Laurie Ferguson (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise tonight to keep a commitment to Richard Horscik, a member of the conservative Fidesz Party and the Chairman of Hungary's Committee of European Affairs. It was a commitment that I would mention the town of Sarospatak in Hungary, near the Ukrainian border, which I had the privilege of visiting under his hospitality recently. Sarospatak is indeed, even given its population of only 13,000, a very significant town in Hungarian history. I also had the opportunity during my visit to Hungary—mainly to look at the condition of the 700,000 Roma, or gypsies, there and their condition is deplorable both there and in the surrounding countries of Romania and Slovakia—to meet the local mayor, Aros Janos, and my wife and I had a guided tour of Rakoczi Castle. I particularly thank our tour guide, Andrea Mester Szantone.

Sarospatak is interesting in Hungarian history as it was the genesis of an attempted revolt by Hungarian nobles against the Hapsburg imperial power. It was at Rakoczi Castle, which is featured in Hungarian currency, on the 500-forint note, that there was that unsuccessful rebellion. It led in Hungarian history to the subsequent forced conversion of 60,000 Protestants, the closure of 800 Calvinist churches and the execution of 41 Protestant ministers in the counter-reaction to that attempted coup. Sarospatak has a particularly important theological college for Calvinism which can be traced back to the time of John Calvin himself. It has possession of important documents and books that were printed in that period and it has remained a theological college for quite some time. It possesses a museum which bears evidence to that history.

This town, which is, as I have said, very close to the Ukrainian border, is mainly focused on education. It has a secondary college, a teachers college and this Calvinist religion theological college. Sarospatak is also a major centre of the tokay wine industry of the country, which is renowned internationally. I appreciated having the opportunity while I was there to indicate to them—and I was surprised that this had not already reached them—that Australia had, quite rightly, surrendered the appellation of tokay. Quite clearly Tokay, as everyone knows, is a Hungarian area and is the name of the Hungarian wine. Apparently, we have been producing a product with a similar name but have agreed that in future it will be known as topaque. It was quite surprising that, although that decision had been made by Australia, it had not been conveyed to them.

Sarospatak was recognised as a town as far back as the year 1201. Once again it is important internationally because the famed educator, John Amos Comenius, actually taught in the town's theological college for four years. He is renowned as a person who was one of the first in the world to think of the kindergarten, primary, secondary and university concepts of education, back in the 17th century.

Having mentioned those people, I will also take the opportunity to say that it is very disturbing to note, despite the fact that Viktor Orban, the Prime Minister of Hungary, has ensured that this year Europe will take measures in regard to the Roma minority, the very serious unemployment situation of these people in Hungarian society. Obviously, in recent times we have had the French government moving quite illegally to forcibly deport Roma from France and there have also been measures in Italy. As I said, the condition of these people, 700,000 of them, is extremely deplorable. For all the very many faults of the communist regime of Hungary—its suppression of human rights; its destruction of any alternative political force—one of the minor positives of the regime was that, regardless of the nature of the jobs, the fact was that people did have employment. Once capitalism did emerge in Hungary the first people out the door, as far as employment was concerned, were the Roma.

I want to recognise the assistance that I received from Richard Horscik and the whole town and from Tamas Uhrin, a young Hungarian-Australian who works in the embassy there. It was really helpful to have somebody who had a knowledge of both societies to advise me and assist me in a variety of meetings back in Budapest with the political forces in the country.