Ms BURNET (Clark) – Madam Deputy Speaker, I rise to speak about the importance of our government and our society continuing to do better when it comes to celebrating diversity and combating racism. There have been some very distressing recent events where racism has reared its ugly head. Late last year, we heard about Zahra Anvari and her mother, who came to Tasmania as Hazara refugees fleeing racial persecution in Afghanistan. Shockingly, these two women were ambushed in a violent, racially motivated attack while they were on their way to a local community garden.
In April this year, we saw the situation where taxi drivers and their vehicles were attacked in race‑related incidents. I went to support a strike held by drivers on 29 April and applaud everyone who attended, including Ms Ogilvie.
Ms Ogilvie – Yes, it was good to be there. Thank you.
Ms BURNET – However, this event should never have been needed in the first place, as these drivers should never have been in the first place, as these drivers should never have been subjected to such attacks.
Last week, the ABC reported the devastating case of Devarshi Deka, a student from India who has been left paraplegic after being violently attacked. As if this situation was not hard enough for Dev’s family, his parents, out from India to look after their son, were then subjected to intolerable and unacceptable racial abuse; not once, but frequently.
These terrible events are not happening in isolation. It is crucial that the government recognises that it needs to be proactive in dealing with this issue and act, driven by evidence about what has worked in other jurisdictions around Australia and the world.
For a start, the government could and should be working closely with the multicultural community and experts to develop an anti-racism strategy. Reducing racism in the community requires a strong and concerted effort. It will not just go away on its own.
We also need to see much more invested in prevention, education and rehabilitation support services. This is what will keep our community safe and provide a better chance at a good life for young people.
There is some fantastic work already happening in the community when it comes to tackling racism. For example, the Migrant Resource Centre Tasmania (MRC Tas) will soon hold The Walk: Step Up Together event. The MRC Tas plays such a critical role in our community, as do other community groups. They do amazing work that has changed the lives of many people and made Tasmania a more welcoming place. The Walk is a fantastic initiative that celebrates the diversity of our community while recognising the many challenges still being experienced by migrants and refugees in our state.
The event will see former premier Peter Gutwein, current chair of MRC Tas, undertake a 350 km walk over seven days in June, walking from the MRC Tas’s Burnie office to their Glenorchy office, raising awareness and funds for a more inclusive and compassionate lutruwita/Tasmania. Good on you, Peter. It was good to speak to Peter this morning in relation to this.
It has been wonderful to see organisations and businesses from a range of backgrounds get behind this event. We hope to see momentum continue to build over the course of the coming weeks and encourage Tasmanians who can afford to do so, to consider donating. You can do so at givenow.com.au/thewalk. It is important that we continue to make sure our state is safe and inclusive for everyone. We need to keep doing more to ensure that all Tasmanians have the same rights and are afforded the same opportunities and respect. The Greens are throwing our support behind the walk and its goals of celebrating diversity and combating racism. We encourage all Tasmanians to do the same. We will also continue to do what we can to drive real improvements for the lives of Tasmania’s wonderful migrant and refugee community, and to ensure that acting on racism is a government priority.
