Speeches
Wednesday, 04 March 2026
Governors Multicultural Awards
It is a pleasure to welcome you to Government House for the Governor’s Multicultural Awards, established in 2008 by my predecessor The Hon Kevin Scarce but with, I am sure Kevin would want me to mention, the active support of the then Lieutenant Governor and Kevin’s successor, the Hon Hieu Van Le, a multicultural leader of national significance.
These awards help recognise and celebrate outstanding South Australians who promote multiculturalism and increase understanding of the benefits of cultural diversity in our community.
They recognise people whose often quiet endeavours
Strengthen our community and society.
Rod and I have felt privileged to meet many such people in all corners of the State and to see the impact of their work:
At Thomas More College where Harmony Day celebrated the diversity of the school’s students representing 62 cultures.
In Port Pirie on Australia Day where I found a sense of fellowship and shared identity whether community members had lived in Port Pirie for generations or were recent arrivals.
We see it in Aboriginal people sharing their knowledge and wisdom.
We see it every day in the extraordinary efforts of volunteers, in the diversity of schools, and in the arts and festivals across our state.
Indeed, I have been so struck by the efforts in the regions that, after consultation with Justice Soulio and the judging committee, I am delighted shortly to be presenting the inaugural Governor’s Multicultural Regional Achievement Award.
But I want to thank all the nominees for your work in building inclusive and connected communities, and, in that way, helping to advance our State’s political, economic, social and cultural life.
To continue enjoying these benefits, and this reputation, requires ongoing nurturing and leadership from all levels of society. I thank you for your generous contributions to this endeavour.
Friends
We all know that Australia has been built through the traditions, skills, hopes and dreams that people have brought with them from many places.
This began with our first peoples.
As I have said before, here in South Australia, we walk together on ancient lands in the footsteps of an ancient culture.
We are home to the oldest continuing culture on our planet – a source of pride to us all.
First Nations people were our first astronomers, agriculturalists, navigators, and storytellers. They hold a wealth of knowledge to share with us all.
Their living culture is woven into the very fabric of who we are today, and who we aspire to be together.
In more recent history, our colonial settlers and later migrants have set up businesses, became leaders, scientists, doctors, teachers.
They have led new industries, driven innovation, fuelled creativity, and brought together diverse perspectives and experiences.
They have made Australia home and built families of Australian born children, the literal embodiment of multiculturalism.
Traditions have been passed down through the generations, inevitably evolving over time, until they, too, have become integral to the fabric of modern Australia.
A society in which one in three citizens are themselves born overseas; a society in which nearly half the population has one or more parents born overseas, and of course a society in which all were migrants at some time.
There can be absolutely no doubt, as a simple matter of fact, that Australia is a multicultural society. And a successful one at that.
And yet, we have seen from time to time, and in recent times especially, a questioning of the wisdom of multiculturalism, and community support for it has been tested.
Strident voices have increasingly found a place in community discourse.
In such an environment, multiculturalism needs sustaining and nurturing. It needs leadership. It needs constant care and attention.
It needs people to speak up in support.
It needs people such as you who are influencing the dynamic of how we can relate to each other and how we can understand each other’s aspirations.
Against that backdrop, I thank you as community leaders for working to ensure that the foundations of multiculturalism remain firm; that when needed we can meet challenges through respectful if perhaps difficult conversations, and that, by example, we can demonstrate what active citizenship in a multicultural society can achieve.
I offer my unwavering support as Governor in this quest, because the values of respect, tolerance and unity are the cornerstones of our shared purpose.
And by breaking down barriers and fostering inclusion we can ensure that everyone can contribute to and benefit from a stronger, more connected South Australia.
I thank his Honour Judge Rauf Soulio for his stewardship of the judging committee, as well as the committee members for their diligence.
I thank to everyone who nominated a person or group deserving of recognition.
Once again, I congratulate all the nominees and thank you for what you do.
Through your lived example, multiculturalism is nurtured, and we do tackle challenges and seize opportunities together as one inclusive society, where everyone can feel a sense of belonging.
I thank you.