Malcolm Turnbull has emphasised Australia’s status as an “immigrant nation” but warned migrants that “practices and behaviours that undermine” Australian values have no place in Australia in a new multicultural statement today.
Named Multicultural Australia: United, Strong, Successful, the report is prefaced by the Prime Minister’s praise for Australia’s role as country that embraces its diversity in the face of “growing global tensions and rising uncertainty”.
“We are as old as our First Australians, the oldest continuing human culture on earth, who have cared for this country for more than 50,000 years.
“And we are as young as the baby in the arms of her migrant mother who could have come from any nation, any faith, any race in the world,” he writes.
As well as the continual emphasis on diversity and inclusion, the report notably mentions recent terrorist attacks around the world.
“The Government responds to these threats by continuing to invest in counter-terrorism, strong borders and strong national security. This helps to ensure that Australia remains an open, inclusive, free and safe society,” the statement reads.
Rather than allowing these threats to cause division, the statement notes the best way to ensure Australia’s safety is “by focusing on what unites us and addressing our differences through mutual respect.”
“Underpinning a diverse and harmonious Australia is the security of our nation,” the statement says.
“No one can look in the mirror and say ‘Australians only look like this’, Australians look like every face, every race, every background,” The Prime Minister said after the statement’s release.
This is the first multicultural statement released by the Coalition since coming into power in 2013.
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