Claire Clutterham (Sturt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I start by thanking my friends the member for Monash and the member for Barton for their contributions and beautiful stories of connection, reflection and the dedication of volunteers. These are stories of good people doing good things for others and standing together while they do it. I do encourage the member for Monash to indeed rock and roll this Friday.

It's been a busy couple of months for volunteers, particularly volunteers who give up their time to cook iftar meals for those breaking their daily fast during the holy month of Ramadan. I lived in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, for eight years during the early part of my prepolitics legal career, and I recall with fondness how the holy month was embraced by Muslims and non-Muslims alike. During the month of Ramadan, life would slow down as people took the time to connect or reconnect with their friends, families and faith. Work did not stop, but it took a back seat as people observing the holy month prioritised family over the office. What always struck me, every year that I lived in the UAE, was that Ramadan was not just for people observing it or for people of certain backgrounds and faiths or from certain countries. It really was for everyone. Everyone was invited to share, participate and collaborate together in an atmosphere of warmth and hospitality.

This warmth and hospitality was no different to what I experienced from the community, from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association, who hosted me at an interfaith iftar in early March this year at the Mahmood Mosque. Leaders from all faiths were present, including my friend Rabbi Frankie Salzman from the Beit Shalom Synagogue in my electorate of Sturt. At dinner, I sat with people I'd never met before, and we had a lovely evening of connection, good conversation and fantastic food, especially the chickpea curry. Faith or no faith, everyone was welcome. I thank Sharif and his team for an excellent evening.

Two weeks earlier, on 19 February 2026, I attended the opening of the Andrew Steiner Education Centre at the Adelaide Holocaust Museum, which is dedicated to educating visitors by telling stories of the Holocaust to create a fairer and more compassionate world. I was greeted with the same warm welcome by Annetay Henderson-Sapir, the museum director and chief executive officer. I had the opportunity to reflect deeply on many occasions throughout the event as the speakers—including Andrew Steiner himself; the then South Australian state education minister, the Hon. Blair Boyer; and the Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, Jillian Segal—all shared their thoughts about what the centre meant to them. The speeches were, of course, different, but they all had one central and clear theme: hope—an unquenchable hope that we can simply accept each other for who we are, act with kindness and compassion towards each other and promote human rights for everyone.

I raise these two events that I attended in support of this motion. The events were very different in terms of the attendees, what was being acknowledged and where they were held. But, in another sense, they were the same. They were good people of different faiths, cultures and backgrounds, but all Australians—not fearing each other or being angry with each other or being suspicious of each other but just having a meal together or having a drink together, reflecting on life and having a chat. All levels of government were represented as well, which was really pleasing to see from a federal perspective. I chatted with friends from my own party and also with friends from the coalition that I have gained since being elected to parliament.

The word that everyone was living by, and the word that I want my 2026 to be shaped by, is 'humanity'—humanity for everyone. It can be done. I saw it. It was happening easily. It is much easier to practise humanity than to practise anger, resentment and hatred. So, at a time when many of us are feeling upset and worried about what is happening around our world, what we can always do is come together in shared humanity, a love of family, friends and strangers, and our commitment to the community. This is what the people who attended the iftar and the opening of the Andrew Steiner Education Centre were doing. They were practising humanity, and all those who practise humanity and kindness belong in a modern, multicultural Australia.

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