Zaneta Mascarenhas MP

House of Representatives, Parliament House, Canberra
Statements by Members

I was born and bred in the Goldfields, and people may be surprised to find out how multicultural Kambalda was. We attracted skills not just from across Australia but from across the globe, and the truth is that, out there, people didn't care about the colour of your skin. What they wanted to know was whether you were good at your job and whether you'd stick by your mates out in the mines. My parents loved their new community, and they paid it forward by welcoming every single new person. People would come over for dinner and would also get a piece of furniture because my parents were hoarders.

This multiculturalism is something that I see in Swan. We have Vietnamese bakeries in Bentley; Indian, Turkish, Lebanese and Somali businesses in Cannington; and Italian, Japanese, Bhutanese, Malaysian, Chinese and Nepalese restaurants in Victoria Park. We are the self-proclaimed restaurant capital of Western Australia. We have Christian, Catholic and Islamic colleges achieving excellence alongside each other.

I have said many times that ecosystems are stronger—it's proven scientifically—when they have more diversity. And guess what? So is Australia. Our diversity is our greatest strength. Australia is one of the most egalitarian nations in the world, and you know what? It's because our equality is united by our citizenship bond. That is the real Australia that voted, at the last federal election, for the most multicultural parliament ever.

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