Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister
I would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we gather, the Wadjuk people of the Nyoongar nation, and pay my respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.
I extend that respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with us here today.
I would like to acknowledge some special guests with us today.
Nicolo Costantini, Italian Consul Western Australia.
Enzo Sirna, President Italo-Australia Welfare and Cultural Centre.
Sarina Sirna, Managing Director Italo-Australia Welfare and Cultural Centre.
Carmelo Genovese, Patron of ANFE Perth.
And I thank ANFE President Mario Savino for the invitation to speak.
It is a pleasure to represent Prime Minister Anthony Albanese here today.
His election as Prime Minister is yet another reminder of the remarkable contribution the Italian community has made to Australia.
We see this contribution all around us.
Our way of life is filled with evidence of Italian work and influence.
As Gough Whitlam once noted:
“I never forget that almost everything that is basic to Australian life, the origins of our culture and civilisation, our art, our social and spiritual values, much of our language, came to us from Italy.”
Before Whitlam and since, generations of Italian men and women have been central to the story of Australia.
The first Italians to set foot on Australian soil may well have been Antonio Ponto and James Mario Matra.
Both were aboard the Endeavour, joining Captain James Cook on his voyage in 1770.
In 1847 a group of 200 fishermen from Grottaferrata in Sicily settled in Fremantle.
The great Italian patriot Giuseppe Garibaldi, landed in Tasmania while sailing a trading ship in 1852.
Writing later, he described the haven of peace and beauty he found.
Almost 10 years later, in 1861 the citizens of Melbourne banded together to purchase a gift for Garibaldi to mark Italy’s unification.
The sword of honour cost 358 pounds and was presented to him in Italy.
By 1871, the Victorian census estimated the number of Italians calling the state home was almost 1,000.
Today, over 1.1 million Australians identify as having Italian ancestry.
These numbers are proof of the proud multiculturalism at the heart of our national identity.
Intrinsic to our history and to our character.
When a person starts a new life here they give new life to the nation as a whole.
Italian-Australians have fundamentally and positively shaped the course of our history.
All of you here.
Whether it was you that made the decision, or a member of your family.
The decision was made to leave old ties and familiar surroundings.
To venture into the unknown, because you trusted in the promise of our nation.
That each of you could shape your own destiny here.
That you could build a better future for your children and grandchildren.
But you didn’t come alone.
You brought with you precious keepsakes of the communities you left.
Photos, dialects, music and recipes.
And, fortunately for Australia.
You didn’t keep these things to yourself.
You shared them.
Allowing them to become part of the diverse Australian narrative.
Making us all better for it.
And you did this all, in spite of challenges.
The difficulties that come with a cultural transition.
The language barriers.
The challenge of making a living and making homes in a new country.
Still you did it.
Raised families.
Forged communities.
Building a vibrant multicultural nation.
You brought your energy and expertise to our shores.
Providing our society with an invigorating source of new ideas and ingenuity.
By fostering your cultural identity you ensured Australia evolved into a nation which embraces and celebrates multiculturalism.
One which understands and celebrates the outstanding contribution different cultural groups have made to forge this country.
Through your efforts, Australia is now proudly one of the most diverse nations on earth.
My electorate of Perth itself is one of the most ethnically diverse areas of Western Australia.
The Italian diaspora comprises one of the most active and largest parts of our community.
Where I live in North Perth, I see it every day.
A drive down Fitzgerald Street shows the breadth of the Italian community’s contribution.
Nearly 16,000 of Perth constituents have an Italian background.
Making it the largest single group of non-British ancestry.
After English and Mandarin, Italian is the most spoken language in Perth households.
These statistics are part of your legacy.
One you should all be immensely proud of.
In demonstrating that all things are possible in Australia, you created a beacon of hope and paved the way for future generations of immigrants.
Now, the new federal government is planning for your future.
The Albanese Government has committed to a five-point plan to put security, dignity, quality and humanity back into aged care.
You are entitled to expect that your federal government will support you in your later years.
It is why we are acting quickly to implement our plan.
On the first full day of Parliament after the election, we introduced two aged care reform bills.
They will ensure older Australians finally enjoy the quality aged care system they deserve.
Our policies will see residential aged care facilities have a registered nurse on site 24/7.
We will increase direct care to 215 minutes a day.
Provide better food for residents by developing and implementing mandatory nutrition standards.
Require public reporting of how residential aged care providers spend Government funding.
Give the Aged Care Safety Commissioner new powers to ensure there is accountability and integrity.
And support and fund higher wages for our aged care workers.
We have also overseen the largest indexation increase for the Age Pension in 12 years.
And we have introduced the biggest cut to the cost of medicines in 75 years.
Reducing the PBS co-payment from the current maximum of $42.50 per script, to a maximum of $30 per script.
This change will put close to $200 million back in the pockets of Australians each year.
The Albanese Government also recognises our nation will continue to grow both older and more diverse.
By 2050, a quarter of our population will be aged over 65.
One in every three older Australians were born overseas.
In some areas of the Perth electorate alone, older Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Australians comprise the majority of users of aged care services.
We should celebrate this statistic.
It reflects our success as a multicultural nation.
But it also represents a national challenge.
To generate opportunities out of this challenge requires vision and leadership.
It starts by changing the way we think and talk about ageing in our multicultural communities.
For too long our multicultural communities have been treated as a singular and uniform group.
It is why previous policies have failed to recognise that the needs of older Culturally and Linguistically Diverse individuals vary considerably from person to person.
They are shaped by unique cultural heritage and practices.
Individual families, social networks and experiences.
As well as varying levels of English language proficiency.
This is something the Albanese Government not only understands, but is committed to addressing.
In order to do this, we must have a firm grasp of the evidence and real-world experience.
This means working with and listening to the legitimate concerns and aspirations of older Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Australians.
Your views and experiences provide some of the most powerful insights.
We are committed to engaging and listening to what you have to say.
So we deliver tangible government support and action.
It is why we recently held an Aged Care Workforce Pre-Jobs Summit Roundtable.
Meeting with more than 20 stakeholders in Parliament House, so that we can better understand the practical solutions needed in the aged care sector.
These discussions will be pivotal in informing meaningful policies.
We will also ensure multiculturalism is once again placed at the centre of both social and economic policy making in this country.
We all recognise that we are living in a time of global tension.
There is widespread debate about the challenges of social cohesion.
Far too many nations have seen the unity and harmony of their citizens strained.
Eroded by the poisonous language of xenophobia and recrimination.
It is a sad fact that most, if not all of you, have experienced racial discrimination in this country.
Unfairly treated to slights and sneers.
The silent judgments that cripple the sense of belonging.
That fundamentally damage the cohesion of our society.
No one should ever be judged a lesser Australian because of their culture or their beliefs.
The Albanese Government is clear about our national identity.
It is an identity marked by opportunity, inclusion and collaboration.
We do not believe “equality of opportunity” is simply a symbolic phrase.
We recognise, instead, that it is a fundamental guiding principle of our national policy.
We value our patchwork heritage.
We know that out of it has come the strength and vitality that has made us who we are.
A confident, dynamic and prosperous society.
But we understand the challenges of a multicultural society will not simply resolve themselves.
Government action is necessary.
Evidence-based and meaningful policies are crucial to advance social harmony.
To ensure a fair go.
To harness our human resources in the most productive way for Australia’s future.
The Albanese Government will invest $7.5 million toward a ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Anti-Racism Framework and a comprehensive ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Anti-Racism Strategy.
We will provide an additional $20 million into the Adult Migrant English Program.
And we are investing $31.3 million in a range of multicultural community organisations.
Including $100,000 towards the WA Italian Club in West Perth.
Our policies will protect the fundamental principle of inclusiveness.
We carry on the proud legacy of previous Labor Governments.
Last month, we marked 74 years since the Chifley Labor Government passed the ‘³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ity and Citizenship Act’.
It introduced, for the first time, the status of Australian citizenship as belonging to Australia.
Few pieces of legislation have defined our national identity as clearly.
It transformed what it meant to be Australian.
Opening the doors of Australia to a great wave of migration.
Including many of you here today.
It advanced the cause of equality and opportunity for future generations.
It was the Whitlam Government that enacted the Racial Discrimination Act.
Making it unlawful to unfairly discriminate against someone on the basis of their ethnicity or their national origin in key areas.
Whitlam ended once and for all the White Australia policy, implementing instead a policy of multiculturalism.
The Albanese Government is building on the great tradition of vision, compassion and equality of past Australian governments.
A tradition that speaks to our national identity and binds all of us here together.
Our duty is to continue it and expand upon it.
To promote our cultural diversity as a fundamental pillar of our nation’s prosperity.
And to ensure older Australians share fully in the promise of the nation.
A nation you have done so much to develop and to enrich.
At the start of my speech I quoted Gough Whitlam.
It came from a speech he delivered in 1975.
In that speech he also said the following:
“I hope the time will come when our great migrant communities will no longer seem separate or distinct groups.
But integral parts of society.
When having an Italian name will seem no more remarkable than having an English or an Irish name.”
Prime Minister Albanese is proof.
That time has well and truly come.
Thank you for all you have done to help deliver it.
