Australians must continue fight against intolerance
Sunday 16 November 2008
Australians must not become complacent where intolerance was concerned, the Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs and Settlement Services, Laurie Ferguson, said today – the International Day for Tolerance.
Mr Ferguson said Australia is one of the most multicultural countries in the world.
‘Over the past 60 years, Australians have welcomed millions of people from more than 200 countries to become part of the Australian community,’ Mr Ferguson said.
‘A majority of Australians enthusiastically embrace Australia’s multicultural identity.
‘However, there are still challenges and Australians should not be complacent about intolerance and prejudice, which continues to occur.’
According to the Declaration of Principles on Tolerance* of 16 November 1995:
- tolerance is respect, acceptance and appreciation of the rich diversity of our world’s cultures, our forms of expression and ways of being human
- tolerance is not concession, condescension or indulgence.
‘It is the responsibility of all Australians to ensure that we do not isolate, or alienate, any section of our community, so it shouldn’t come as any surprise that the best results are achieved when we work together as a community,’ Mr Ferguson said.
‘On this day, I encourage all Australians to reflect on how we can all better understand and appreciate our many cultures and work together to ensure that Australian society is a welcoming and tolerant society,’ the parliamentary secretary added.
*The UNESCO Declaration of Principles on Tolerance can be found at
http://www.un-documents.net/dpt.htm.
Media Contact: Sarah Gestier-Garstang - 0432 283 020
URL: http://www.minister.immi.gov.au
/parlsec/media/media-releases/2008/lf08066.htm
Last update: 17 November 2008 at 12:03 AEST