Prejudice hurts “real people” and largely not those pushing to change the Racial Discrimination Act, Bill Shorten has told a migration awards ceremony in Canberra.
In the comments on Wednesday night at the Australian Migration and Settlement Awards, the opposition leader warned against demonising difference “in a world where political extremists seek to profit from an anti-migration message”.
Malcolm Turnbull used his keynote speech to say migrants have a responsibility to “integrate and contribute” and stress the need for new Australians to commit to democracy and the rule of law, the same as existing citizens.
Turnbull expressed pride at Australia’s migrant culture and announced the government has now issued all 12,000 visas to people escaping Syria and Iraq, first announced in 2015.
The event comes as the Turnbull government introduced its proposed changes to section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act to the Senate on Wednesday.
The bill would remove “insult”, “offend” and “humiliate” from the prohibition on discriminatory speech and add “harass”, along with numerous procedural changes to the Australian Human Rights Commission’s handling of cases.
Labor targeted the government over section 18C in question time, leading Turnbull to reveal that the bill “specifically states that a single act can constitute harassment”.
It is unclear when the government will bring the bill on for debate, except that it will be after childcare changes are debated on Thursday, and whether Labor and the crossbench will seek to refer it to a Senate committee.
Shorten said that “political extremists” are telling Australians “that cutting migration will clear-up traffic and make housing cheaper”.
“It will make our internet faster, our schools better and our weather sunnier,” he said. “And citizens who feel like they’re not getting a fair go are told to blame minorities, to demonise difference.”
The former prime minister Tony Abbott has called for the Coalition to explicitly link migration to housing affordability, as the One Nation leader, Pauline Hanson, did while debating housing affordability on Wednesday evening in the Senate.
Shorten said that migrant attendees and award recipients are “an irreplaceable part of who we are ... the counter-argument to that dishonesty [and] living proof of the benefits of migration”.
Shorten warned that prejudice hurts “people who make sacrifices, who work hard and who are wondering why their parliament is arguing whether it should be easier to insult, offend and humiliate them on the basis of race”.
He cited the example of his mother telling him she had been knocked back for a job in a supermarket when she was a student, because they found out she was a Catholic.
Shorten said he has never been the victim of discrimination based on the colour of his skin and “by an overwhelming majority, neither have the people who are arguing that the Racial Discrimination Act needs to change”.
The opposition leader argue that “powerful, vocal, middle-aged men” were treating the issue as a philosophical discussion but “racism isn’t a theory” for an Asian student facing abuse on public transport, a Jewish family who see swastikas splashed in graffiti or a child bullied for their skin colour, name or lunch.
“It’s easy to denigrate a protection you never need. It’s easy to dismiss a hurt you’ll never feel.”
Turnbull said Australia is “a lesson in harmony and security amid diversity”.
“We are proud of the role immigration has played in shaping the Australia we know and love,” he said, adding that Australia was built “by the hands, wits and ambition of its migrants”.
Turnbull said Australians “welcome newcomers with open arms and mutual respect because we are confident in our culture, our institutions and our laws”.
“In return, our newest Australians pledge loyalty to Australia and its people, affirm shared democratic beliefs and agree to respect and uphold our liberties, rights and laws.”
Turnbull described it as a “precious compact” that binds both those already in Australia and those that wish to join. “Citizenship offers rights but it also confers the responsibility to integrate and contribute,” he said.
Turnbull said he was proud that Australia had agreed in 2015 to take 12,000 people displaced by the conflicts in Syria and Iraq.
He announced the government had now issued all 12,000 visas and 10,000 people had already settled. As recently as September, just 3,500 had come to Australia.
Turnbull said Australia had achieved resettlement while prioritising women, children, families and persecuted minorities and “maintaining rigorous security checks and ensuring strong public support”.
