Nick McKim (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I recently had the privilege of chatting with leaders of the vibrant multicultural communities that make their home in Tasmania. Their message to me was clear: our state and country face serious challenges not only in supporting new migrants but also in standing up against racism. They shared with me the real-life consequences of hateful and divisive rhetoric from high-profile political figures like Pauline Hanson and the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Dutton. They told me their communities face racism daily and that the number of racially motivated attacks their communities are facing is rising. High-profile figures need to be held to account for their dog whistling and their implicit support for racism and racially motivated attacks. Words hurt and people are being hurt.

Our multicultural communities are also concerned about the lack of support for new migrants. Coming to our country, people should expect a warm welcome, but many new arrivals find themselves isolated and with inadequate supports. Multicultural leaders are also frustrated by the barriers to accessing financial support and grants support that would allow them to adequately celebrate their magnificent cultures and contribute fully to our community. They are worried that, during the coming election, migrants will be unfairly blamed for the challenges in our society, and we note that the Liberals have already started down this dark path. Migrants are massively valuable to our community, and the Greens are here to fight against racism, whether it is inside or outside the parliament.