Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Opposition Business (House)) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Most of us recognise new year on 1 January, but there's a coincidence at the moment that at this exact time of year there are a number of different communities all celebrating new year on different calendars. Over the weekend, Jewish communities in Australia and around the world celebrated the beginning of the Jewish calendar year, Rosh Hashana. Over the past two days, and before the end of today, Jewish families, friends and communities marked the beginning of the month of Tishri with honey-dipped fruits and traditional round braided egg bread to symbolise the sweetness of the year and prayers for a prosperous year ahead.

The celebration of Rosh Hashana encompasses the values of sharing and well wishes for happiness, success and prosperity. Those values shape our modern multicultural society and highlight our strength as a diverse country with many faiths, cultures and backgrounds. To all the Australian Jewish community, on behalf of my colleagues and everyone celebrating, I wish you Shanah Tova—may you be sealed in the Book of Life.

It's also the case that today Coptic communities are celebrating their new year—Nayrouz. On this day, the Coptic community celebrates the sacrifice martyrs of the Coptic faith made in protection of Christianity during the Roman era. Nayrouz is marked with a special mass and the handing out of seasonal dates and pictures of holy Coptic saints to followers in remembrance of the lives the martyrs led.

In Australia, families and friends will celebrate together the joyful chants of the choir at mass and share blessings and prayers for the year to come. The celebration of Nayrouz serves as a reminder to all of us of the strength of unity in the face of division and the importance of sharing our stories with each other and sharing these celebrations of new year with each other. On behalf of my colleagues, I'd like to wish Coptic communities in Australia and around the world, particularly in my electorate in Punchbowl, a happy and prosperous Nayrouz.

Today also marks the beginning of the Islamic new year, Muharram. On behalf of federal Labor, I'd like to extend my best wishes to Muslim communities in Australia and around the world who are today celebrating Islamic new year. Muharram, or al-Hijrah, is the first month and one of four sacred months in the Islamic lunar calendar. It's a time of reflection, commemoration and acknowledgement, with the 10th day of the month, Ashura, considered by some to be the most important day of the month. Muharram is observed differently by Australian Muslims and Muslims around the world. For some it's a commemoration of the saving of Moses from the army of Pharoah and the date the Prophet Mohammed migrated to Medina; for others, it's a day of sadness as communities gather in remembrance of the martyrdom of Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet. To all those who are marking this day in celebration or remembrance: I wish you a safe and peaceful new year. All of the stories, all of the celebrations, are celebrations for Australians at new year.