Australia would not be the great and prosperous country it is today, if it were not for the contribution migrants have and continue to make for Australia’s benefit, says National President of the Migration Institute of Australia, Angela Chan FMIA.
In a statement, Ms Chan’s responded to the comments made by Federal Member for Dawson, George Christiensen MP in a speech to Parliament in which he claimed multiculturalism had failed Australia.
“Mr Christiensen confuses multiculturalism with alleged criminal acts by the Muslim community, in his speech to Parliament earlier this week. Alleging that multiculturalism has failed us because Australians now have to respect sharia law practices, child brides and female genital mutilation from migrants who are Muslim is not only factually incorrect but also forgetting the incredible importance multiculturalism brings to our society,” said Ms Chan.
Ms Chan also noted criminal and anti-democratic acts were not supported by Australians, whether they be from a migrant background or not and the full force of the law should be applied to any Australian found to be breaking the law.
“Migrants have played an integral part of shaping our history and the identity of our nation. You only need to look on the streets of our cities to see that today’s Australia is truly representative of a variety of ethnicities, who all manage to live in a harmonious way. To believe that ethnic food and dancing will sustain the richness of our multicultural society is naïve.
“Migrants will also be looked at as a solution to our future challenges including an ageing population, attracting offshore investment to further strengthen the economy and to continue trade relations throughout the world,” said Ms Chan.
Australia’s immigration and multiculturalism programmes remain an important issue for the entire country to discuss and develop.
To help facilitate this, the Migration Institute of Australia will be hosting Rethinking Migration – Community Forum on Saturday 20 June at Sydney Town Hall, where the future of Australia’s migration needs will be discussed through a community dialogue. For more information about Rethinking Migration – Community Forum, visit the MIA website – www.mia.org.au .