Anne McEwen (SA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to take note of Senator Fifield's answer to my question about the government's appalling and heartless decision to take $11.5 million from the excellent Building Multicultural Communities Program. This is a program that has provided small financial grants to more than 470 community organisations that do invaluable work to enhance social cohesion in Australia by assisting migrants and migrant communities to participate fully in the many wonderful opportunities that Australia gives them, including opportunities in my home state of South Australia. These are organisations that teach new migrants how to speak English and assist new migrant children how to swim, which we know is very important. There are organisations that assist migrant children with their homework and assist migrants to apply for jobs and prepare for job interviews.

I did not hear, in Senator Fifield's answer to my question, any coherent explanation of why the Abbott Liberal government will not commit to funding which has already been promised to these excellent community organisations, or why supporting multicultural communities is not a priority for the coalition. He did not answer that question at all. I can only take from his answer that this is just another example of this government tearing down the good work that the Labor government did when it was in government, because the only explanation that Senator Fifield gave in the answer to my question was, 'These were Labor initiatives; therefore, we're not going to fund them.' That is what he said.

I also have to wonder whether this is an example of a sinister, nasty, ultra-conservative government failing to support multicultural communities and just implementing its ideological agenda, which apparently includes trashing our multicultural communities by refusing to support them with these grants. If there is any doubt about what the government really thinks about multicultural communities you only have to look at their ministry list. There is no minister for multicultural affairs in the Abbott coalition government.

I am proud to say that Labor has retained, in its shadow ministry, a shadow minister for citizenship and multiculturalism. That is the very hard working, excellent member for Greenway, Ms Michelle Rowland. She takes an interest in what is happening in our multicultural communities. In fact, last week she came to South Australia and visited some of the organisations that have been devastated by the heartless cuts that we have heard about today. She went to the Welfare Rights Centre in Adelaide. That is an organisation that teaches the English language to New Australians and now faces funding uncertainty. That is extraordinary, because I distinctly remember, during the Australia Day celebrations earlier this year, the government making a big noise about how migrants should learn to speak English. How are they going to learn to speak English if there is no funding to teach them how to speak English? The hypocrisy is extraordinary.

I am pleased to say that South Australian federal MPs are right behind the Building Multicultural Communities Program. For example, Kate Ellis, the member for Adelaide, has been out and about visiting organisations in her community, including the African Communities Council of South Australia and the Middle Eastern Community Council of South Australia, who have been devastated by these funding cuts. Other South Australian MPs are very concerned about this. I noted, in my question, the funding that has been withdrawn or is in doubt for the Greek Orthodox community in Norwood, which is in the seat of the opposition leader in South Australia, Mr Steven Marshall. We have not heard a word from him about these devastating cuts to that community in his electorate.

I would like to conclude by noting some of the organisations in South Australia that have funding which is now in doubt as a result of the decision of this government. They include the African Communities Council of South Australia, the Saint Spyridon Greek Orthodox Community, the Chinese Welfare Services of SA, the Hungarian Club of SA, the South Australian German Association, the Croatian Club Adelaide Inc., Czechoslovak Club in South Australia, the Inter-Italian Sports and Social Club of Adelaide, the Muslim Women's Association of SA, the Serbian Community of SA, the South Australian Lebanese Women's Association— (Time expired)