Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a) congratulates the Scanlon Foundation on the release of the 2018 mapping social cohesion report;

(b) recognises that:

(i) the mapping social cohesion report is one of the most comprehensive research reports of its kind where, over the past decade, 48,000 people have been polled on a range of social and economic issues,

(ii) Australians continue to believe that multiculturalism has been good for the country, with this figure rising to 85% in 2018, and

(iii) the top three concerns for Australians in 2018 were underemployment and poverty, climate change, and the quality of our government and politicians;

(c) calls on senators to:

(i) cease attacking our diverse communities on the false pretence that Australians do not support a multicultural Australia, and

(ii) recognise that the research presented in the mapping social cohesion report suggests that any concern around population is closely linked to issues of housing, public transport and underemployment; and

(d) calls on the Federal and various state governments to address the issue of poor social planning and their failure to provide essential public services for Australians.

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Liberal-National coalition government is pleased to note the ongoing community support for multiculturalism. As announced by the Prime Minister, Australia's non-discriminatory migration program will be further developed with input from states and territories guided by what their population-carrying capacity is for their existing and planned infrastructure and services. However, I ask that the question on part (d) of the motion be put separately to the other parts, as the government opposes this part.

Derryn Hinch (Victoria, Derryn Hinch's Justice Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Derryn Hinch (Victoria, Derryn Hinch's Justice Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Back here, I couldn't hear what that was about, but, if the government is proposing to split (a), (b) and (c) and leave (d) out of it, I'd support that.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The first question is that paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of general business motion No. 1306 be agreed to.

Question agreed to.

The question now is that paragraph (d) of that motion be agreed to.

Question agreed to.