Prime Minister Scott Morrison visited the Shri Shiva Vishnu Temple in Carrum Downs, Melbourne on 19th May and reached out to the Indian community. This visit comes close on the heels of Australia lifting its ban on repatriation flights from India. The ban which lasted till 15th May was widely criticized for being unnecessarily harsh and discriminatory. The PM’s visit to the temple comes at an appropriate time to reinforce India and Australia’s profound ties.
Drawing parallels between multiculturalism and masala (blend of spices), the PM said in his speech, “When I talk about multiculturalism in Australia I often talk about it in the context of masala. And you’ll think about a masala, a wonderful masala and how it brings together all the different spices and the smells and the colours. And they all come together, the different tastes, the bitter and the sweet, and then it makes something as you taste it, and you smell, and the aroma is something wonderful. And then you mix it in with your onions, and your chillies and your garlic, and I’m looking forward to the cooking. And it creates something absolutely magnificent. And this is, I think, a wonderful metaphor of what multiculturalism is in this country. And in particular, I think what the Hindu community and Sikh communities and so many other communities of faith bring to this country.”
Highlighting the indispensable role of community and its members, he commented, “This has been a very difficult time for Australians over the last 18 months, but not just here as we know, all around the world. And, you know, when things are difficult, when peoples patience are tested, and when they’re suffering hardship and going through great difficulty, particularly when you have so many family and friends who are in other places, a long way from where you are. It’s tough. And in those times, you don’t look to governments, you look to each other. You look to your community, you look to your faith, and it has been your faith and it has been your community, it has been your friendships that have sustained you so magnificently over the course of this last 18 months.”
Stating further on the grim status of the third wave of the pandemic, the PM emphasized, “The tragedy that we see in particular in India, at the moment, and throughout the developing world, is so hard. It is so hard to see occurring. And for so many of our family and friends caught up in what is a terrible humanitarian tragedy, all I can say is that Australia will continue to do all we can to provide support to our friends, not just in India, but in other places where we know that we can provide some support. Our consular staff are providing support right now to roughly 11,000 Australians who are registered to return to Australia, including 970 who we know are particularly vulnerable. But over the course of the pandemic, more than 20,000 Australians we’ve been able to bring home from India, 20,000. And that has included almost 40 facilitated flights to bring Australians who have been in India back home to safety here.”