MyMP 1377
E&OE
GLENN RIDGE
I mentioned that this coming Saturday is what’s known as Harmony Day and to tell us a little more about it is the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minster for Social Services, Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells joins me online. Concetta, thank you very much for your time this morning.
SENATOR FIERRAVANTI-WELLS
Hello Glenn, how are you?
GLENN RIDGE
I am very well, now for those who might not be aware – Harmony Day – can you give us an overview of it please?
SENATOR FIERRAVANTI-WELLS
Well Harmony Day is celebrated throughout Australia on the 21st of March and the theme for Harmony Day has been that “everyone belongs” and that it’s basically a day when all Australians embrace our cultural diversity and share those things that are important to us that we have in common. It’s a community celebration and this is a special year because this is our 15th Anniversary. It was an initiative of the Howard Government and since then we’ve had over 60,000 Harmony Day events celebrated all over Australia.
GLENN RIDGE
Now, I hope you don’t mind me saying this with your surname and your Christian name, I would suggest your family background is from a country not Australia.
SENATOR FIERRAVANTI-WELLS
Yes, my parents emigrated to Australia in 1950s. My father came in 1953 and my mother in 1959 from Italy. I was born here and Glenn, like many children of migrants, I didn’t actually speak English until I went to school and I grew up in Wollongong which is very multicultural city. Let’s not forget that since 1945, 7.5 million people have come to Australia, migrated to Australia, and today around 45% of us were either born overseas or have at least one parent who were born overseas so we are one of the most culturally diverse nations on earth but we are also one of the most socially cohesive nations on earth.
GLENN RIDGE
And when you have a look at it, that cultural diversity we see it in our food and our lifestyles, everything. It really does make, as you say, Australia unique to most other countries in the world.
SENATOR FIERRAVANTI-WELLS
It is. We are a very unique country. We identify with approximately 300 ancestries, we speak approximately 300 languages including indigenous ones. Four million of us speak a language other than English at home. But of course our cultural diversity is not just about enhancing harmony and embracing all those wonderful things that we are celebrating as part of Harmony Day, but cultural diversity is also in Australia’s national interests because it builds on our productivity and our cultural, religious and linguistic diversity gives us added strength.
GLENN RIDGE
I guess also when we have a look at it, it would be remiss if I didn’t bring this up with all the issues happening with ISIS and all that sort of thing over in the Middle East it makes this Saturday probably even more significant, doesn’t it?
SENATOR FIERRAVANTI-WELLS
Well, it does and this Saturday is really about saying thank you to our communities for having embraced Harmony Day and for having held all those thousands of events to celebrate Harmony Day over the years. And that’s been right across our schools, our councils, faith groups, sports teams, businesses. It’s been done through morning teas, concerts, art exhibitions but it’s also been done through those small acts of kindness. Big and small acts of kindness that really are at the heart of what we are here in Australia. For example, it’s like welcoming somebody new to your area, to your town, to your neighbourhood, to your school. Embracing old traditions but also new traditions but more importantly respecting those that are different to us. And whilst food and sharing food and sport and all these wonderful things are very important, there’s also the serious side and that is things like saying no to racism, calling racism for what it is, recognising our social and cultural differences, but respecting those differences and ensuring that the values that are quintessentially important to us, those values that unite us. That commitment to Australia is so important to creating social harmony.
GLENN RIDGE
Concetta, if anyone wants to find out a little more about what’s happening with Harmony Day and how they can be a part of some of the activities, is there a website?
SENATOR FIERRAVANTI-WELLS
Yes, there is, there is a website. You can find us at www.harmony.gov.au and find out more, join the conversation, but also go onto that website to find out what’s happening in your local area. And so I wanted Glenn, if I could, just to share with you that in Victoria we’ve got almost 200 events registered thus far and I know that you’re in the Mornington area so perhaps if I can just give you a couple of things that are happening in your local area. We’ve got Frankston Diversity Week Expo; we’ve got the Orwil Street Community House “Open House Morning Tea”; Harmony Day being celebrated at the Mornington Public Park Primary School; we’ve also got Harmony day celebrations at the Skye Primary School; and also the Peninsula Adult Education and Literacy are having “Tastes of Home”, so that’s the sort of activities that are happening in areas all over Australia and I’d encourage you to come along and enjoy our 15th anniversary of Harmony Day.
GLENN RIDGE
Concetta, thank you very much. Now more importantly is there any harmony in Canberra at the moment?
SENATOR FIERRAVANTI-WELLS
Well there is lots of harmony. I must say Glenn harmony was on show this morning at the Pollies versus SBS football game which I am pleased to say for the first time in five years the Pollies did win and tomorrow we’ve got Pollies playing in a Harmony Day game at netball tomorrow; netball, basketball, all sorts of things happening. So, harmony has broken out in Canberra and will break out at a morning tea on Thursday morning as well.
GLENN RIDGE
Is there going to be a sports field anywhere in Canberra where they’re going to pay uni fees or anything like that?
SENATOR FIERRAVANTI-WELLS
Ah look, I’m not sure about that but certainly here at Parliament House, we are playing on our sports fields here so harmony has broken out Glenn.
GLENN RIDGE
I’ve got a funny feeling I’m not going to get an answer to my question Concetta.
SENATOR FIERRAVANTI-WELLS
Thank you Glenn, thanks a lot.
GLENN RIDGE
Take care.
SENATOR FIERRAVANTI-WELLS
Happy Harmony Day!
GLENN RIDGE
Thank you, good bye.