Matt Thistlethwaite (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

I'm very proud to speak on this motion and I thank the member for Macnamara for moving it. It's an important motion for this parliament to debate.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day is a time to remember the victims of the atrocities committed by Hitler's Nazi regime—the six million Jewish victims and the millions from other walks of life. The scale of the death and destruction of people and communities in the Holocaust is almost impossible to comprehend, but the reality of the horrors is something that we should never forget. It's now 77 years since the liberation of Auschwitz. On 27 January each year, we mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day. We also honour the survivors of the Holocaust. We remember the horrific events to ensure that they're never repeated and to prevent prejudice and hatred from taking root in our society.

In 2022, we're reminded all too often of the need to continue to fight against antisemitism and other forms of bigotry. That's why we commit to standing up for tolerance and inclusivity. I've seen in my community the great work on this front of Holocaust survivors, their families and volunteers. Courage to Care is an outreach program of B'nai B'rith, the world's oldest Jewish service organisation, and aims to inform Australians of the dangers of prejudice and discrimination. Since 1999, Courage to Care in New South Wales has run a travelling educational exhibition inspired by many stories of rescue and courage displayed by non-Jews who saved or helped Jews during the Holocaust.

A unique feature of the Courage to Care programs is a session with a 'living historian'—a survivor of the Holocaust who shares the horrors of their story but also the positive nature of their rescue and survival, and explains the support he or she was given by others. I've been fortunate to do a fair bit of work with Ernie Friedlander, who told me how he and his mother escaped the concentration camps due to the humanity of a single German soldier. They were the only two in their family to survive. Ernie now devotes his life to anti-racism campaigns, and we're working on a march in my electorate in November this year against racism. The program celebrates the people who have had the courage to care for their fellow citizens—ordinary people whose acts were extraordinary in their bravery and impact. I'd like to thank all Holocaust survivors and volunteers from Courage to Care, who continue to help individuals to stand up to prejudice.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day is a reminder that we must never allow the differences between us to be weaponised. It's a reflection on the atrocities that can stem from dehumanising and devaluing human beings. That's why we all have a responsibility to make sure hatred, intolerance and extremism are never normalised in our communities.

Australia has one of the world's largest populations of Holocaust survivors per capita. They, along with their descendants, contribute to our vibrant multicultural society. That includes the Maroubra Synagogue in my electorate. A pillar of the thriving Jewish community, it was established in 1948 by Holocaust survivors, with the support of their families and friends. Building the synagogue was an act of faith, belief and defiance, and it stands as an everlasting memory of the relatives and friends who perished during the Holocaust. There are now more than 400 member families who belong to the synagogue, and together we acknowledge the importance of Holocaust remembrance in honouring the memory of victims and survivors.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day is also a time for promoting tolerance and inclusivity and for combating antisemitism and other forms of bigotry. But it's also an opportunity for education, and I wholeheartedly endorse the elements of this motion that encourage education about the Holocaust, particularly in school curriculums throughout the country. It's vitally important that people are educated about this so we can avoid these horrors in the future. We also endorse the work of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance and its efforts in promoting Holocaust remembrance, combating antisemitism and combating Holocaust denial and distortion. Together we all have a responsibility, not only in this place but within Australian society, to remember the victims of the Holocaust and to continue to stand against antisemitism, racism and intolerance in all forms.

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