Dave Sharma (Wentworth, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I extend my Diwali greetings to all of the Indian community in Australia and associate myself with the messages of those members opposite. I'm part of the Australian-Indian community. My father migrated here in the late 1970s, and he is from a Hindu family in Uttar Pradesh. When we first moved to Australia and lived in Sydney, we were, at the time, the only Sharmas in the White Pagesphone book. If you now look up Sharma in the White Pagesif it still exists physically—there are many. The Indian story in Australia has been a great success story for migrants. There are now almost 660,000 people born in India living in Australia, and they're our third largest migrant group. Hindi and Punjabi are both now in our top 10 languages spoken in Australia. And, as I think many members here would know, the Indians have been a very successful migrant community; they're industrious, they're hardworking, they're honest, they're good taxpayers, they're passionate about education and opportunities for their children, and they like cricket. But, most importantly, they're good neighbours and good citizens and subscribe to the values that all of us in Australia hold dear. So, on this festival of Diwali, which is all about a fresh start and new beginnings, let's give thanks for all that we hold dear and let's help spread joy and light in the year ahead. I extend my best wishes to the Indian community for Diwali 2020.