REFUGEES COME TO TASMANIA TO EXPERIENCE HARMONY THROUGH CRICKET - Media Release, 12 January 2018

The successful visit by the All Nations Social Cricket team to Hobart this week shows exactly how multiculturalism is making Australian communities stronger.

All Nations Social Cricket was established by Abdul Razzaq as a free-to-join club for asylum-seekers and refugees in Victoria’s Dandenong region.

The team traveled to Hobart to compete in the ‘Don’t Give Up Cup’ interstate T20 cricket tournament, organised by Tasmania’s Intercultural Sports League.

I was delighted to be able to make a donation to All Nations Social Cricket to assist them with their transport needs, and even happier to support them in the Cup final* which was played yesterday at Montrose Bay.

Multicultural events like this empower migrant communities to both live and share their cultures, while giving young (and sometimes not-so-young) migrants and refugees a chance to get involved in sport.

It is an excellent way for people from different backgrounds to learn about each other and build lasting friendships, while supporting each new arrival in overcoming whatever obstacles they face as they adjust to a new country and society.

Labor’s citizenship and multiculturalism policies encourage events like this as well as the attitudes they represent; promoting social cohesion and economic inclusion among our diverse communities, ensuring every new migrant has the opportunity to fully participate in Australian life, and supporting the right of Australian citizens to live a life free of racism and discrimination.

This is why Labor will fight Peter Dutton’s citizenship changes if he brings them back to Parliament. The changes are designed to shame thousands of good people wanting to become new citizens and willing to contribute to modern Australia’s vibrant, multicultural tapestry.

Quite simply, they undermine the values of inclusion and a fair go for all which make our nation great.

*Fighting hard, All Nations Social Cricket went down in the final to Tasmanian Punjabi Brothers Sports Club.

FRIDAY, 12 JANUARY 2018


MEDIA CONTACT: TAIMUS WERNER-GIBBINGS 0429 820 344