Mr BARRESI(1.32 p.m.) —I must thank the member for Moore (Mr Filing) for reconfirming the coalition's policy on multiculturalism and also our commitment through the Australian Council on Citizenship. I was wondering which side he was actually debating for on this motion.

It is not particularly easy for those of us who have actually pledged our loyalty to Australia or witnessed our parents pledge their loyalty on our behalf to face those who say we lack commitment to this country. Let there be no mistaking what the member for Oxley (Ms Hanson) is suggesting: ethnic Australians are agents of foreign countries out to destabilise Australia.

On 29 January 1965, in the Fremantle Town Hall, at the age of 9½, with my sister I stood by my father's side as he recited in his far from perfect English his commitment to this country. No-one forced my father to become an Australian citizen; he chose to become one. Unlike the member for Oxley, I stood by my father and we pledged allegiance to this country. I have before me evidence of my pledge to this country.

Like other members of this House, such as the member for Kooyong (Mr Georgiou), the member for Gilmore (Mrs Gash) and the member for Lowe (Mr Zammit), we came here as children. I for one am extremely proud of my immigrant heritage. Since then the oath has changed on more than one occasion. It has undergone reviews and amendments. Despite these changes, members may be interested to know that entire sections of our immigrant community have not turned into racial, radical, anti-Australian revolutionaries simply because they used one formula of the oath rather than another. They have maintained their rock solid commitment to this country and the values we hold dear, while simultaneously maintaining a precious bond with a culture, a language and a religion of their past. This has been possible in Australia and we should all be proud of it.

I am convinced that the motion put forward by the member for Oxley today is, above all, unnecessary. It pre-empts the work of the Australian Council on Citizenship, as announced by the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (Mr Ruddock) on 20 August. Our minister announced the process of reviewing comprehensively the issues of citizenship in Australia with a view to advising how best to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Australian citizenship on 26 January 1999. The council would deal with issues such as the meaning and value of citizenship; residency, language, age and other requirements; reviewing the current pledge; dual and multi- citizenship issues; and several other issues. The aim of the review will be to make citizenship more meaningful for all Australians, something which I fully support. The council deserves a chance to make inquiries and reach its conclusions without being pressured or pre-empted by politicians on demagogic campaigns.

With the centenary of Federation approaching fast, it is important that we openly examine the symbols and values which we as Australians see as important. There is always room for change and progress in this area, but it is just as important that these changes be undertaken in a mature and responsible way. The Australian Council on Citizenship will ensure that the concerns of all Australians, not some, are heard. This motion is just another example of opportunistic policy on the run.

There is no political imperative to strengthen the oath of allegiance. To think otherwise is to imply that people simply swan into Australia, become citizens without even thinking about what they are doing and are somehow less committed than their Australian born counterparts. I point out that there are many countries in the Asian region—those countries which the member for Oxley believes are swamping us—which force its citizens to renounce their original citizenship once they become Australians. The member for Adelaide (Ms Worth) pointed out some of these countries, and I wish to repeat some of those. China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Brunei, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Nepal are some of the countries in this category. This would imply that people would not simply come to Australia and decide to become citizens lightly. They would do it because they believe it is the best thing for themselves, their family and their future, fully aware that there is no going back.

I also reaffirm my belief that it is not the oath itself that makes us good Australians or this piece of paper which I am holding now, even though I am extremely proud of it, as most immigrants to this country would be. What makes us Australian is our basic commitment to values of equality and justice, our commitment to tolerances of all types—tolerance of diversity, tolerance of those who have endured hardship and tolerance of those who seek a helping hand by a compassionate society. (Time expired)