Tim Watts (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to congratulate SBS on commissioning the recent television series The Family Law, written and developed by Benjamin Law. It is a cracker of a show—a laugh a minute—though you will have to take my word for it as I fear that the House's standing orders would preclude my sharing much of the humour in the show with the chamber. I am not sure that quoting Jenny Law would be considered parliamentary.

While we are always pleased to see our broadcasters commissioning Australian content, telling Australian stories, it is especially pleasing that this is a comedy show that looks like modern Australia. This is a show about an Australian family—but the Laws happen to be Chinese-Australian. Importantly, the Laws' ethnicity is not the point of the show. As Ben Law has said, it is no more a show about Chinese-Australians than Seinfeld is a show about white people. Like modern Australia, the show's diversity is simply a reality rather than a premise. It is who we are, and we ought to see this reality reflected more on our television screens. We have come a long way since the Lim family made a brief appearance on Neighbours, only to be accused of eating one of the dogs of Ramsey Street! But we have a long way to go—we need to see more families like the Laws, and like my own family, on television.

It is equally pleasing that this on-screen diversity in The Family Law is mirrored off screen through Ben Law's writing and by the Matchbox Pictures production team, including the amazing Tony Ayres and Debbie Lee. I recently attended the premiere of The Family Law in Melbourne and there was a palpable sense of excitement. So well done to Ben Law, Matchbox Pictures, Screen Australia and SBS for The Family Lawand more, please!