Page 580 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 14 March 2007
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
Senator Humphries also noted the impact that Mr Grassby had on the national capital when he said in the media release:
He was a distinguished Canberran and he deserves to be acknowledged, especially by this community, for his work in promoting community awareness and cohesiveness … Although a political opponent, Al’s work over several decades profoundly influenced the values and norms of Australian politics. I hope his historic role will be appropriately acknowledged by the government and the broader community.
I would like the Leader of the Opposition to pass on my thanks to Senator Humphries for recognising Al Grassby’s contribution to multiculturalism.
While the Liberal Party has spent much time commemorating the life and work of Mr Grassby, prominent members of our community also paid tribute in the days after his death. At his state funeral, former Canberran of the Year and Aboriginal elder Matilda House rightly described Mr Grassby as a “true friend” of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The Chief Executive of the ACT Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Chris Peters, honoured Mr Grassby with a statement on the Multicultural Business Chamber’s website firmly declaring: “Al Grassby is the father of multiculturalism in Australia.”
In the papers today, Dr James Jupp, visiting fellow and director of the centre of immigration and multicultural studies at the ANU, wrote a letter to the editor saying that it was Al Grassby—not the Liberal Party, as claimed by Mr Stefaniak—that first used the word “multiculturalism” in a speech in 1973 and that he was indeed the father of multiculturalism. As Australia’s father of multiculturalism, isn’t it only appropriate that his contribution to furthering diversity in our city, and indeed our country, be recognised? I can definitely say that the decision to commission a statue of Mr Grassby was made in view of his long and dedicated service to community relations and multiculturalism.
I would like now to talk briefly about what Al actually achieved as a tireless advocate of multiculturalism over the last 40 years. Here are the facts. He organised the establishment of bilingual broadcasts on the New South Wales radio station 2RG in Griffith in the 1950s and played a vital role in the early years of the National Multicultural Festival in Canberra. During his years in federal parliament, Al was a popular and well-known minister who expounded the benefits of multiculturalism and encouraged migrants from non-English-speaking countries to take out Australian citizenship. From 1972 to 1973, Mr Grassby oversaw an increase of almost 50 per cent in citizenship requests.
Al Grassby banned racially selected sporting teams from playing in Australia and repealed the law that required indigenous Australians to seek permission before going overseas. He also removed restrictions on the amount of non-English programming on TV and radio. Al Grassby fought tirelessly to advance the cause of multiculturalism at a time when the White Australia policy was still seen as a good idea by significant portions of the Australian community. His views on multiculturalism have directly and indirectly improved the lives of countless thousands of Australians by fighting discrimination and fostering cross-cultural understanding.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .