Australia PM praises diversity in language schools pledge day after neo-Nazi action

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SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Saturday cultural diversity was the country’s strength as he pledged A$25 million ($15.98 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 May 3 general election, said 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, a national holiday honouring military veterans.

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.

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.

($1 = 1.5642 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Sam McKeith in Sydney; Editing by Kate Mayberry)