Marziyah Razi, who arrived in Australia as a 17-year-old with only a basic understanding of English, has been admitted as a lawyer a decade later. Her journey from an Indonesian refugee camp to the legal profession challenges assertions by One Nation leader Pauline Hanson that immigration creates a 'language problem' that threatens social cohesion.
From refugee camp to courtroom
Razi was born in Afghanistan and raised in Iran. For three years, her only education was makeshift English and maths classes in an Indonesian refugee camp. When she arrived in Australia, she was eager to resume high school. This year, at age 28, she was admitted as a lawyer. 'It was a dream that came true,' she said.
Hanson's claims and census data
In a National Press Club address, Hanson claimed a 'growing language problem which is a function of immigration' and cited the 2021 census: 'one in four people, 23%, speak a language other than English at home.' She also noted that 872,000 people reported speaking English 'not well' or 'not at all'. However, that number represents just 3.4% of Australia's population and includes over 100,000 babies and toddlers.
Razi, who speaks Farsi, Dari, and English, said such rhetoric undermines migrants' contributions. 'Not everyone has the opportunity to learn English in their countries. When they come here, they can learn English, just like myself, and they can contribute back to the community,' she said.
Path to integration
In 2015, Razi completed a six-month intensive English language course for newly arrived migrants in Melbourne before starting high school. 'It helped me to get to know the Australian culture and how things work, and also to be more confident with my English,' she recalled. 'Learning English is not that difficult. It's not like flying a jet or something.' Without that support, she said integration would have been difficult.
Razi later worked for a gambling harm prevention program for multicultural communities, using her language skills to assist non-English speaking clients. 'A lot of people may not be able to receive the support just because of the language barrier,' she said.
Becoming a voice for the voiceless
Razi became an Australian citizen in 2020. She hopes to use her law degree to be a 'voice for the voiceless'. 'Seeing a lot of injustice in some other countries towards refugees and towards women, it just fuelled my passion to study law,' she said.
Linguistic diversity in Australia
According to the 2021 census, 5.6 million people (about 22% of the population) spoke a language other than English at home, while 72% spoke only English. The most common languages after English were Mandarin (2.7%), Arabic (1.4%), Vietnamese (1.3%), Cantonese (1.2%), and Punjabi (0.9%). There are also 167 actively spoken First Nations languages.
Prof Catherine Travis, a linguist at the Australian National University, said it is 'a total misconception to assume that allowing other languages to be spoken detracts from social cohesion'. 'I would say that it could enhance it, because people feel better received in Australia,' she said. 'We know that people whose language and culture is acknowledged feel more committed to the society.'
One Nation's proposed policies
One Nation has pledged to halt government-funded translation services and tighten English requirements for migrants. The party's website states: 'The English language is the glue that binds our society together. If you do not speak English, under no circumstances should you be able to settle in Australia.' Dr Zareh Ghazarian, a politics lecturer at Monash University, said such a policy would limit civic engagement. 'Translation services can have a really important impact across the community. They can inform people of government decisions, they can inform people of their rights and responsibilities and empower them to be active and engaged citizens,' he said.
Community contributions
Ramya Assaad, a Melbourne mother who migrated from Lebanon in 2007, used her Arabic skills during Covid to help promote government support schemes while working at a non-profit. 'I was building a bridge … I don't believe that this has affected me or affected the community in any negative way,' she said.
Ann Liao, a climate advocate and one of over 680,000 Mandarin speakers in Australia, speaks Mandarin to her parents, who are taking federally funded English classes. Her mother hopes to pass the citizenship test, conducted only in English, and vote in the next federal election. 'The big motivation for her [is] to be able to exercise her right as a person in a country that she now calls home,' Liao said. Even while learning English, her mother volunteers at a soup kitchen, using her limited English to ask how she can help.
