Alannah Mactiernan (Perth, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Earlier this month I had the pleasure, as always, to attend the Independence Day event put on by Pakistanis in Australia. I always enjoy these events because not only do they have fantastic food but also it is hosted by a great community. I think they are great role models for the Islamic community in showing how modern Islam is more than compatible with the values of Australia. I want to pay particular tribute to the women in this group who have taken a leadership role not only in their own organisation, Pakistanis in Australia, but in the Islamic community generally in Perth. I know from my time as Mayor of Vincent and now in my role as member for Perth that they are always at the forefront when we are organising events with the Islamic community.

But at this particular event I had the singular pleasure of meeting a fantastic young woman, Senior Constable Zen Mohamed Kassim. Zen came from Singapore. She is of Indian origin. Zen wears the hijab with her police uniform. She is a truly engaging young woman who is doing a fantastic job out there, breaking down the 'us and them' barriers that can so often emerge, particularly as we try to deal with these challenging issues in the Middle East. So here we have a young woman who is doing her job brilliantly, but she is going an extra step. She has engaged a number of women in the Pakistani community—women who are successful doctors, people who are working in professions—to work with her, to volunteer with her to work with women in the Islamic communities who perhaps come from a more traditional background, who perhaps do not understand or have not had the exposure to education and role models to enable them to integrate fully into Australian society. It is fantastic work that is being done. This is what we need to do to really ensure that all of these new and emerging communities can take full advantage of being part of our great community.