Lisa Singh (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Shadow Attorney General) Share this | Hansard source

I rise this evening to speak about the Hear Our Voices Gathering 2015 'Stepping Out' women's gathering, which I attended last Friday in Glenorchy in Tasmania.

This was the second annual multicultural women's gathering hosted by the Migrant Resource Centre and the Glenorchy City Council. Given the success of last year's event, I am pleased that they, along with the Red Cross, the Hobart Women's Shelter, bi-cultural workers and a range of community organisations, supported a second gathering this year.

The Hear Our Voices gathering provides an opportunity for migrant and refugee women of all ages and backgrounds to share ideas, make new friends and discuss the issues that are important to them. The gathering also provided an opportunity for women to hear from a number of guest speakers, including Maha Abdo, Executive Officer of United Muslim Women's Association, and Regina Quiazon, Senior Research and Policy Advocate at the Multicultural Centre for Women's Health.

The Hear Our Voices gathering held small group discussions focusing on the good things about being women of their own cultures, the challenges that they face and what it is like now living here, settling in Australia. Over 100 women attended this event, along with some female students from the nearby secondary colleges. It included women from the Afghan and Hazara, Karen Burmese, Bhutanese and Iranian communities, as well as some women of the Sudanese, Ethiopian, Congolese, Iraqi and other cultures. As well, there was a volunteer from the Migrant Resource Centre who had recently arrived from Madagascar.

Migrant women make a significant contribution to Australian society, yet some can find it very hard to have their voices heard. They can face many challenges, including language barriers, health issues, racism and family violence. Having left their home countries, many do not have support networks here in Australia. Many migrant women feel the frustration of language barriers as they seek to find paid work and make social connections. Being unable to communicate proficiently in English can contribute to great stress, depression and social isolation.

These were some of the views that I heard from women who shared their stories last Friday. While there is government assistance available—to a certain degree—for English classes, one of the participants commented, 'We do need more help with our English. The hours are not enough and it feels like my children know more than me.'

Some women have chronic health issues, which may be due to conflict in their home countries. Of course, prioritising their own health and wellbeing can be challenging, particularly when women face providing care for their own family members and any ongoing health issues that they may face.

Migrant women shared that they are also still facing racial abuse. I was saddened to hear one woman say, 'People throw things at us on the street. We've had our scarves pulled off. Why? Australia is a democratic country and we've escaped the Taliban. So why are they treating us this way?' This is a disgrace, and clearly not acceptable in a modern and multicultural Australia. All Australians have the right to safety, regardless of their race or religion. I was very disappointed to hear that events such as these continue to occur in my home state. Migrant women, together with non-migrant women, also continue to be victims of family violence. Violence against all women violates and impairs their human rights and fundamental freedoms. As a community, we need to do much more to stop it.

We lack a clear understanding of the extent of family violence and its impacts for some of these migrant women, especially if women are not speaking out or if they do not feel safe to speak out about it. Research projects like ASPIRE, which is a collaboration of the University of Melbourne, the Multicultural Centre for Women's Health and the University of Tasmania, are important for gathering information about migrant women's concerns and experiences with family violence.

The Hear Our Voices, 'Stepping Out' forum gives women an opportunity to discuss issues in a safe environment, and receive support. Women can gather in small groups and share their stories. This includes good stories too, and the positive aspects of now living in Australia. One of the women said:

Back home when you marry, you don't go to school. Here, anytime, you can go to school. School gives us new chances and opportunities.

Non-government organisations such as the Migrant Resource Centre of Southern Tasmania are doing a fantastic job in supporting migrant women.

The Migrant Resource Centre is a not-for-profit organisation which has been helping migrants and refugees to settle in Tasmania since 1979. It has a dedicated team working hard to provide individual help for new migrants and refugees settling in Tasmania. They also provide: help and support for older migrants; counselling and support for migrants who have experienced torture and trauma; and the team seeks to build cultural awareness of migrant issues. We need to recognise and thank groups such as these, which are working to build a just, diverse and inclusive society.

There are many staff that make up the Migrant Resource Centre, and many volunteers. Firstly, I would like to thank the volunteers, because without their support, I do not think that the Migrant Resource Centre and the contribution it makes to the broader migrant and refugee population in Tasmania would be as successful as it is. I want to thank my dad, who is one of those volunteers.

But I particularly want to thank tonight the Manager of the Migrant Resource Centre, Cedric Manen, who has really been a leader in the Tasmanian community for CALD communities over the last eight years. I understand that Cedric is stepping down from this role after some eight years of contribution, and I wish him well on his future endeavours. I thank him wholeheartedly for his contribution as manager, but also as chair of the Settlement Council of Australia.

I also want to thank Yabbo Thompson, the project coordinator of Hear Our Voices, who has worked tirelessly for decades for migrant and refugee women in Tasmania. It was her impetus and her drive that made sure that the second year of Hear Our Voices ran. I also recognise all the other NGOs and people that work with them, such as Multicultural Council of Tasmania and the Multicultural Centre for Women's Health.

Much work went into organising the Hear Our Voices gathering. It was a success, and some comments about that success came from participants, and included:

It isn't easy to stand up and tell my story. But I did it because I want you all to know that here you can talk about your experiences honestly and openly.

I want more gatherings like this, so we can get together. It doesn't happen enough.

Given its success, I hope that the Hear Our Voices gathering continues to be held into the future—perhaps more often than annually. I understand that takes funding, though; and I know the complications that perhaps can come with that when dealing with governments of the current persuasion.

In addition to supporting forums such as these, we can all do more to promote inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for people in our communities. Today, for example, I was pleased to join my Labor colleagues at a morning tea for Harmony Day—a few days ahead of the day itself which falls on Saturday, 21 March.

Harmony Day provides an opportunity for all Australians to participate and show their support for our multicultural society. I know there are a number of activities that will take place over the next few days in the lead-up to Saturday and on Saturday for Harmony Day, at places like schools and community houses. There will be a number of events, and we can all participate and show our support for a harmonious and inclusive Australia, one that is accepting of people of diverse backgrounds and one that supports multiculturalism. Thank you.