Gai Brodtmann (Canberra, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Cyber Security and Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Canberra is a culturally diverse people. Sixty thousand people living in my community were born outside of Australia; 20 per cent of them speak a language other than English at home; and almost 9,000 Canberrans practise a religion other than Christianity, including Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. My community is diverse, but it is not unique. Apart from our First Australians, I remind everyone in this place and everyone in the other place that we are all migrants. Migrants help drive Australia's economy, shape our society and support our communities. Australia is a better place for having a rich migrant population and history. I stand with Canberra, with Labor and with millions of Australians when I say the comments made by Senator Anning this week were completely and utterly unacceptable, not only because his words were racist but also because his words were bog ignorant. His words were ill-informed. His words were offensive. And they were wrong. They were wrong on so many fronts.

A Canberran wrote to me overnight and expressed what those comments can do to every Muslim, Sudanese or Chinese child who is struggling to fit in and what discrimination does to the millions of people from hundreds of backgrounds who are proud to call Australia home. Labor stands with those who condemn Senator Anning, and most of this parliament does too.