Prime minister also calls on Australians to reach out and ‘give a hug’ to those less fortunate this Christmas

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Malcolm Turnbull has used his Christmas video message to urge Australians to celebrate the country’s cultural diversity.

In a year that has seen a rise in anti-immigration rhetoric from the right of his own Liberal party and the resurgence of Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party, the prime minister made a pointed reference to Australia’s multicultural population.

“In Australia we have much for which to be grateful,” he said. “Not least that so many different people of so many different backgrounds, races and religions live together here in a harmony founded on mutual respect.

“We also remember those who find Christmas difficult – the lonely, the poor, the sick and those who are away from their families. Reach out to them if you can.”

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In an earlier radio interview, Turnbull said Christmas was a season of love and that people should find time for others.

“It’s also a very important time to reach out and give a hug to those who aren’t having as happy a Christmas as you might be,” he told 2GB radio on Saturday.

“You know for whatever reason – they’re lonely, sick, estranged from their families. This is a season of love, and you should share it.”

Turnbull said he would be spending Sunday with his family, including his three grandchildren, and continuing his annual Christmas tradition of visiting Sydney’s Wayside Chapel.



But he said his family was shunning the traditional Christmas Day roast lunch in favour of cold dishes, and fish and ham. He downplayed his cooking abilities, describing himself as an “enthusiastic amateur”.

“I’ve got to tell you, the rest of my family are much more talented at cooking than me,” he admitted.

Turnbull also paid tribute to his grandchildren – aged three, 18 months and six months – saying they made him feel like a young man again.

“Every time I am with our grandchildren, it makes me feel as though I am back in my late 20s, early 30s, and I know [my wife] Lucy feels the same,” he said.