The Chinese Australian Forum (CAF) celebrated 40 years with a sold-out dinner at Westfield Chatswood Sydney on September 5, joined by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, MPs and community leaders.
Federal MPs in the room included Andrew Charlton (Parramatta), Sally Sitou (Reid), Ash Ambihaipahar (Barton) and Jerome Laxale (Bennelong), alongside NSW state MP Jason Yat-sen Li (Strathfield).
CAF is a non-partisan body established in 1985 to provide the Chinese community with a voice in the Australian political process, and involvement in contemporary social/political issues.
CAF president Simon Chan AM welcomed the guests, noting the Forum has moved from lifting political awareness in the 1980s to long-term advocacy on anti-racism, civics education and inclusive public policy. Mr Chan’s leadership has been widely recognised by government and cultural bodies.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese began by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the land, then referred to the anti-immigration protests held two weeks ago.
“I make this very clear point to those people who marched,” he said.
“The only people in this nation who are not either migrants or descendants of migrants are our First Nations people — which is why we give them a special place in this country.”
The Prime Minister underscored the long history of Chinese migration, noting their presence in Australia for over 200 years: “Australia is proudly home to 1.4 million Australians who can trace their ancestry to China.”
He then reflected on global tensions, stressing the dangers of division.
“There is so much conflict in the world when there is division based upon race or religion or ethnicity. We are building a nation that shows diversity is a strength, and that respect for each other is bound by our common humanity.”
Turning to foreign relations, the Prime Minister highlighted his ties with China.
“When I visited China for my second time as Prime Minister — and my eighth visit overall — it was so important to carry the message of the relationship between China and Australia, and how important it is,” he said.
“Our relationship with China is consistent; we’ll cooperate where we can, we’ll disagree where we have disagreements but we will engage in our national interests.”
Mr Albanese highlighted trade relations with China, describing it as “our largest trading partner” and “so important for this country”.
“Whether you’re getting a formal education here or simply getting a traveller’s education in the reality of modern Australia, Australia is a story in which the people in this room are writing the next chapter.
“So for all of you thank you for what you do. Happy 40th Birthday.”
