Julia Banks (Chisholm, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I couldn't sleep last night as I was so disturbed after reading the comments made in the other place, so rightly condemned. In view of the speeches I heard in the House today, I have never been a more proud Australian than I am today. My father fled postwar poverty in Greece, without his parents, and built a life with my mum, also of Greek heritage, with optimism, faith and love in their hearts for this country. Albeit Melburnian born and bred, I have often—like all Australians of non-Anglo background who look different, sound different or have a different-sounding name—experienced the sentiment which we saw in the other place last night in that speech, which could be summed up by, 'Go back to your home country where you came from.' I'm so proud to be the voice for one of the most multicultural and diverse electorates in the country, including a significant number of people with Chinese, Indian, Greek and Italian heritage, to name a few. They all have good hearts, because in their hearts they live by Australian values of love and respect, regardless of their ethnicity or heritage.

To the wonderful diverse and multicultural people of Chisholm, particularly to the young people and the students in my electorate, if you ever come across racist prejudice, cultural bias or attacks, remember: no-one can take what's in your heart. We saw here in the heart of our country, in the Australian parliament today, the unifying love and commitment that makes all of us proud— (Time expired)

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