Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2026-2027

Ms MASCARENHAS (Swan) (19:14): Australia is known as one of the most successful multicultural nations in the world, and, out of all the countries in the world, my father chose to migrate to Australia, which is something that I will always be very grateful for. My electorate of Swan is one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse electorates in Western Australia.

The people I represent come from many places across the globe, from the Philippines to India, from Vietnam to South Africa, from New Zealand or even the Pacific. They are nurses and teachers, small-business owners and tradies. They show up.

They contribute. They help build this country. This government has made structural decisions that reflect this reality.

We established the Office of Multicultural Affairs to co-ordinate settlement services, community grants and advocacy so that the voices of these culturally and linguistically diverse communities can help shape public policy rather than simply receive it. For the first time in 11 years, there is a standalone minister for multicultural affairs at the cabinet table, not tucked into another portfolio and not an afterthought.

We commissioned the Multicultural Framework Review, the first examination of this nation's multicultural policy in more than 50 years, and we committed $100 million in response to this. Also, the office has been engaging with CALD communities and peak bodies, making sure that their voices are indeed represented in public policy, research and design. One of the things that we saw during the pandemic is some of the impact of laws, whether state or federal, on culturally and linguistically diverse communities.

It's really important that we actually think about the way that these policies affect communities and can be implemented in a practical manner. By doing this, we are building an Australia which recognises the importance of inclusion, diversity and opportunity and empowering people to contribute to this amazing nation. We also have the national Translating and Interpreting Services that has been providing services in Australia and has helped translate more than 51,000 documents and provided over 236,000 interpreting services.

We also have the Australian migrant English program, which has helped about 70,000 clients in previous financial years. What we're trying to do in the future is actually continue to strengthen the modern multicultural Australia, and a part of that is with the $500 million in funding to support multiculturalism, social cohesion and community priorities. This is something that's particularly important at this moment in Australia's history, because I would say that social cohesion is challenged right now.

The Albanese government is also targeting investment through the Infrastructure for Multicultural Communities grant, making sure that Australians have access to modern, fit-for-purpose community infrastructure. We're also continuing the community languages program by investing another $25 million to support 600 community schools across Australia, helping 90,000 students learn 84 languages.

At the time when my mum and dad migrated to Australia, they were very focused on integration, so much so that they did not continue practising the language that my sister already knew, Swahili, and I don't know any languages other than English, and sometimes I feel like I should, but modern Australia is a much different place, and what I'd say is that, for people that are bilingual or multilingual, our globalised world needs more people that can speak more languages, and I am a little bit jealous of the member for Tangney.

The Albanese government is also extending its economic pathways to the refugee integration program for another 12 months as well. I'd also say that the Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion is incredibly important and that what we saw happen in Bondi was absolutely unacceptable. We need to make sure that that never happens again, and I want to make sure that Australia is a place where everyone can reach their full potential.

I'm proud to be a part of the most multicultural federal government in Australia's history. That's not just backbenchers; that's also around the cabinet table as well. We represent modern Australia.