When I was still chief executive at Optus, I was invited to address a Herald function. I imagine the Herald thought I would talk about telecommunications or some such. But the week before, Pauline Hanson gave her so-called maiden speech. I thought it disgraceful; its key message was that Aborigines were not an underprivileged group and the influx of Asians into this country would seriously damage our society.<\/p>\n
I read a definition of racism and bigotry and extracts from her speech and invited the audience to compare the two. In the Federal Parliament the next day, she said I should be dismissed from my job and never allowed to work in business again.
Shortly thereafter I was invited to coffee with the then deputy lord mayor of Sydney, a gentleman of Chinese extraction. When I got there I was offered no coffee and taken into the Great Hall. A young woman said, “Mr Cousins, we are the choir from the Quandong Province in China and we will sing for you, because you have defended us.” They proceeded to sing.<\/p>\n
I told the deputy lord mayor it was wonderful but completely out of proportion. I merely made one speech. He replied, “That’s all you did. But it was one speech more than anyone else.”<\/p>\n
When you step off the ledge of doubt, there are rewards. And when you leap, someone, somewhere will sing for you.<\/p>\n