Matt Keogh (Burt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last weekend, I attended the first Harmony Week celebration hosted by the Australian Arab Association in my electorate of Burt. This was a lovely, relaxed family event with food stalls, clothes and craft stalls. I met with members of many communities, including many local Arab communities of different religious backgrounds, those working to assist refugees from Syria, local members of 350 Australia and the HFM community radio outside broadcast team—a pillar of our local community. It was excellent to see support from the City of Gosnells, local police and some of our newly minted WA Labor state MPs.

During the formalities, I was proud to speak about how Harmony Week should be regarded as one of the most Australian of celebrations. Australia is the wonderful country that it is because of its approach to multiculturalism. Ours is a unique approach, like no other in the world. We do not require assimilation where everyone is the same, nor do we promote ghettos or segregation. We invite those from around the world to share our 'boundless plains' and to continue to celebrate their culture and traditions here in Australia, consistent with our core Australian values of freedom and respect—respect for the rule of law, democracy and respect for each other.

The dynamism, growth, diversity and endeavour that this creates was on show at the Australian Arab Association's Harmony Week celebration, with performances from the Cockburn pipe band, Chinese lion dancers, African drummers and Greek dancers. I congratulate the Australian Arab Association, its president, Eamon, and organiser in chief, Amal, for the excellent event that they put on for our community to celebrate multiculturalism in Australia and our rich melting pot of Burt.