MELBOURNE: Assistant Minister for Multicultural Affairs & Citizenship, Julian Hill has said, the country’s migration program must be in the national, social & economic interest. Mr. Julian Hill was reflecting on the Multicultural Framework review and the recently released Scanlon Foundation Mapping Social Cohesion 2024 Report during a Zoom press conference on November 21, 2024.
Detailing the main points of the Scanlon Report, Julian Hill said, the report’s revelation that Australia was geared towards connecting, inclusion, and belonging. “was impacting the government’s thinking” and “this was a great reason for optimism” despite all the pressures and strains of the last 12 months, social cohesion has held steady and remains strong. And, the report saying, 85% Australian’s support multicultural society has been good for Australia, he said.
Julian talked of the report saying, any cut in immigration (as done post pandemic) has to be “non-discriminatory”, and be in the national interest.
There are pressures of cost of living, and migration being too high has been happening for about 30 years but migrants cannot be blamed for taking away jobs, as the report says Australians believe. Our government had induced integrity in the migration system with emphasis on skilled migration, where as the coalition had created complete chaos in it, he said.
On a journalists observation that, in fact, social cohesion is not good, Julian Hill said, anti-semitism has increased for the Jewish community and for others it is there in other forms. Most Australian’s are for social cohesion, but global conflict has strained it, he said.
His view was that, Australian’s “do not want foreign conflicts to divide our society.”
The Minister praised the independent multicultural media as a trusted voice of the community.
