Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—On Friday, I spoke to Prime Minister Singh of India. I had sought to speak to him to congratulate him on his election victory. The Prime Minister is a friend of Australia and an inspiring leader for his own nation, India. The Australian government welcomes his historic second-term victory. The election itself was another reminder of India’s achievements as the world’s largest democracy. I look forward to working with Prime Minister Singh in the years ahead as we take our relationship with India to the front rank of our own international relations. We have many common interests—those of history, those of the present and those of the future—as two Indian Ocean democracies. We work closely together in the G20 and in other global councils. We, of course, also have strong community links. The more than 200,000 strong Indian community in Australia has a long history of remarkable contribution to our nation.

Today I want to touch on some recent unfortunate events that have threatened to impair those good relations. In recent months, there have been a number of attacks on young Indians studying or working in Australia—in particular, three recent attacks in Melbourne involving six young Indians. In fact, there is a much wider problem of urban violence in various parts of some of our larger cities. I speak on behalf of all Australians when I say that we deplore and condemn these attacks. These are senseless acts of violence. Those who carry out these attacks stand condemned. When I spoke to Prime Minister Singh, we discussed these recent deplorable events as well. I said to Prime Minister Singh that the more than 90,000 Indian students in Australia are welcome guests in our country. I also said that the more than 200,000 Australians of Indian descent are welcome members of the Australian family. I said that the Commonwealth government was working closely with state governments to ensure that the perpetrators of these crimes are brought to justice and that government agencies are responding to these crimes to protect all students and others in our community.

Australia is a country of great diversity, harmony and tolerance. We are a multicultural nation and we respect and embrace diversity—diversity which has enriched our nation, Australia. That is why these recent acts of violence are all the more deplorable. They are equally unacceptable and deserve to be met with the full force of the law. On Friday, the Minister for Foreign Affairs spoke to his counterpart, External Affairs Minister Krishna, about these matters and assured him of the seriousness with which the Australian government is addressing these matters. The Deputy Prime Minister outlined last week steps the government will be taking to respond to the specific concerns of international students. We will work closely with the states to implement these measures as a matter of urgency.

The Australian government is committed to developing a stronger, closer relationship with India. That is the message I delivered to Prime Minister Singh in our discussion on Friday. The Australian government is also committed to the safety of all Australians and all those who visit our nation.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—At this time of challenging global economic conditions, India’s growing prosperity, its strength and its stability serves as an example for the principles and the benefits of political and economic freedom. In its most recent elections last month, India, the world’s largest democracy, with over 700 million people voting, reaffirmed resoundingly the support of the people of India for a pluralist and secular model of democracy. A strong and successful India is truly a blessing for the world. India has risen to real greatness. It is playing an increasingly important and leading role as the great power that it is on every front, be it in security, be it in the global economy, be it in climate change. We have worked closely with India in these areas, particularly in respect of our joint challenge of water scarcity. Both Indians and Australians know what that means and there are some very similar circumstances in both countries.

When we were in government, we took a different view from that of the Labor Party and we were prepared to export a clean, low-emission fuel to India—uranium. We recognise that the Labor Party does not support that, which is a pity. As leader of the coalition in Australia, I look forward to a close and cooperative relationship with the new government of Prime Minister Singh. I have recently written to him to congratulate him on his election and to express our desire to build on the history of goodwill between our nations. We have recently met with the Indian High Commissioner, Her Excellency Sujatha Singh, and discussed with her not only the success of the elections—the prospects for closer cooperation between Australia and India—but also, sadly, these very unfortunate developments concerning attacks on young Indian students in Melbourne.

It is with great sadness that I join the Prime Minister today in his statement condemning these recent attacks on Indian students in Melbourne. They are an absolute disgrace, they must be condemned and the perpetrators pursued and brought to book with the full force of the law. As a country, we are honoured that so many foreign students choose to undertake their tertiary education in institutions right across the length and breadth of Australia. Not only does the foreign student gain an insight into Australian life and culture, and of course first-class qualifications at the end of their studies, but also they enrich the learning experience of Australian students who study alongside them, as well as those of our broader community.

We are a country that prides itself on diversity and tolerance. There is no country in the world that has a larger percentage of its population from immigrants than this country. In my own city of Sydney, about a third of the people were not born in Australia. We have managed to develop a broad, multicultural society with very little friction. But these recent brutal events in Melbourne threaten that peace and that tranquillity. As political leaders, it is incumbent on all of us to speak out against the events and speak out loudly. In addition to hosting about 90,000 Indian students, Australia is home to more than 200,000 people of Indian descent. Their contribution to business, small business, culture and every other aspect of life in our country is enormously significant. We could not imagine modern Australia today without the contribution of the Indian communities present among us. They are renowned for their work ethic and their strong sense of family. Indian Australians have made an enormous contribution to Australia. These recent attacks would have created a note of real anxiety among their community and the whole community as well.

These attacks in Melbourne are not simply criminal acts; they are also profoundly un-Australian. These students are guests in our country. This recent violent behaviour has the potential to do great damage to the reputation of Australia as a destination of choice for students not just from India but from every country. On behalf of all Australians who value our diversity and who embody the ideals of social harmony in our own day-to-day lives—which I know includes all of us here today—I say that we expect to see the Victoria Police address these recent violent attacks with the full weight of the law, as I am sure they will. These are crimes, appalling crimes. They cannot be tolerated. I expect to see this criminal behaviour treated with the urgency and the seriousness that it deserves. We look forward to a restoration of the goodwill and the personal safety enjoyed by international students in our country for so many years.

I welcome the Prime Minister’s remarks. I ask the Prime Minister to ensure that the opposition receives regular updates on this matter and I ask that he use all of the influence that the federal government can bring to bear to ensure that the perpetrators of these violent crimes are brought to justice without delay.