Anne Aly (Cowan, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

With so much going on in the chamber yesterday I think it is timely to actually take a minute to reflect on the true meaning of Harmony Day, because while we were in here having a fairly robust and at times emotional debate about race hate and freedom of speech, people around Australia and indeed around the world were commemorating an event that took place in Sharpeville in South Africa in 1960. On 21 March in that year, 69 people were gunned down while peacefully protesting against the apartheid pass laws. The pass laws were actually designed as a form of internal passport, designed to segregate people on the basis of race, and in particular controlling the movement of African people within the apartheid state and keeping them as a source of cheap labour for the gold and diamond mines. The day is now commemorated as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Harmony Day, as it is called in Australia, is celebrated around the country, mostly in the form of fairs, or the sharing of food or a celebration of our cultural diversity.

In my home state of Western Australia we have been celebrating Harmony Week since 2003 and we were in fact the first Australian state to do so. At that time, 2003, I was working at the Office of Multicultural Interests in Western Australia. I am proud to say that I was a very critical part of the decision to change from celebrating our cultural diversity on the one day, Harmony Day, the one that coincides with the elimination of racial discrimination, to making it a week where we can celebrate but also reflect.

I am also proud to have been a recipient, in 2011, of the Office of Multicultural Interests' Multicultural Community Service Award for my work with government, community and academia in combating racism and discrimination. So it seems kind of surreal that I must say that having received that award six years ago to the day I have to stand here in parliament on the day when this government proposed to water down racial discrimination provisions, under the misguided banner of freedom of speech.

But I want to go beyond that this evening to talk about the meaning of Harmony Day, which was missed amongst yesterday's fairly tumultuous events. This week, throughout my electorate of Cowan, many schools will hold events to celebrate their cultural diversity. Ashdale will hold an assembly; Alinjarra Public School will have school assemblies where kids wear their traditional costumes; Our Lady of Mercy will have a free dress day and picnic; West Beechboro will have a Samoan performer visiting school, making wristbands, and will have parents bringing in a plate from their culture; Beechboro Christian School will dress in their national costume and participate in class activities; and at Burbridge Avenue School staff brought in lunch from their cultural background, they dressed in orange and they had in-class activities as well.

The city of Wanneroo is facilitating a series of living book sessions to allow people to challenge labels and preconceptions about others. On Sunday I will join in the fun at the City of Swans Harmony Day festival in Ballajura.

But Harmony Day is more than just enjoying each other's cultures through the sharing of food, music, dance and fun. It is ironic that yesterday's events prompted people to share their experiences of discrimination and racism on social media under the hashtag 'freedom of speech'. I would like to read a couple of them:

@mrbenjaminlaw tweeted:

At the age of 10, I was at the local pool as a group of white boys held my head underwater, laughing at me for being Asian. #FreedomOfSpeech

@SuDharmapala

#Freedomofspeech—my 8 year old begging for skin bleaching because he was teased for being the colour of poo. I lost it that night.

Sharon Davis

After taxi ride full of racist comments. I tucked my 6yo into bed. He asked me what's wrong with us? Why do they hate us? #FreedomofSpeech

Faustina Agolley

90s. almost veered off the road    with my Chinese mum & aunt by a group of white men yelling 'go back to where you came from!' #FreedomofSpeech

As we proceed through Harmony Week, I urge parliament to take a moment or two to remember that racial discrimination in our past continues to leave an ugly stain on our national identity. Let us not repeat those mistakes. Let us all strive towards a country where every person can fulfil their full potential as equal citizens, unhampered by the scourge of racial hatred.

House adjourned at 20:00

The following notices were given:

Mr Frydenberg to present a Bill for an Act to amend the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Act 2011, and for related purposes. (Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Amendment Bill 2017)

Mr Hunt to present a Bill for an Act to amend the law relating to immunisation and family assistance, and for related purposes. (Australian Immunisation Register and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2017)

Mr Porter to present a Bill for an Act to amend the law relating to social security, and for related purposes. (Social Services Legislation Amendment (Seasonal Worker Incentives for Jobseekers) Bill 2017)

The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Bird ) took the chair at 10:02.