Embrace Africans

MP: Celebrate immigration

AFRICAN Australians are critically important to the country’s future and Australia Day should celebrate immigration, a Geelong federal MP says.

Corio federal Labor MP Richard Marles made the assertions while delivering the John Curtin Research Centre Lecture in Melbourne on Thursday.

“Given recent events it needs to be said that the African Australian community is critically important to our country,” Mr Marles said.

“In years to come, as Africa continues to rapidly emerge economically, and Australia seeks to benefit from this emergence particularly in the area of mining, our African community will be fundamental in realising this major opportunity.

“When government members seek to politicise local events they would do well to remember this,” he said, in reference to recent efforts to politicise reported African gang violence in Melbourne.

Speaking the day before Australia Day, Mr Marles also weighed into the debate to change the date of the public holiday.

“Let me say for the record that I am a supporter of Australia Day.

“It obviously needs to be handled with enormous sensitivity to our indigenous community and in the process Australia Day activities should and do celebrate indigenous Australia,” he said.

“But what I love most about Australia Day is the growing tradition of having large citizenship ceremonies on this day. Migration is a huge part of who we are.

“And those who came to Australia on 26 January 1788 were the first wave of migrants. So I hope that the celebration of immigration becomes a growing and intrinsic part of what Australia Day is about.”