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Immigration Minister Chris Evans says there must be a renewed focus on the country’s approach to immigration and cultural diversity.

“Australia continues to rely on Australia’s approach to immigration and cultural diversity to be a national strength,” he said.

“The new council will advise the Government on practical approaches to promoting social cohesion, the engagement of migrants in Australian society, overcoming racism and intolerance, and communicating to the public on this complex social policy area.”

Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs and Settlement Services Laurie Ferguson says the council members reflect community diversity.

“Mr Demetriou brings substantial experience to the council, not only as a prominent sport personality, but also as the chief executive of the Australian Football League,” he said.

It will meet for the first time early next year and will meet three times a year.

Mr Demetriou, the son of Cypriot immigrants, played more than 100 games for North Melbourne and has been the head of the AFL since 2003.

The other members of the council are:

* Federation of Ethinic Communities’ Council of Australia chair Voula Messimeri
* NSW TAFE Outreach coordinator Nola Randall-Mohk
* Investec Bank chief executive Brian Schwartz
* South Australian District Court Judge Rauf Soulio
* Murdoch University equal opportunity manager Dr Casta Tungaraza
* Tasmanian multicultural liaision officer Inspector Craig Waterhouse
* Centre for Muslim states and societies director Associate Professor Samina Yasmeen
* Hunt and Hunt Asian division director Katie Young
* NSW Treasury senior review officer Susai Benjamin
* Australian Multicultural Foundation executive director Dr Bulent Dellal
* Islamic Women’s Welfare Council of Victoria executive director Joumanah El Matrah
* Multicultural Youth South Australia assistant director Carmen Garcia
* Australian-Polish Community Services past president Dr Sylwia Greda-Bogusz
* North Queensland Land Council Native Title Representative Body senior legal officer Rhonda Jacobsen
* Logan and Beenleigh Migrant Resource Centre Gail Ker

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Yesterday, two women, former associates of Flewellen, gave evidence.

The first said Flewellen confessed to her that he and two others had murdered an Asian hitchhiker.

“He told me they picked up an Asian backpacker and they killed him. He said he (Flewellen) was with two others.

“Shannon said he stood on his (Mr Kim’s) throat with his boot and cut his head off with a spade.”

The witness believed it was only Flewellen who carried out the murder, but agreed there was nothing said about what the others involved had done.

“He was relaxed when he was telling us — like he had just changed his socks or something.”

She claimed to have seen Flewellen burn someone’s personal belongings in the fire.

“It was jeans and undies and a brown wallet or passport, but I didn’t get a clear look at them.”

The second witness said she had noticed a change in the way Flewellen presented himself in 2003. He cut his hair down to the skin, changed a tattoo on his body and shaved his eyebrows.

She also said that she had had discussions with Flewellen about Hitler and the war, and his belief in the “Aryan race and keeping things pure”.

A Nelson detective told the court today that he interviewed Flewellen about the murder.

Bruce Alan McLaughlin said he asked the accused about a missing Asian tourist and asked if he knew anything about it.

Flewellen told him he was only being spoken to because he (Flewellen) was a skinhead.

“The accused declined to give his side of the story when he was asked and said he knew nothing about what I was talking about.”

When he was shown a picture of Mr Kim he said he had never seen him before, adding that “they all look the same”.

Flewellen was formally charged with the murder and taken to the Nelson police station.

“I spoke to him at the cells at the station and when I was leaving Flewellen said he (Mr Kim) was only an overstayer anyway.

Kim arrived on a backpacking trip around New Zealand in February 2003. The last trace he left was an eftpos transaction at a Westport bar on September 29 of that year.

He was reported missing by his family in May 2004.

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The man was remanded in custody to be sentenced in the High Court at Wellington on December 6.

Yesterday, the court was told how two German words were uttered as Mr Kim was throttled and murdered while hitchhiking down the West Coast.

Jointly charged with the man who today admitted the murder is Shannon Brent Flewellen, 29, a Nelson fisherman. A third man, who has a blanket suppression order including the nature of the charge he faces, was dealt with yesterday afternoon.

He denied the charge and was remanded to appear in the High Court at Christchurch on November 21 for a pre-trial conference.

At the start of the hearing yesterday crown prosecutor Chris Lange alleged that Mr Kim’s killers dug a hole and buried him in a remote site. The body has not been recovered, despite a week-long police search of the Four Mile River bridge site, just south of Charleston township.

Flewellen sat handcuffed in the dock, while the other two defendants sat with their lawyers but were flanked by police reinforcements.

Mr Lange said Flewellen and his associates were travelling from Westport to Runanga in October 2003, when they spotted Mr Kim hitchhiking near the Four Mile River.

“They turned their vehicle around and went back to Westport to drop off a dog, and when they came back Mr Kim was still at the bridge and they picked him up.”

The Crown alleged that the vehicle stopped just before the bridge and Flewellen and an associate got out to retrieve some cannabis from the bush. When they returned they pretended the vehicle had become stuck.

Flewellen, Mr Kim and another man got out to try to free the vehicle.

“This is when Flewellen attacked Mr Kim,” Mr Lange said.

“He attacked him from the back. He put him in a choker hold and put pressure on his throat.

“An associate held Mr Kim’s arms down and said `nein blut’ - which means `no blood.”‘

Mr Lange alleged that Flewellen then put his foot on Mr Kim’s throat to ensure he had stopped breathing.

The victim’s body was then taken into the bush. His backpack was later retrieved from the scene of the killing and the contents destroyed.

“Later, Flewellen and his associate went back to the scene, dug a hole, where they buried the victim.”

Mr Lange said the Crown had 25 witnesses, including members of the dead man’s family, and associates of the defendants who would tell the court of admissions to the crime that they had made to various people.

No forensic evidence would be presented because a body had not been located and the vehicle the defendants travelled in had been destroyed.

Unlike yesterday, there were no armed police guarding the Greymouth courthouse today although a police dog and handler continued to roam nearby streets and everyone who entered the court was scanned by a metal detector and underwent bag searches.

Police said the extra security was a precaution because white supremacist followers had turned up at a previous court appearance, in Westport.

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Mr Shadbolt said a designated student area with a hostel needed to be established away from the central business district because anyone walking through the city at night faced the risk of being abused “even if you go out with a police patrol” .

“I’d hate to be wearing a turban walking up (the street in) Invercargill,” he said.

Southland District Mayor Frana Cardno said she had heard of migrants going into early childhood centres and being ignored and cited an example of a 6-year-old coming out with a racist statement. Council chief executive Dave Adamson said some migrants in rural areas were so isolated the library was the only place they could speak to someone outside their immediate family. National MP Eric Roy said he had heard of skilled migrants leaving Southland because they felt threatened.

The subject arose during discussion of a report commissioned by Venture Southland that estimated the Southland economy could grow by 2 per cent (baseline scenario) to 3.5 per cent (optimistic) each year between 2007 and 2031 and the region’s employment rate could grow from 50,500 in 2007 to between 51,600 and 67,100 by 2031.

New migrants are expected to play a major role in combating the region’s labour shortage.

Venture Southland enterprise and strategic projects group manager Steve Canny said it planned to meet community boards and community workers before Christmas to discuss how the cultural makeup of communities was changing and how they could support new migrants.

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