Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak about the importance of the Chinese diaspora in my electorate and beyond and to the Australian economy generally. Chinese migration has played a key role in Australia's history over the last almost 200 years, with the Chinese community making many significant contributions over this time, whether it be the great culture they bring with them, the festivals they put on and the wonderful food associated with them or, more importantly, the businesses that they start and expand and the jobs they create. The Chinese and Taiwanese communities are certainly well respected and appreciated by all Australians.

In my electorate of Moreton I represent a large number of people with Chinese heritage. On the weekend I attended a World Refugee Day festival citizenship ceremony in my electorate, where almost 60 people became Australian citizens, and many of these had a Chinese background. This ceremony was the celebration of both the cultural diversity of Queensland and the spirit of friendship and respect with which we welcome new arrivals to our multicultural community.

This month we have seen the release of census data, and there are some very interesting observations that I would like to share with the House. The number of people with Chinese roots rose from 207,000 in 2006 to nearly 320,000 in 2011, meaning that Chinese-born people in Australia now account for 1.5 per cent of Australia's population. This is the third largest group, behind the United Kingdom and New Zealand, and it is likely that this figure will continue to grow, given the wealth, opportunity, infrastructure and resources that Australia boasts. Obviously cultural diversity has always been a part of Australia's history, leaving aside the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The reality is that Australians have always been a people who have come from across the seas. We have shown ourselves to be a nation that is adaptable, ever-changing and multicultural, a word that I am proud to use. Diversity is an integral part of who we are as a nation, and it is little wonder that the Chinese community want to make Australia, and more specifically Queensland and Moreton, their home.

The federal Labor government is cognisant of the importance of the Chinese community and is inviting members of the Chinese community in Australia to join its new ministerial consultative committee. The Chinese community has played an important role in Australia, and establishing this ministerial consultative committee recognises this community's valuable contribution already to our social, cultural and economic life. This new committee will provide a means for the Chinese community to communicate with senior government ministers about what matters to them, about emerging issues and about cultural and economic opportunities facing the nation.

I am pleased that I have the opportunity to co-chair this ministerial consultative committee for the Chinese community with my co-chair, Senator Matt Thistlethwaite from New South Wales. This will foster better people-to-people links between the government and the Chinese. Expressions of interest close at 5 pm on Friday, 6 July and are to be emailed to my office.