‘Policed in a way others are not’: Outgoing Greens MP Samantha Ratnam accuses parliamentary staff of racism
An outgoing Greens MP has accused parliamentary staff of racism, alleging some staff are “policed” and “over-surveilled” in a way others are not.
Victoria
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Outgoing Greens MP Samantha Ratnam has accused Victorian parliamentary staff of racism in a stinging final speech before exiting state politics.
Dr Ratnam, who migrated from Sri Lanka, ends seven-years as a Northern Metropolitan Region MP this week to pursue a career in Canberra as the Greens candidate for Wills in the federal election.
In her final speech in the Victorian Parliament last week, she accused parliamentary staff of treating her differently during her time as an MP.
“If you do not look or seem like you are from this place, you often get over-surveilled, told to behave and policed in a way that others are not,” she said.
“But that has not stopped my team and I from trying to bring as many Victorians as possible into this place to remind them that this is their place too, and the way we make institutions like this better serve the community is for the community to be here, in the meeting rooms, in the hallways and in these seats.
“Multiculturalism is not just about enjoying a food festival or going to a big event.
“Multiculturalism is about allowing people to be treated fairly and warmly no matter where they have come from and how they got here.
“Multiculturalism to me is about being different but not being made to feel different. It is about a genuine care, love and acceptance of who we all are. If we want our state and country to thrive, we need to open our hearts once more.”
While thanking parliament’s clerks, attendants, security guards, cleaning staff and other workers, Dr Ratnam also accused the parliament of failing to reflect Victoria’s Indigenous history, despite Victoria’s nation-leading commitment to a Treaty.
Victoria also has a First People’s Assembly which is made up of elected representatives from the state’s Aboriginal communities, starts each parliamentary sitting day with a acknowledgment of country, and earlier this year unveiled a new plaque in the main entrance of parliament recognising Victoria’s Indigenous history and committing to “honouring and working with First Nations people for the benefit of all Victorians.”
“As a migrant to this country from another colonised land, forced from our homes because of the aftermath of colonial subjugation, the complexity of this place is not lost on me,” Dr Ratnam said.
“Lidia Thorpe, the first Aboriginal woman elected to a Victorian parliament a month after I joined in 2017, helped me really understand the tools of oppression and exclusion colonial institutions use to maintain their power.
“Just look around this place. Just look down the hallways. It does not reflect our First Nations history at all. It does not incorporate our migrant multicultural community now.
“There are so many exclusions for everyday Victorians, from how the place is adorned to how we are treated when we enter.”
The comments prompted an angry backlash from both opposition and government MPs, including senior minister Harriet Shing.
“I want to commend the work that the clerks, that security, that attendants do in making sure that in providing assistance, safety and support for people it is done in a way that is fair, that is non-discriminatory, that is inclusive and that takes account of people’s various needs as they arise,” Ms Shing said.
“The staff and clerks here at the Parliament meet people where they are according to their need in order to assist with aspiration and opportunity, and it cannot go unsaid and unremarked upon that any allegations about unfair or inappropriate surveillance are completely unfounded and have no basis whatsoever in fact.
“I thank the staff, the clerks, the attendants, security, the PSOs and everybody who does work so hard to make sure that in fact the place where we work, the people’s place, the place
where we welcome communities from all over the world, is a place of inclusion, and to that end I am grateful for their assistance every single day.
“The rest of that matter requires no response.”
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