PA/11/09 2 June 09
Statements by the Foreign Minister of Australia, Mr Stephen Smith and the Premier of Victoria, Mr John Brumby
Statements made by:
The Australian Foreign Minister, Mr Stephen Smith, in the Australian Parliament on 2 June
and
The Premier of the State of Victoria, Mr John Brumby, in Victorian State Parliament on 2 June
Both statements address the safety of Indian students in Australia, Australia's multicultural society and the bilateral relationship with India.
For further details, please contact Mr Shekhar Nambiar, Senior Public Affairs Adviser on 9810154167/ 011-41494351
http://www.india.embassy.gov.au/ndli/indianstudents.html
Statement by the Foreign Minister, Mr Stephen Smith
Australia takes very seriously its reputation as a safe destination for international students and yesterday in the House the Prime Minister spoke on behalf of, I think, all Members and Australians in deploring and condemning the recent outrageous attacks on young Indians studying or working in Australia.
The Government again condemns all attacks of this sort, whoever is the target.
More than 90 000 Indian students in Australia are welcome guests in our country, as are the more than 200 000 Australians of Indian descent, who are welcome members of the Australian community, making a substantial contribution to it.
On Friday last week, I spoke to my counterpart, External Affairs Minister Krishna both to congratulate him on his appointment but also to assure him of the seriousness with which the Australian Government is addressing these issues.
Australia’s High Commissioner in New Delhi, John McCarthy, has also made the Australian Government’s resolve to tackle this issue well known to the Indian authorities.
The Government is working closely with State Governments to ensure that the perpetrators of these crimes are brought to justice and that relevant government agencies are responding to these crimes to protect all students and others in the Australian community.
The National Security Adviser, Mr Duncan Lewis, is today chairing the first meeting of a new Taskforce to coordinate the Australian Government’s response.
The Taskforce will include senior officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship and the Attorney-Generals’ Department.
Through this Taskforce, the Australian Government is showing its resolve to play its part, in collaboration with the States, to respond to this very serious issue.
The Deputy Prime Minister announced on 28 May that international student representatives would be invited to a Roundtable to discuss issues affecting their study experience including accommodation, safety and welfare.
The Deputy Prime Minister will convene this Roundtable in the near future.
Can I also inform the House of the response to this matter by our State colleagues in Victoria.
Earlier today, I spoke to Premier John Brumby, who shares these concerns, has been strong in his condemnation of these terrible attacks and quick with practical action to meet them.
Premier Brumby announced on 28 May that he would look to implement the remaining recommendations of the Victorian Government Taskforce on international students commissioned last year.
The Victorian Government has today committed to amending Sentencing Guidelines to make violence specifically targeted against individuals on the basis of their race, religion, sexuality, age or disability an aggravating factor, in recognition of the wider adverse social impact that so-called hate crimes can cause.
Victoria Police has established a community reference group to facilitate communication on safety issues with the Indian community in Victoria.
The community reference group has established an 1800 number to provide support, information and advice to Indian students who are victims of crime.
The hotline is staffed by volunteers who are fluent in English and Hindi and the volunteers have received training from Victoria Police.
The Victoria Police Multicultural Liaison Officer will travel to India later this month to discuss student safety issues.
Mr Speaker, this issue requires a response across the range of Governments, State and Commonwealth, and across the range of Government agencies.
Australia again sends the message to the Indian people that Australia is serious about ensuring the safety of Indian students as we are serious about the safety of all visitors to our country.
Our resolve is reflected not just by our condemnation of recent attacks against Indian students but by our practical action in conjunction with the States and the Indian community in Australia.
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Statement by the Premier of Victoria, Mr John Brumby
ANSWER – Parliament - India – 2 June 2009
Can the Premier inform the House of any new measures the Government will take to reinforce that Victoria is a tolerant society that values the contribution made to the state by people from other countries who choose to come and live in our State, both today and throughout our history?
I thank the Honourable Member for her question.
Speaker, I am proud to be the Premier of the most tolerant, most multicultural state in Australia.
Indeed, Victoria is known across the nation and around the world and a tolerant, harmonious melting pot of cultures, to rival any of the multicultural centres around the world.
Successive waves of immigration from Asia, from Europe, from Africa, from the Pacific – continue to make our State a better place – and the best place to live, to work, and to raise a family.
It is Victoria’s tolerance and commitment to multiculturalism that means more and more people from around the world want to call our State home.
In 2007-08 Victoria attracted 37.4 % of business migrants from overseas and 26.9 % of all skilled migrants.
That is why recent isolated incidents of racially motivated crime have been so distressing.
And I know I speak for all Members of this Parliament when I say that we condemn racially motivated crimes in the strongest possible terms.
And it is why we must stand up now to reaffirm that our tolerance and our multiculturalism are important to all Victorians.
I can assure you, and I can assure the victims of these crimes and their families, that we do everything in our power to track down the perpetrators of these cowardly acts and bring them to justice.
These were the messages I relayed to the High Commissioner of India – Sujatha Singh – and Consul General of India – Anita Nayar – last Friday.
I also relayed to her how much we value the hard-working and industrious Indian students who call Victoria home.
It’s why today the Deputy Premier and Attorney General Rob Hulls announced
that our Government will take action on “hate crimes”.
We intend to amend the Sentencing Act to require judges to take into account hatred for or prejudice against a particular group of people in sentencing.
The Attorney General has also asked the Sentencing Advisory Council to advise him on whether there is a need for specific “hate crime” offences in law.
This is something a number of groups have discussed with Government including the State Zionist Council.
This will build on reforms we have already introduced like the Racial and Religious Tolerance Act – as well as practical action taken by our police, like the establishment of a community liaison group with the Indian community, and setting up a helpline with operators who speak both Hindi and English.
And that’s why I am proud to announce today that Melbourne will hold a Harmony Walk on the afternoon of Sunday 12 July to celebrate and reaffirm our state’s tolerance, diversity and multiculturalism.
Victorians come from more than 230 nations, speak 180 languages, and follow more than 116 religions … and we want to see everyone come together for the inaugural Harmony Walk.
We will release more details about the walk in the coming days.
But I wanted to announce this at the earliest opportunity so we can send the message that Victorians will not let the actions of a very small minority undermine once of the very tenets of our State.
So the Harmony Walk – from Carlton Gardens to Federation Square on Sunday afternoon 12 July – is a chance for all Victorians to stand up for tolerance, to stand up for diversity and to stand up for respect of each other.
I encourage all Victorians to take part.