I believe I speak on behalf of all members of Parliament in saying that issues that are crucial to the future of Victoria and Australia revolve around the need for tolerance, harmony and good international relations. Unfortunately, in recent times this has gone from a debate the average member of the public would regard as being bipartisan to a more strident, less representative, hurtful and in many cases threatening voice than has previously been heard on the topic.

Although we all support freedom of speech - and I think it should be said we must defend that right to freedom of speech - we also want to ensure it is unequivocally understood by all members of the community that our overwhelming support is for a tolerant and open society, one where individuals can operate without fear of intimidation and where their qualities and attributes are measured without fear or prejudice or racist behaviour.

The motion is unique. It was moved by leave with the support of all parties in a spirit of common feeling and at a time when, unfortunately, certain things need to be said. As I mentioned in question time, I was struck by some of the concerns expressed by members of our multicultural community during a major government launch last week at which statements I have made in support of multiculturalism, which only six months ago may have been regarded as truisms, were seen by the recipients of those messages as being important and seminal statements of government policy.

They are important. They are seminal. Perhaps the only issue we have to be aware of is that we do not take them for granted. We as individuals and public leaders have a responsibility to cement good, close relations with all members of our community. We have an equal responsibility to cement good, close relations within our Asia-Pacific region. Indeed, in an international sense our relations with regional leaders and decision-makers in government and business are integral to our future. But so, too, is it necessary for us to build goodwill and understanding between individuals, not just with governments or government bodies, to actually protect and build the social framework of our community.

Let this debate send a clear message that there is no discordant note about multiculturalism within our ranks and that people from overseas or those of overseas origin are equally as important as any other members of our community and should be treated as equals and that they are not in any way threatened. This nation, this state and this capital city have all welcomed migrants from the United Kingdom, Europe, America and Asia. They have been involved in the greatest eras of growth in Australia, and they are very much part of the diverse Australian family.

Some 23 per cent of our population was born overseas. The profile of our migrant communities continues to be strongly of a United Kingdom and European base. Almost 7 per cent of Australians were born in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Some 6.4 per cent were born in Europe and 4.8 per cent were born in Asia. If current immigration trends continue, the proportion of people born overseas will decline to 19.4 per cent of our population by the year 2021. By that time people born in Europe, the United Kingdom and Ireland will comprise 7.8 per cent of Australians and 7.1 per cent of the population will be Asian born.

What can we distil from our understanding of how multiculturalism has improved life in this country? Victoria has a broadly bipartisan policy to promote the diversity of its community and ensure equal opportunity and access - and we stand proudly on our achievement of this multicultural mix. It has been a policy that has weathered all governments and all political parties, and I am pleased that it is one on which we have a common view.

It is important, too, to recognise in this debate that we are also committed to reconciliation with our Aboriginal community as the basis of our endeavour to promote the economic independence of Aborigines and to preserve their unique heritage and cultural tradition.

Unfortunately the inflammatory and racially divisive comments which have been made in recent times and which have been taken up so wholeheartedly by certain sections of the media place at risk Australia's international standing and potentially risk its security. I am pleased that none of those comments derived from Victoria, and I hope none ever will.

Even though the comments have come from New South Wales or Queensland, they pollute this state and cut across the values at the hearty of our society. They seek to undermine the vibrancy of our society and the enormous goodwill that exists between people of different cultures who now simply call themselves Australians. As a consequence, I have moved this motion today in the knowledge that it has the support of both the Australian Labor Party and my own coalition colleagues.

It is critical that we are resolute in providing leadership to the community in a debate on such potentially damaging matters and that we also send a clear signal to the rest of the world that the comments that have appeared in some newspapers and on some TV stations are wrong, unrepresentative, invalid and, more importantly, morally repugnant. Surely these days no-one would choose someone on the basis of their colour, creed, race or religion. Surely no-one would put forward a point of view that cast aspersions on any individual simply because he or she was a member of a certain community group. I should have hoped we had rid ourselves of that kind of blind prejudice in the 1960s and 1970s, or even in the 1980s.

I commend the motion to the house. I trust the views of the community as a whole will be represented by the views of this chamber.

Speech by the Minister for Industry, Science and Technology

Our diverse and multilingual multicultural workforce provides employers with foreign language skills and international experience – something which should be attractive to any employer.

For instance, Hella Asia Pacific recently established their Asia Pacific headquarters in Melbourne and one of the major reasons they chose Melbourne over other states and cities was the availability of a multicultural workforce.

The linguistic skills of Victorians are therefore unrivalled in the Asia Pacific region.

But it is not only through language skills that we benefit from our migrant population. They bring a wealth of professional experience and international market knowledge.

Of the migrants who settled in Victoria during 1996/1997, 30% were skilled and only 3.2% were unskilled.

They are a source of investment and employment creation.

A study of 4000 business migrants who arrived in Australia in 1994/1995 showed they invested $300 million in Australia during the next three years. 60% of these people were involved in exporting and on average, each of them had created 15 jobs.

They are one of the foundations of the small business sector. 22% of Australia’s small businesses are owned or operated by people from non-English speaking backgrounds.

This government has always understood the importance Victoria’s rich cultural diversity plays in encouraging economic growth. We have implemented special programs to assist job seekers from non-English speaking backgrounds, such as:

• The Community Business Employment Program which assists job seekers from non-English speaking backgrounds find work; and
• The Multilingual Employment Information Campaign which got off the ground during 1997 and provided valuable, practical advice and information to job seekers and helped more than 200 people find work.

This new campaign will build on the work we have already done.

Our Multicultural Business Skills Initiative will inform business people of the skills available in our multicultural workforce. It has been developed by Employment Victoria which is a new agency within the Department of State Development focussed on developing and implementing practical programs to assist job seekers and employers.

The program will encourage greater utilisation of the skills our workforce offers.

We believe INFORMING people is the best way to do this. This initiative will include:

• Advertising on television, in newspapers and magazines and tram posters;
• A business information telephone line;
• A business guide which will give examples of companies who are effectively utilising the skills of their multicultural workforce;
• Information contact with 20,000 businesses;
• Employer seminars to demonstrate the advantage of multicultural skills.

We will highlight how businesses can employ these skills to:

• capture new business in export markets; and
• target niche cultural markets within Australia.

This will be done by accentuating other companies who have already recognised the advantage and acted on it, such as:

Hewlett-Packard who are conducting diversity programs which are harnessing the skills of their employees to improve productivity and provide better customer service.

Optus Communications which has developed programs to reach their Chinese-Australian customers.

Lochard Pty. Ltd., Australia Premier Foods and Vision are examples of three companies which are taking Victorian products to world markets and have recruited their skilled and experienced multicultural employees to support their export drive.

These companies have recognised that in an increasingly global market place, business needs to understand its customers and be able to communicate with them effectively.

The understanding of linguistic, cultural, religious, geographic and national differences is a real advantage which can be used to build new business not only in the international marketplace but also within our own shores.

Many companies have realised they hold this advantage within the doors of their own companies.

The knowledge of multicultural staff is being better employed by many Victorian companies to grow and expand their business by employing the invaluable information which can only be provided through first hand knowledge.

Employing the advantages of multicultural staff means more than only using them as translators – it means examining the wealth and depth of knowledge contained in their working lives.

You do not just employ a person with a multicultural background – you employ everything their multiculturalism can offer.

Our future success as a state and as a nation will greatly depend on our ability to fully utilise the skills and talents of our workforce.

Those companies that fail to exploit the knowledge and advantages Victoria’s multicultural workforce offers in obtaining new markets locally and internationally will be doing so at their peril. They will be left behind.

Diversity is a strength in any business as it offers new ways of thinking and wider experience that can produce better business solutions.

Victorian businesses are ideally placed to take advantage of our diverse workforce, so this campaign will carry the message that Multicultural Victoria has the skills to build your Business.

We believe that business will no longer overlook the advantage that has been sitting on their doorsteps.

Employment Victoria is helping to build Victoria’s diverse multi-faceted business. But this campaign will do more than just make business operate better. The success of this campaign will not only provide business with added resources to conquer new markets but will provide an opportunity for people with good multicultural skills to contribute to Victoria’s economic growth in a meaningful way.

Victoria is a global village. A business that can operate and succeed within our rich cultural mix can do so anywhere in the world.

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