Thursday, 19 March 2026

 Gary MAAS (Narre Warren South) (17:17): (1606) The adjournment matter I wish to raise is for the Minister for Multicultural Affairs in the other place, and it concerns the increase of hate and fear in my very multicultural community of Narre Warren South. The action that I seek is that the minister visit my electorate of Narre Warren South to meet with our multifaith leaders. In Narre Warren South we are a community that is built by many families from all over the world – people who came here, worked hard, raised their kids and built a life. You see it in our schools, our shops and our workplaces everywhere, and it is what makes our community the incredibly great place that it is. As the son of migrants from Sri Lanka who made a very similar journey – they came to Australia in search of a better life for our whole family, and they found that in Melbourne’s outer south-east – it is a story I know really, really well. As the local member I will always stand up for diversity, I will always stand up for inclusion and I will always stand up for understanding, but jeez, I will always stand up against hate because we are a state and a nation that is built on immigration, which has contributed immensely to the fantastic state that Victoria is.

When people across our multicultural communities tell me that they are now feeling targeted, that they are now feeling picked on because of their background, because of their name, because of the way they dress or because of how they look, just know that it really gets my goat and just know that it goes against every single thing that this government stands for. I recognise that many in my area, including our Muslim community, have felt this acutely, particularly in the face of recent antagonistic, emotional and fearmongering rhetoric – and it is rhetoric. But this does not happen out of nowhere. It happens when people start finger-pointing and unfairly blaming and targeting our migrant communities, and that is exactly what Pauline Hanson and One Nation do: no policies, no plans, no idea. When the Liberals and Nationals stand silent, they stand right beside the One Nation party, they support them and they support that division, that fear and that hate. I want everyone from the Muslim and other multifaith and multicultural communities across my electorate to know this: you do belong here. The electorate of Narre Warren South is your home. Labor stands with you. We stand against hate, and we stand for your safety as well. You can guarantee we will not let the Liberals and Pauline Hanson divide our community. I look forward to sharing the minister’s response with my community.