No room for Sharia law in multicultural society

ISLAMIC law and polygamous marriages will be denounced as forever unacceptable in Australia in a bipartisan parliamentary report that will define what multiculturalism means for our nation, and state there must be only "one law for all".

The report -- the result of a two-year investigation into Australia's multicultural strategy -- is understood to be critical of the limited access migrants have to English language training and the lack of cultural awareness shown by employers and the federal employment recruitment agency.

It is also understood to make the recommendation that a national multicultural research centre be established, funded by the federal government and run independently. The centre's chief role will be to conduct research on how communities are integrating and identify their needs.

The committee believes too much crucial knowledge and information has been lost since John Howard abolished a similar body, known as the Bureau of Immigration, Multicultural and Population Research, leading to a lack of planning around how to integrate newly arrived racial communities.

The report will be delivered within weeks after the committee -- dominated by Labor and Coalition MPs but including the Greens -- agreed on a number of policies. However, the Coalition MPs are likely to make some "additional comments" in the report to make it clear where their views are different from those of Labor MPs. The Coalition MPs' key point will be that some of the Labor initiatives -- including the new national research institution -- will cost taxpayers more money than may be unaffordable "in this economic climate".

Coalition MPs are also concerned Labor has been too keen to paint migrants and refugees as "victims" and wants to ensure that they agree only to a pathway of "integration".

The committee was confronted with a range of Islamic views, including a submission from the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, which argued that Muslims should enjoy "legal pluralism".

In an interview, the organisation's president, Ikebal Adam Patel, who wrote the submission, nominated family law and specifically divorce as areas where moderate interpretations of sharia could co-exist within the Australian legal system.

The multiculturalism review also received one submission calling for polygamous marriages to be considered. 

The committee has come to the view these more radical ideas should be rejected, explaining that a multicultural society would not tolerate them.

The committee is understood to have concluded that migrants and refugees needed better and more accessible English language training. It will call for it to be offered in more flexible ways particularly to help immigrant women, many from the African community, who are locked out of opportunities to integrate fully.

The committee also believes Job Services Australia is not adequately delivering for refugees and migrants. It will say that it lacks cultural competency including understanding the cultural and linguistic needs of refugees and migrants, and calls for a dramatic increase in interpreter and translation services to assist new arrivals getting into work.

After hearing anecdotal evidence that refugees and migrants face huge barriers to work, the MPs on the committee also recommend that employers be offered cultural training to increase the awareness of migrants' needs.

The committee will argue that there is a need to review the Charter of Public Service in a Culturally Diverse Society to better target and ensure access and equity in the provision of services.

The report is understood to discuss the issues Australia is encountering with Muslims and suggests: more work needs to be done to bridge cultural gaps; the promotion of inter-faith and inter-cultural understanding must be encouraged; and work with community leaders, organisations and institutions needs to be continued to foster awareness of the rights, obligations and responsibilities that apply to all in the Australian community.

The committee heard that Australians were comfortable with multiculturalism and racial diversity, but an overwhelming number of people expressed concerns Muslims were not integrating and were coming to Australia to impose their values.

It is understood the committee believes the Gillard government's social inclusion agenda needs to incorporate cultural diversity as

a factor and marker for disadvantage. The Weekend Australian tried to contact the committee's chairwoman, Labor MP Maria Vamvakinou, but she would not comment while deliberations were under way.

She has previously said her committee believed the country needed strong political leadership to ease tensions over Islam.

Details of the committee's report have emerged as the peak multicultural body, the Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils of Australia, has produced a pre-election manifesto calling on both sides of politics to change their policies in a range of areas.

The federation wants government to "enhance the federally funded Adult Migrant English Program but review . . . the 510 hours of tuition provided to allow learners to build vocational language skills to assist them to operate effectively in Australian workplaces".