Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Families and Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

On behalf of the government, I want to put on the record that English is Australia's national language. Without English, it is harder to get a job, harder to integrate into the community and harder to participate in our democracy. Australians and the Australian government value the hundreds of other languages spoken in our country, but they recognise the English language as the basis of Australia's success as a cohesive, multicultural society. This motion once again illustrates the inappropriateness of dealing with complex policy issues in a single vote, without amendment or debate, denying almost all senators the opportunity to explain their positions before going to a vote.