One Nation Proposes English-Only Government Services, Scrapping Multiculturalism Office

One Nation Senator Sean Bell said current policies promoting translated government services and multiculturalism were encouraging a “separation of society”.

One Nation Senator Sean Bell speaks during the anti-immigration 'Put Australia First' rally in Sydney, Australia, on Dec. 21, 2025. George Chan/AFP via Getty Images

One Nation has called for all government services to be delivered in English and for the abolition of the multiculturalism office.

During an interview with Sky News Australia, One Nation Senator Sean Bell said his party supported a single Australian culture and would ensure English was the primary language used in government services.

He argued that current policies promoting translated government services and multiculturalism were encouraging a “separation of society”.

“We believe multiculturalism is not working. We believe it should be scrapped,” Bell said.

“One Nation is adamant that we should have one Australian culture. At the core of that, it is protecting and restoring traditional Australian values. And one of those is ensuring that our national language English is the dominant language of this country.”

The senator also said his party was not against multilingualism.

“At no point have we said that people can’t be multi-lingual. What we are saying is that government services should be delivered in English,” he said.

“You look at the escalating and skyrocketing rates of people who can’t speak English well or at all. That is a failure of government policy.”

In addition, Bell confirmed that One Nation wants to abolish the Office of Multicultural Affairs, along with the corresponding ministerial positions.

“Under [the] John Howard [government], I believe they scrapped the multiculturalism minister, [and the] office of multiculturalism, as we would,” he said.

The History of the Office of Multicultural Affairs

Multiculturalism in Australia thrived under the Labor Whitlam government and Liberal Fraser government in the 1970s. The Office of Multicultural Affairs was established in 1987 under the Hawke government.

In 1996, under Liberal Prime Minister John Howard, the office was integrated into the immigration department.

Since then, the multicultural affairs portfolio has moved between several departments before the Albanese Labor government established the Office for Multicultural Affairs within the Department of Home Affairs in 2025.

Labor Pushes for Diversity

Labor Multicultural Affairs Minister Anne Aly recently pushed back against arguments that multiculturalism divides the country.

Instead, she argued that diversity had always been central to Australia’s identity in an interview on July 2.

“I think Australia has always been diverse. It’s etched in our history, in our landscape, in who we are as a nation, in our identity as a nation,” she said.

Aly’s comments echoed earlier remarks by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who reaffirmed his support for multiculturalism in Australia.

“We’ve never been a monocultural society,” he said.

“If you go back to First Nations people, there were 400 First Nations in Australia. The First Fleet had people of Catholic, Protestant, Jewish backgrounds. You had people in chains and people in charge of people in chains as well.”

The Epoch Times has contacted government departments for comment.