By Sam McKeith, Reuters
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is pledging A$24 million for students to learn other languages ahead of next Saturday's general election there. Photo: Mike Bowers / AFP
Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says diversity is the country's strength as he pledged A$25 million (NZ$26.8 million) for students to learn languages other than English, a day after a neo-Nazi disrupted a public gathering in Melbourne.
Albanese, entering the final week of campaigning ahead of a 3 May general election, said on Saturday if re-elected his government would support 600 community schools that help more than 90,000 students across Australia learn 84 languages.
"Our diversity is our nation's strength - we're supporting more Australian families to stay close to their culture with community language schools," Albanese said in a statement, after on Friday labelling as cowardly a neo-Nazi who heckled during an Indigenous ceremony in Melbourne on Anzac Day.
Australia, where one in two people are either born overseas or have a parent born overseas, has been grappling with a rise in right-wing extremism.
In February, it imposed sanctions on far right online network "Terrorgram" following similar moves by Britain and the United States.
A man, left, is escorted away by police during the Dawn Service at the Shrine of Remembrance on April 25, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. Photo: Asanka Ratnayake / Getty Images
Peter Dutton, leader of the conservative National-Liberal coalition, Albanese's main political opponent in the election, also condemned Friday's far-right action, saying, "it just has no place in our community, in our society whatsoever".
Early voting for the election began on Tuesday, with Albanese's Labor party holding a slim lead over the coalition.
Cost of living and housing affordability are the key issues.
- Reuters
