Kate Lundy (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On Monday of this week I was fortunate enough to be representing the Prime Minister at the annual Ethnic Business Awards ceremony in Sydney. The Ethnic Business Awards recognise the economic contribution of migrants to Australia as well as celebrate the business achievements of Indigenous Australians.

This evening I would like to acknowledge the extraordinary efforts of the founder and chairman of these awards, Mr Joseph Assaf. His own story is articulated in his wonderful book, titled In Someone Else's Shoes. From his own very humble beginnings, Joseph has achieved a considerable amount professionally and created this wonderful business awards event that has been sustained for over 23 years. In fact, his determination has ensured it has become the longest-running event for business awards in Australia. The awards have been broadcast every year for more than two decades, thanks to SBS.

Joseph's vision has created what I think is the appropriately prestigious platform for us to be able to collectively acknowledge and applaud the pioneering spirit, tenacity, drive and entrepreneurialism of so many people who have settled in Australia and contributed enormously to our economy. Joseph has not just created an event. He has been part of a shift in Australian culture to recognise the benefits of immigration and the contribution of migrants right across our society. As you would expect, a central part of any awards program is the time and effort put in by judges. The judges for the Ethnic Business Awards are a group of very esteemed Australians: Don Argus AC AO, Eve Crestani, Joseph Elu AO, Allan Gyngell AO, Dr Ziggy Switkowski, and Carla Zampatti AC AM, who is also the Bulletin-Qantas Businesswoman of the Year and has been a judge for these business awards for the whole 23 years since their inception. I think that is a wonderful recognition of her commitment to the awards program established by Joseph Assaf.

This year's awards are in three categories. There is a small business category, a medium to large business category and, as of last year, an Indigenous business category. This has been enormously successful and generated a huge number of nominations. I would like to run through a brief description of each of the award winners in these categories. Starting with small business, the winner was Micropace and Michael Cejnar. Having fled Czechoslovakia and without English proficiency, Michael was placed into a special needs class, only later to graduate from Royal North Shore Hospital as a doctor specialising in cardiology. After 10 years in his private cardiac clinic, Michael identified a niche market in cardiac stimulators and his devices are now sold to hospitals and medical practices in over 42 countries. This is an extraordinary story of entrepreneurial spirit and incredible success in the area of technology and engineering.

In the medium to large business category, the winner was Ruby Developments and Peter Pulijich. Born and raised in a small village in Croatia, Peter made a living with his parents by selling home-grown produce. At the age of 17, and following a workplace accident that irrecoverably damaged his arm, he decided to leave Croatia to create a better life for himself. He arrived in Sydney in 1968 and began to learn how to plaster. Proving that his disability would not get in the way of his business success, Peter's company has grown to develop some of Australia's most significant over-50s lifestyle resorts. So his investment in his trade of plastering has led to a very successful career in property development, servicing that wonderful market for the over-50s.

In the Indigenous business category, the winner was Complete Workwear Services and Robert and Nicole Stewart. Their business is located in Victoria. Robert started the cleaning business with no assets at all, servicing customers from the boot of his car. Supported by his daughter Nicole, Complete Workwear Services Pty Ltd has become industrial laundry specialists in the niche area of the airline industry and has proven to be a business success that operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

These three stories are indicative of the enormously fascinating and high-quality nominations amongst the finalists, and I cannot begin to imagine how tough the job of the judges was. I would like to congratulate all the winners, all of the finalists, in fact all of the nominees, as well as the judging panel and everyone involved in what was a wonderful evening in Sydney. The awards present the appropriate opportunity to recognise the economic contribution of migrants and refugees. This fact is acknowledged and recognised in the Labor government's multicultural policy and will be a focus of the new Australian Multicultural Council. The council has now met twice and will meet once more before the end of the year and the work and activities of the AMC will be available on their website, www.amc.gov.au.

One of the tasks of the Australian Multicultural Council is to implement the People of Australia Ambassadors Program. I know many colleagues will remember that, at the launch of the AMC on 22 August, the Prime Minster, Julia Gillard, encouraged Australians to nominate possible ambassadors for the program. It will see up to 40 local ambassadors selected from across the country. These individuals will likely be outstanding community leaders who have encouraged participation within their own communities. People of Australia ambassadors will champion inclusion and provide advice to the new Australian Multicultural Council and the government about ideas and initiatives to help promote belonging and leverage the benefits of cultural diversity in our communities.

The ambassadors will be appointed for a 12-month period and have key roles in annual community events and celebrations including, importantly, Harmony Day on 21 March. Nominations closed on 7 October and I am advised that the AMC have received over 350 applications. This is marvellous, of course, but it means that not everyone will be successful. I think it demonstrates the strength and enthusiasm of multiculturalism in Australia and reinforces the importance Australians place on ensuring our culturally diverse communities are harmonious and cohesive. I know the AMC are considering the applications and are looking to finalise the ambassadors by the end of this year or early in the new year.

As part of the multicultural policy, the government is also implementing an inquiry into the responsiveness of Australian government services to the needs of Australians from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. I look forward to making a further announcement around this inquiry shortly.

In another initiative, in August the Attorney-General, Robert McClelland, and I announced Dr Helen Szoke's appointment as Race Discrimination Commissioner. For the first time in 13 years, Australia now has a full-time Race Discrimination Commissioner. Dr Szoke will steer the National Anti-Racism Partnership and Strategy. This partnership and strategy was announced as a key initiative of the People of Australia: Australia's Multicultural Policy. It comes with $1.7 million in funding and brings together expertise across three government departments: the Attorney-General's Department, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship and the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. It also involves, of course, the Australian Multicultural Council and the Australian Human Rights Commission. The Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils of Australia, or FECCA, and the National Congress of Australia's First Peoples will also be participating in partnership meetings as non-government representatives.

The partnership is currently developing an extensive consultation schedule. A draft strategy is expected to be launched around July 2012, with implementation of the strategy rolled out over the following three years. FECCA and the Australian Human Rights Commission will be co-hosting the first public consultation of this strategy next week, on 16 November, in Adelaide as part of the preconference proceedings for FECCA's biennial conference. This year the FECCA conference theme is 'Advancing Multiculturalism'. I would like to congratulate the team at FECCA for assembling a fantastic program of activity. This year's conference will be looking at many key areas, including issues surrounding CALD communities, mental health, carers, youth, education, rural and regional settlement, new and emerging communities and how to promote engagement and diversity in our society. It is being held in conjunction with the Multicultural Communities Council of South Australia. I would like to conclude by acknowledging the leadership of Pino Migliorino as chair of FECCA. (Time expired)