Government condemns acid attack and calls for calm
Tuesday, 19 May 2009
The Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans, today offered his sympathy to the Sri Lankan victims of the recent home invasion and acid attack in Sydney.
'This was an horrific attack and the Government wants to stress that ethnic or religious-based violence is unacceptable in Australian society,' Senator Evans said.
'The Australian Government condemns any form of sectarian conflict and, indeed, there are grounds to cancel people’s visas under the Migration Act should they engage in serious crime.
'That said, it is important that we do not blame all people from a particular migrant group for the behaviour of a few.'
Senator Evans welcomed statements by leaders of both the Sinhalese and Tamil communities that condemned the attack and called for peace and calm.
He said his department had already been in contact with community groups to assess their reaction to developments in Sri Lanka and at home and that senior departmental staff would be discussing with them how best to address any community tensions.
Senator Evans said Australia was built on a tradition of social cohesion and acceptance and the Australian Government had a range of programs to build strong community relations.
'The recent clashes between some members of the Sinhalese and Tamil communities are unfortunate given the considerable contribution both communities have given to Australia’s social and economic development,' the minister said.
'There are nearly 9000 people with Tamil ancestry and some 74 000 with Sinhalese ancestry in Australia and both have made significant contributions in a range of professional fields including medicine, information technology, mathematics and business.'
URL: http://www.minister.immi.gov.au
/media/media-releases/2009/ce09042.htm
Last update: 19 May 2009 at 17:02 AEST