestone in the Australia-India relationship – five years of our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. And I am confident the Australia-India partnership will continue to prosper because we have achieved a lot together, but there is more to be done.
Our economies are complementary, and we are negotiating an ambitious new free trade agreement.
Our education ties are developing exponentially, from Indian students studying in Australia to Australian universities opening campuses across India. Our cooperation on climate change continues to expand, and I know that my colleague Chris Bowen – Australia’s Minister for Climate Change and Energy – is also here this week to further our collaboration on the energy transition. And just last week, we welcomed India’s Minister of Defense, Shri Rajnath Singh to Australia. Where our two countries signed new bilateral agreements to take our defence relationship forward.
We each benefit from the other’s growing prosperity. Underpinning all of this, of course, are the connections between our people. Indian Australians are a living bridge between our two nations.
As well as the nearly half a million Indians who visited Australia last year – a record number.
Whether you are holiday maker – and if you are, I do recommend visiting my beautiful hometown of Perth! Just so I get that in there. Or those coming to study or work. Or to visit their friends and family. Or perhaps the sports fans coming to see India hopefully win back the Border-Gavaskar trophy. That’s not Aussie driveway cricket, I might add. That’s true cricket!
Each and every one of these interactions are anchoring that the living bridge connections our two countries. And I want to say to anyone in India considering travelling to Australia – know that you are safe and welcome in Australia. And for anyone seeking a life in Australia, I reiterate that Australia’s immigration policy is non-discriminatory.
As I close today, I want to thank you for the opportunity to allow me to share with you my story – and the Australia’s story. I am optimistic for the future of the Australia-India partnership. It’s a partnership built on something primal and powerful: our deep and enduring people-to-people ties. So, I say to all of you – let us further deepen our ties, expand our cooperation and, together, let’s build a future that reflects the very best of both our nations.
Finally, it is not lost on me that I am privileged to be here during the auspicious occasion of Diwali.
The festival of lights and renewal, such a fitting symbol, isn’t it? A timely reminder of the bright, joyful, confident and colourful future we share together.
Thank you.