Tania Lawrence (Hasluck, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Each of us is a leader in our community. Current events around the world and our multifaith communities in Hasluck and around Australia serve to remind us of the need to model religious tolerance. Everyone in our society has the right to express, further and celebrate their religious and spiritual beliefs. It's the duty of this parliament to ensure that, within this cultural sphere, which includes religious expression, every person feels and is demonstrably free to follow their own personal spiritual journey. These rights always need to be managed and balanced against other rights, of course—freedom of expression and the right to gender equality, for example.

In the minister's speech, which we often repeat at citizenship ceremonies, we highlight that Australia is one of the most successful multicultural societies. This is true, but it is not a given. It is something we need to continually strive for, protect and defend. A commitment to multiculturalism includes a commitment to a nation that is multifaith. It involves both respecting and valuing each and every religion, be it Chrisitanity, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Judaism or a hundred others. It involves respecting beliefs which assume a deity, which are now held by many people. If we understand each of us are on a journey, and we turn our backs on dogmatism and intolerance, we have the best chance of preserving the multiculturalism that has made Australia the great place it is today. Here, we need to lead on this.