Steve Georganas (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Can I say how appropriate it is that we are debating this bill in the parliament on Australian Citizenship Day. Very soon, in about 15 minutes, there will be a citizenship ceremony conducted in the Great Hall by the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, and I am hoping to attend, as I am sure many other members will be attending.

This bill is very important, especially for someone like me. I represent the seat of Hindmarsh in Adelaide, which has people who have become citizens from many, many corners of the world. In fact, over 40 languages are spoken in the electorate of Hindmarsh. Today I speak in favour of the amendments contained in the bill before the House, the Australian Citizenship Amendment (Citizenship Test Review and Other Measures) Bill 2009. It has been pretty heartening to get a good feel for the discussions that have taken place in the review of the citizenship test in this place over the last couple of days, to witness parliamentarians talking and working on the detail, in most cases cooperatively, in support of the concepts and the processes that, it seems to me, the majority of both sides of the political divide support.

The nature of the amendments, and the reasons given for the amendments, could perhaps be seen as a natural evolution of the detail of what has been in operation now for a few years. The citizenship test was very informal in previous times, but nevertheless it was always there. There was always some form of citizenship test, and we have a system that has been in place for a few years and could do with some tweaking. That is apparent in this debate, and both sides support the parliament developing the most practical and sound processes in support of people who wish to be citizens of this great country.

I note that debate in the other place has touched on the average number of citizenship tests that applicants have needed to sit in order to pass. The average has been 1.9—in other words, nearly every single person who has sat for the test over the last few years has had to go back to have another crack at it. I wonder how many times those with more marginal English language proficiency would have had to sit the test. I wonder, in fact, how many times my own parents, when they were more recently arrived migrants 60 years ago, would have had to sit the test in order to pass. Would they have been able to pass this test?

It is good that citizens of this nation have a fair understanding of the way this wonderful country of ours works, our rights, our responsibilities, the nature of our systems and the nature of government—the basics of Australia. I would like to think that more of us continue to read and discuss such matters throughout our lives from primary school to old age, because these things are not just something that you get a pass on and then forget like an abstract mathematical equation one encounters one day in high school. They are evolving. You come to Australia for whatever reason, whether it be as a refugee, an economic migrant or a spouse or family member. Everyone has their reasons for coming here. And, of course, you evolve once you land in this great country, becoming part of this great nation and contributing to it. These are matters that are at the core of our society, however academic they may seem. They are at the heart of our way of life and they are the foundation on which our identity is being built. It is ongoing and forever maturing.

I am more than happy for residents of this country to really know what they are working with—the contexts and the unfolding opportunities that our collective histories, our cultures and our country present. As I said, I wonder whether my parents would have passed 60 years ago the test that exists today. I remember very clearly my own parents’ citizenship ceremony. I was lucky enough to have been born here, but they came out in the early fifties. I would have been about four or five at the time many years ago that they received their citizenship certificates at the Thebarton council chambers in the electorate of Hindmarsh. I remember how important I felt even at that age. I remember how important we all felt on that special day. That memory has stayed with me forever. Receiving your citizenship is a special occurrence; it is not something that should just take place and then be forgotten. I think it is important for us all to explore with citizenship what it is that makes Australia the place that it is and Australians the people that we are.

For example, I am one of millions who were born in Australia but whose parents migrated from overseas—in my family’s case, from Greece many years ago. I have learnt about their history, their culture and their language, but I have never felt confused about what it means to be an Australian. Of course I have an affinity with their land. I have an affinity with where they came from through the many relatives who are still there. I am bilingual—I speak perfect Greek and English—and I would like to think that I understand the Greek culture. But Australia is my country, my home and, most importantly, my children’s home. It is my children’s future. I am Australian and I would not have it any other way, so I think the affirmation by a citizen of our loyalty to Australia sums it all up neatly and simply. It says:

As an Australian citizen, I affirm my loyalty to Australia and its people, whose democratic beliefs I share, whose rights and liberties I respect, and whose laws I uphold and obey.

That says a great deal about our country. Australia is about democracy, liberty and equality. Australia has a rich, proud multicultural history which we must all cherish.

In the electorate of Hindmarsh 23 per cent of people were born overseas. I am very proud to say that 91 per cent of those people in my electorate of Hindmarsh are Australian citizens. That compares to 88 per cent nationally, so in Hindmarsh a greater number of people who were born overseas decide to become Australian citizens. I think that is great and quite significant. The electorate has changed, of course, over the years. In the sixties, when my parents became citizens, 90 per cent of the people getting citizenship at the ceremony would have been Greek, Italian or—very few—from the former Yugoslavia. Today, over 70 per cent gaining citizenship in my electorate are from Africa. Back in the sixties it was a very different Australia. Our Indigenous population, for example, did not have a vote. We still had the White Australia policy. Our citizenship debates and discussions continually evolve. As I said, I wonder how many of those people back in the fifties and sixties would have passed the citizenship test of today.

Deciding to become a citizen is a little bit like deciding to get married: for many people, you meet someone and you get engaged, and that engagement takes place for a long, long time; others know immediately that that is the person for them. Citizenship is like that. It does not matter how long you have been here; what matters is that decision to take out citizenship. As in marriage, some people come here and for whatever reason may still want to remain citizens of their former country. Others immediately want to become citizens because they know this is their life. But becoming an Australian citizen should not also mean that you are losing anything. When you decide to become an Australian citizen, you should not just throw your old culture away like we throw an old shirt away; it all becomes part of our society, part of our culture, part of this great melting pot. We expect people to contribute their own culture, their history, their knowledge and the rich experiences that they bring to this wonderful country of ours.

Those in Australia who choose to believe that the Australian culture is something derived solely from one culture are choosing to believe in a myth. Each decade there is a new wave of immigrants which brings new challenges to existing Australians. Each generation we must ask ourselves whether we are a nation which can welcome people with open arms. I truly believe that we are a nation that can welcome people with open arms. We have welcomed millions of people with open arms over the years.

This wonderful country of ours was founded on multiculturalism. It is not different or unusual; it is what we are. In 1788, British convicts and settlers came to this land, which had been inhabited by Indigenous Australians for upwards of 60,000 years. By Federation, Australia was also home to people from French, German, Chinese and Melanesian backgrounds—to name a few. There have been a few vocal people in Australia who indulge in the myth of a monoculture. It is unfortunate that they are pushing against the reality that multicultural Australia exists—because it is a reality, whether we like it or not—and that being an Australian who has links with another nation is about as Australian as you can get.

Our local libraries are filled with Australians tracing their family trees, with people sometimes finding out funny things about their background—like the case, which I have raised in this place before, of one of my constituents who told me about her Cornish great-great-grandmother who was in love with an Afghan camel trader. All you have to do is scratch the surface and these stories come out. Whether you research your Welsh, Irish, Italian, Greek, Vietnamese or Middle Eastern heritage, it makes little difference. With the exception of Indigenous Australians, our people have only been in this great country for a few generations. Australia is a community of more than 200 nationalities and yet each generation identifies our newest arrivals as ‘different’. How absurd—200 nationalities, a country built on immigration and yet a few people still look backwards to cultural assimilation. Those of us who have the good fortune to be elected to parliament have an absolute responsibility to protect Australia from any tide of prejudice. When we give in to fear, we turn our backs on Australia and we deny who we are—we deny that we come from all walks of life and from hundreds of nations.

We are a great country because of citizenship, because of how we allow people to become citizens but also because there is such strength in diversity. While the rest of the world battles over ancient hatreds and ideologies, we look to the future. We believe in the rights and freedoms of every Australian, regardless of religion, language or cultural background. That is what citizenship is. It is about giving every Australian equality. Australia’s multiculturalism is an absolute model for other nations. In fact, the way we do our citizenships is a model for other nations around the world. I think it is one of the strongest points that this country has. One of the things that have kept us so cohesive is that we offer citizenship and we tell people, ‘You can come to this country, you can become a citizen and you can have equal rights just like anyone else.’ I have friends from different parts of the world, and they tell me that, for example, in some countries—countries not very far from Australia—you cannot work in the Public Service if you are of a particular race or a particular religion and you cannot go to university if you are of a particular race or religion. So I think our strength has always been citizenship. Our strength is that we tell people, ‘You can come to this country and you can become a citizen and therefore become one of us and part of a group of many, many nations that form this wonderful country.’

I am sometimes alarmed by the suggestion that multiculturalism is not working. It is a part of what this country is, and it has been a part of Australia for 200 years. I ask anyone who thinks that multiculturalism or giving people citizenship is not a success: is Australia a success? Clearly Australia is a success, and, because Australia and multiculturalism, together with citizenship, are so thoroughly entwined, it follows that multiculturalism is also a great success.

Today, 17 September, is Australian Citizenship Day. The Minister for Immigration and Citizenship has today reminded some of us that it was only 60 years ago that Australian citizenship was invented. That is all—60 years ago! Prior to 1949 and the enactment of the Nationality and Citizenship Act 1948, people of this country were British subjects. That act represented a seismic shift in our identity and a substantial change at the very heart of who we as Australians are and how we perceive ourselves in the world, and yet it was such a short time ago.

This bill will enhance our citizenship. It will bring some fairness into it for people who for whatever reason cannot sit the test—perhaps because of language difficulties or disability. I commend the bill to the House.

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