PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS
Ms THWAITES (Jagajaga) (17:58): I'm really pleased to second this motion moved by the member for Melbourne. I was very proud in the last parliament to be one of the founding co-chairs of the Parliamentary Friends of Refugees Group, and I'm really pleased to have passed that role on to the member for Melbourne now, and I know it's one that she is doing a fantastic job with.
It is important that in this place we are marking 40 years of the important national celebration of Refugee Week. On Saturday 20 June we observed World Refugee Day, which is a global occasion to recognise the strength, resilience and contributions of people who've been forced to flee their homes because of conflict, persecution or violence. It's an opportunity for Australians to honour and acknowledge the strength, resilience and courage of people who've been forced to flee their homes because of conflict, persecution or violence and to recognise the contribution they make to our communities.
And this year marks the 75th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention, one of the most important international agreements protecting the rights, dignity and safety of refugees around the world. The convention was born from the lessons of history. It reflects a simple but powerful principle that people fleeing persecution deserve protection and the opportunity to rebuild their lives in safety.
Australia has a proud history in this regard. Our refugees have helped to shape modern Australia. They've made extraordinary contributions to our nation right across the board.
In my electorate, I think particularly of our Somali community. Many Somali Australians arrived in Victoria as refugees following the outbreak of civil war in Somalia in 1991. Between 1991 and 2000, nearly 2000 Somali-born people settled in Victoria, many of them making their home in West Heidelberg in Jagajaga.
Often into their third generation, this is a community where people have built lives, raised families, established businesses and continue to contribute enormously to our community. Through wonderful organisations such as Himilo, many other local groups are dedicated to enriching the lives of Somali Australians. They strengthen our community.
They create opportunity. They remind us all that Australia is richer for having refugees as part of our community. While Refugee Week is a time for celebration, it's also a reminder that we cannot take this for granted.
We cannot take the social cohesion that many refugees have contributed to for granted. We know that there are some, including in this place, who seek to divide our communities, who seek to use people who've come to Australia from other countries as scapegoats for their own political purposes. This is not a new phenomenon.
It's happened in this country and others throughout history. Unfortunately, we are seeing it at the moment in our country. We see it from Senator Hanson and her party, which has a long record of seeking to sow division and fear about migrants and refugees.
We see it from the opposition—the official opposition—who fail to call this out. In fact, we've had the Leader of the Opposition unable to talk about what it looks like to live in a diverse modern Australia. Now we have those opposite looking to play on the fear that sometimes comes, or is being driven, in this space for their own political purposes.
Most Australians understand that diversity is one of our strengths. Australians want an Australia that is inclusive, that welcomes people who are seeking safety and that rejects discrimination, bigotry, xenophobia and social isolation based on who you are, where you come from or what faith you practice. Our government is committed to supporting Australia's humanitarian program.
This includes our 20,000-place annual humanitarian program and continuing Australia's role in refugee protection, international cooperation and support for people who've been forced to flee their homes. It's also important to recognise that this is work Australia does not do alone. We are part of a global community.
We have now welcomed more than one million permanent refugee and humanitarian entrants since the end of the Second World War. This reflects the best of our national character—compassion, fairness and a willingness to give people a chance to build a better future. So it is important that we mark this motion in this parliament, that we mark Refugee Week in this parliament, that we are all reminded that it's incumbent upon all of us in this place to stand up for those Australian values: respect, dignity, inclusion and equal opportunity.
I commend this motion to the chamber.