Australia Day 2014-702 ABC Sydney
Presenter:
A New South Wales Senator is urging migrants to put greater emphasis on learning English to help unify the community.
Federal Liberal Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells has used Australia Day to warn that the lack of English can lead to personal, health and economic problems.
She says a common language can unite the county and benefit society. The Senator says there needs to be a balance between preserving an individual’s cultural heritage and integrating into a new community.
Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells:
Retaining a knowledge, obviously, of one’s mother tongue is very important but it shouldn’t be at the expense of learning English. Because learning English today, as we move from a manufacturing to a service economy, is very important.