Sarah Witty (Melbourne, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The Tibetan community is something that must be experienced before you can describe it. It is colour and mantras woven into prayer flags and spinning wheels. Earlier this year I had the privilege of meeting His Holiness the Dalai Lama. When he entered the room, it felt as though the whole of Tibet entered with him, for he remains the living symbol of a people's enduring hope that one day they may again govern themselves peacefully in their homeland.

For many people around the world, Tibet has faded from public consciousness but the reality for Tibetans has not changed. Inside Tibet, language, religion and culture remain tightly restricted. Families are separated as children are sent to state-run boarding schools where their own language and traditions are absent. People inside Tibet continue to disappear with no explanation—imprisoned or tortured simply for communicating with others, for possessing a photo of the Dalai Lama or for speaking openly about their identity—and yet the Tibetan people have never surrendered their identity. In exile, they rebuild monasteries, teach language and celebrate their culture in acts of quiet defiance.

Even now, the Chinese government seeks to control the future of Tibetan Buddhism itself, attempting to dictate who the next Dalai Lama will be. Tibet is often called the 'Third Pole', a vast and vital region of our planet rich in natural resources. Above all, it is a homeland for people— (Time expired)

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