Tuesday, 28 July 2026

 Sonja TERPSTRA (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (18:49): (2620) Like most, if not all, electorates across Victoria, the North-Eastern Metropolitan Region remains an incredibly culturally diverse area. This is one of the key factors making the North-Eastern Metropolitan Region the vibrant community it is. Many of the events I attend are in celebration of cultural holidays, and it is through the sharing of our different cultures and values that we improve knowledge and make the state a better place to live. Despite us knowing the importance of multiculturalism, there are some who are increasingly willing to deny this and seek to undo it. We know that something must be said and done when archaic policies such as the White Australia policy are spoken about in a positive light. This is nothing more than a blatant justification for discrimination and hatred. My question is to the Minister for Multicultural and Multifaith Victoria. Considering comments glorifying policies such as White Australia and the blatant disregard for the importance of multiculturalism in Victoria, the action I seek is that the minister advise me what is being done to protect our multicultural and multifaith communities from racial abuse and discrimination.