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PRIME MINISTER
SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER, THE HON P. J. KEATING M. P,
PRIME MINISTER'S ADDRESS TO THE FECCA CONGRESS, CANBERRA
THURSDAY, 3 DECEMBER 1992
Ladies anid gentlemen
I am very pleased to have the opportunity to address this
third Congress of the Federation of Ethnic Communities
Councils of Australia.
Over the years, FECCA has made a substantial contribution
to the process of~ nation-buildinfg, to Strengthening the
social fabric, and to defining an Aus~ trali -an identity.
which more accurately reflects today's national
aspirations and realities.
I congratulate you for it and urge you to keep up the
good work.
You have played a leading role in one of the
unquestionable success stories of this country's history.
Multicultural Australia is one of the great social
engineering achievements. In a world once more torn by
ethnic hatred and bloodshed, what has been done here
stands increasingly as a benchmark of democratic common
sense. it is something all Australians should be proud of and
I say " all" advisedly.
I say it because while governments have played a leading
part in this success, and FECCA has played a notable part
with various ethnic groups, and while the ethnic
-communities are themselves deserving of enormous credit,
ina the last resort success depended on Australian
democratic values and_ principles of tolerance.
The policies of multiculturalism encouraged those ideals
of course. Groups like your own have encouraged
tolerance. But, as I said to a recent immigration conference, the
triumph of multiculturalism, is a triumphi of Australian
democracy.
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It is built arnd could only be built on a sturdy sense
of-social justice.
Australia was inclined to narrowness arnd xenophobia,
there is rno doubt. All nations in their own way are.
Not a11 nations, however, overcome these feelings.
In not all nations are the democratic values stronger
than the undemocratic ones, the values of-tolerance, the
idea of fai -rness stroriger than the feelings of fear and
resentment towards those who are different.
In Australia to an unsurpassed extent they manifestly
are. And must remain.
in the 1990s I would like to see Australians counting the
democracy they have built here high among their many
reasons for pride.
And the success of multiculturalism high among their
democracy'se achievements.
Multiculturalism should never be seen as a denial of
Australia's heritage, but as an affirmatioi of our
democratic values -and traditions.
The notions of access and equity are not new ones they
were current at the birth of the Federation. They were
there in the 1890s. They have been with us ever since.
Properly understood, multicultural~ ism is an extension of
democracy of pluralism.
The proper end of multicultural policies is cultural
plurallsm The integrity of different cultures within an
Australian democratic framework.
I say these things because I think it will be good for us
in this last decade of the century, the decade leading to
the centenary of federation, to re-awaken awareness of
Australian social democracy.
Awareness of our social democratic values and
achievements. I think sometimes we could do more to raise our
democratic consciousness.
I think it would at once help reinforce democratic
institutions and traditions, and make the way easier for
necessary change.
Multiculturalism is among the institutions a greater
level of democratic consciousness would support.
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Multiculturalismi as I have described it the opposite
and the antidote to ethnocentrism and cultural
fragmentat ion.
It is a source of cultural strength arnd, as we are now
discovering, a potential source of economic strength.
In this regard I was pleased to attend the ' Productive
Diversity conference, and to announce there some steps we
are taking to exploit our linguistic and cultural
diversity in the interests of a stronger, internationally
oriented economy.
As you probably know I also told the conference that we
have taken steps to assist job seekers whose lack of
formal English is impeding their employment prospects.
In another innovation we have established the Bilingual
Consultants Network to meet the need for
governments to identify the views of individuals and
groups within the community when planning their policies
and services.
The network is designed to act as a channel for the views
of those Australians who, through language, cultural or
geographic barriers have not to date been adequately
considered. The Australia-wide BCN comprising 600 people and fifty
languages, and extending to all States and the Northern
Territory, is now available to government and community
organisations. It can, for example, let agencies and companies gather
knowledge among client groups of their policies and
programs. it is an invaluable, cost effective tool for those who
require soundly-based information on the needs and views
of all Australians.
By such means as these the Government can do much to
create an envitroinent in which all Australians have a
chance to play a part in society.
When I say all Australians let me specifically
acknowledge immigrant women, of all ages and backgrounds,
who have contributed so much to this country and whose
needs, I recognise, have not always been met as they
should. Ladies and Gentleman,
Ethnic radio is a major element in the Government
strategy for enabling those from non-English speaking
backgrounds, particularly older residents and newly
arrived migrants, to participate in the life of
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Ethnic radio programming is an important vehicle for
accommodating the information and communication needs of
people from non-English speaking backgrounds.
Unfortunately, there is at present insufficient air time
available on the SBS's two radio stations to satisfy the
programming demands of all ethnic communities in Sydney
and Melbourne.
-SoS currently provides programming in approximately 64
different languages between 6am and midnight, but the
demand on available air time means some languages are
limited to half an hour per fortnight.
And there is no SBS radio service outside Sydney and
Melbourne. To provide migrant communities with a fairer share of
broadcasting services, I am pleased to announce that the
Government is establishing a.-s econd -SBS radio network in
Melbourne and Sydney, and extending the service to Perth,
Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Canberra and Hobart.
For the first time, Australia will have a _ nati-onl ethnic
broadcasting network.
A second SBS radio network will begin broadcasting to
Melbourne in December 1993 and to Sydney in July 1994.
The first services to Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane and
Darwin will commence In late 1993 with services to
Canberra and Hobart to follow.
The new network will ensure that the many people in
Sydney and Melbourne who are of non-English speaking
background get a better deal.
its programs will be directed to meeting the needs of
ethnic communities in Sydney and Melbourne which cannot
now be accommodated on Radio 2EA and 3EA.
The new service will complement the excellent EA radio
services in each city, and also those of the volunteerbased
public -radiQ. stations that offer multi-lingual
programs. Community broadcasters have nothing to fear from the
decision to extend SBS radio services. The Government
will continue to support the public broadcasting sector.
The new network will help meet the needs of ethnic
communities for programs in their own languages,
including communities affected by the recent
re-scheduling of services on Radio 2EA and 3EA.
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The programs will mostly originate from SBS's new studios
at Artarmon in Sydney and be networked to other capital
cities. The SBS will be carrying out consultations with ethnic
communities and stakeholder groups before taking final
decisions on program content, format and scheduling.
I know you will forgive me for pointing out the sharp
contrast between the Government's policy on ethnic
broadcasting and the Federal Opposition's stated
intention to cut $ 6 million from the SBS.
Such a reduction must put in jeopardy plans for
expansion, as well as existing programming, services and
staffing. Six million dollars is more than the SBS spends on
program acquisition. It is more then their Australian
production budget. It is more than the total operational
costs of 2EA.
SBS is a remarkable and in my view remarkably effective
and valuable institution of Australian democracy.
You may be absolutely sure that the Government will
continue to support it, and where possible expand its
services. Ladies and Gentlemen,
Australian citizenship with its attendant rights and
obligations is part of the glue which binds this nation
and its citizens.
The Government is keen to encourage all Australian
residents to become Australian citizens and does not
consider it should be restricted to a privileged few.
The recent decision of the High Court on the eligibility
of several candidates in the Wills bi-election has
implications which are a matter of concern for all
Australians. In particular, the decision which found that two
individuals were ineligible to stand because they had
failed to take " reasonable steps" to renounce their
foreign citizenship may raise doubts about the value of
Australian citizenship.
I recognise that immigrants from certain countries face
almost insurmountable barriers to renounce their former
citizenship, even when assuming Australian citizenship.
Technically, therefore, thiy can be constitutionally
precluded from entering the Commonwealth Parliament for
reasons quite beyond their own control.
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The High Court decision effectively debars naturalised
inunigrants Austrfalian citizens from certain countries
from standing for Parliament, unless they have taken
" reasonable steps" to divest themselves of their original
citizenship. Only a constitutional -_ referendum-can ensure that this
does not happen agai-n.
I recognise that the High Court decisions on this and
other eligibility requirements for members of Parliament
raise a number of complex issues, including the -role of.
dual citizenship in our society.
I would welcome your views on these matters and will take
these into account in the Government's consideration of
the subject.
Practical considerations preclude a referendum at the
next election. However I intend to pursue the issues
with the opposition in the next Parliament, with a view
to changing the current constitutional requirements for
eligibility for Parliament.
And in my view Australian citizenship should be
sufficient qualification.
Ladies and gentlemen
Let me conclude as I began by saying that
multicultural ism is an extension of Australian social
democracy. A dramatic extension.
it has radically changed the way Australians live and the
way we think about ourselves and the rest of the world.
But it is built on a traditional democratic foundation.
we need to expand economic and social opportunity, of
course that is the basis of social democracy. It is
one of the principles underlying multicultural policy.
But we also need to develop a greater awareness and
appreciation of our democratic institutions and values
among the immigrant population and among Australians of
long standing.
It is my passionate belief that in this decade we need to
build a multicultural Australia which is richly
pluralist, richly democratic -and richly and
unmistakeably Australian.
Finally I must say a word or two about your retiring
Chairperson, Carl Harbaum.
I know of the hard work he has put into the Federation
over many years, of the dignity and the deep love of
Australia which he has brought to the job.
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