Prime Minister Scott Morrison and State Premiers of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia have made a beeline for wishing a happy Diwali to the burgeoning Indian diaspora in Australia.
With the elections just around the corner in Victoria and the state elections in New South Wales and federal elections not very far away, this week the Australian politicians were seen making the most of the Hindu festival, Diwali celebrated by the large and burgeoning Indian diaspora in Australia.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison attended the Diwali event in Sydney on Sunday and revealed how his family’s Saturday night routine involved cooking a curry and sharing it with family and friends.
“It’s been a tradition in our family for many, many years now on a Saturday night it’s called curry night and friends come over or it’s just family, it’s just a great time just like it is in any family around the country, getting together around food,” Mr Morrison said.
In his speech, he likened the multiculturalism of Australia to the traditional Indian spice blend, known as garam masala, often used in Indian curries.
Scott Morrison swapped by selfies at Diwali celebrations in Sydney. Source: SBS
“I love garam masala and when I think about garam masala, I think a lot about how successful immigration has been to Australia over centuries because Australia is the most successful immigration nation on earth.”
“Immigrants to Australia have been about laying down more flavour, more texture, more fabric, more depth, more strength and it’s the combination of these things as Australians have come from all the parts of the world that makes it such strong country,” Mr Morrison told members of the Indian community gathered in Parramatta.
Accompanying him on the stage were NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs, Mr David Coleman, Liberal MP Julian Leeser, MP Ray Williams, MP Geoff Lee, Labor’s Deputy Leader Tanya Plibersek and Labor MP Michelle Rowland who all took time out to attend one of Sydney’s biggest premier Diwali fair and wished the diaspora a happy Diwali.
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“I wish everyone a happy and peaceful Deepavali and I encourage all Australians to recognise the important meaning of Deepavali and enjoy the celebrations,” Mr Coleman said.
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“Victoria’s Indian communities will get a dedicated fund for community infrastructure including temples, places of worship and community centres, under a re-elected Andrews Labor Government.
“The $3 million fund will be dedicated to our state’s Indian communities and their needs, with every Indian community and faith-based group in the state eligible to apply for funding,” he announced.
The event was also attended by Victorian Minister for Multicultural Affairs and Finance, Mr Robin Scott and the Victorian leader of the opposition, Mr Matthew Guy. 
In South Australia, Premier Steven Marshall hosted a reception on the occasion of Diwali at Parliament House in Adelaide.
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In a video message, he said, “South Australia is extremely fortunate to have a vibrant Indian community.
“My colleagues and I look forward to celebrating Diwali, the festival of lights with you all.”
"Politicians can no longer ignore the presence and contributions of the Indian diaspora"
Dr Surjeet Dogra Dhanji, the New Generation Network (NGN) Post-doctoral Fellow, a diaspora researcher based in Melbourne, says the politicians can no longer ignore the presence and contributions of the Indian diaspora.
“The Indian diaspora is growing. We are a visible ethnic minority group (2%) but a strong contributor to the Australian economy. India is one of the largest sources of migrants and international students to Australia.
“The government can no longer ignore our presence and our contributions,” she told SBS Hindi.
Dr Dogra Dhanji says Diwali fairs and events provide a perfect setting to meet and get their message across to the large Indian diaspora.
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“Attending a Diwali Mela makes sense for potential politicians as one can address a diverse Indian target audience from many suburbs than you would otherwise,” she says.
“Personally, it would be useful for politicians to engage with the diaspora not only around election period when we see them visiting temples and attending cultural events, but also make a concerted effort to participate in other events that are important to the diaspora. This would lead to a more meaningful engagement,” she opines.
More than 455,389 Indian population in Australia has grown from Census 2016 data released on Tuesday revealed that Indian population in Australia has grown to 455,389, up from 295,362 recorded in Census 2011.
The latest government figures have revealed India as Australia’s biggest source of migrants for the second year in a row.
Over 20.5 per cent of the total permanent migration program outcome for 2017-18 came from India. 33,310 places of 162,417 places were granted to Indian citizens.
Census 2016 has shown Indians comprise of 1.9% of the total Australian population. The 2016 distribution by state and territory showed Victoria had the largest number of Indians with 169,802 followed by New South Wales at 143,459.
