On the 16th of October 2018, we stood witness to an anachronistic motion known as “It’s OK to be white” which was put forward by Queensland Senator Pauline Hanson. A motion that only just failed to be passed by the Australian Senate.
The phrase “It’s OK to be white” has been used by white supremacists as a racist meme for decades. The phrase “It’s OK to be white” has a history of affiliation with white supremacist groups overseas, including the Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazis. It is our utmost concern that our politicians, who are entrusted with the responsibility to be the voice of our community, have failed to identify such a racist meme.
Although we have been informed that it was a result of an administrative process failure, we, as a community are deeply concerned that no less than 23 Coalition senators (including the Indigenous Affairs Minister) have voted in favour of the motion. We believe it is a reflection of the current status of our Government towards anti-racism.
The event that took place in the Australian Senate on the 16th of October, 2018 is beyond disheartening. It is an event that raises concerns not only for the Australians with coloured skin but every single Australian person present in this nation.
The members of KAY Leaders are strongly urging our Government to properly reorganise their affairs and priorities and bear focus in strengthening our multicultural nation, to provide us with the confidence that such an event like this will never happen again, never to be repeated in Parliament.
KAY Leaders (Korean Australian Young Leaders) Inc.
