New Delhi: Australia’s immigration system is “non-discriminatory” and its citizens are increasingly coming to believe that “multiculturalism is good”, said Anne Aly, the Australian Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Thursday.
The minister’s comments come as Australia, in recent months, has seen a spurt of anti-immigrant protests that brought thousands to the streets. The country is home to nearly one million people of Indian origin.
“Surveys show that Australians increasingly believe that multiculturalism is good for our country. The Government of India has expressed its concern with the anti-immigrant protests…. I acknowledge that the Government of India recognises that the small minority [at the protests] does not represent Australia,” Aly said.
On Thursday, Australian minister Anne Aly was addressing an event at the Dr Ambedkar International Centre in New Delhi. She had arrived in India after a trip to Bangladesh.
“Australian strength comes from diversity. The Australian government will stand against any event attempting to tear the fabric of our society…. It is telling that when Australians went to the polling booths earlier this year, they elected the most diverse Australian government in our history,” she stated.
Anne Aly is also Minister for Small Business and International Development and the first female federal parliamentarian of Islamic faith in Australia. Elected to the Australian Parliament in 2016, Aly has held several portfolios in Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s government since the Labour Party came to power in Canberra in 2022.
In recent months, the Australian community with Indian origins has increasingly come under scrutiny within Australian domestic politics.
The ‘March for Australia’ anti-immigration protests on 31 August this year partially revolved around blaming Indian migration for the increase in the costs of living.
The number of Indian-born people living in Australia have doubled to 8,50,000 in the last decade, according to the Australian home affairs department.
Anne Aly, however, emphasised, “You are safe and welcome in Australia. Australia’s immigration policy is non-discriminatory. Historically, Australia has demonstrated a resolute kind of rejection of racism.”
Minister Ally cited Indian contributions to Australia’s growth stories, highlighting that at 40 percent, immigrants, and in particular, the Indian community, have started the highest number of new restaurant businesses.
“Indians are bringing skills that we need—filling the gaps. There are these minor parties that seek to divide us. But they have not gained political success like those of us who hold the centre ground,” Anne Aly added.
States seeing immigration pushback
Indian migration has faced pushback from many nations. In the United States, which is home to one of the largest Indian communities abroad, the government, of late, has imposed a $100,000 visa fee for future H1-B aspirants.
The move to curb the migration of high-skilled Indian labour came after several domestic constituents of President Donald Trump’s political coalition, including Laura Loomer, had called for it.
In Ireland, several Indians or Indian-origin persons have faced attacks primarily in the Dublin area since July this year, as anti-Indian sentiments have risen. From the cost-of-living crisis to the perception of social mobility among Indians, sentiments against multiculturalism have spiked in the recent past.
Australia—particularly—saw the 31 August rally, ‘March for Australia’. Held across state capitals, including Sydney, and widely condemned by the Albanese government, the protests singled out Indian migration to the country.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
Also Read: After Trump’s Russian oil claim, India says energy imports ‘guided by national interest’