Jerome Laxale (Bennelong, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting with the Armenian National Committee of Australia youth advocates in Parliament House. Many of them are residents of Bennelong, home to the largest concentration of Australian-Armenians in the country. They spent two days in our nation's capital practising the art of political debate and advocacy in what is a fantastic program that encourages more young Australians to the process. It's always a privilege to see bright, young people who are passionate about politics here in this place. I look forward to seeing their continued contributions, both in my own electorate of Bennelong and throughout Australia. When asked to discuss what matters most to them, they chose to highlight the injustices being committed against those in Armenia and Azerbaijan. I applaud the foreign minister's recent comments on the conflict, in particular calling out aggression by Azerbaijan in the region.

Lastly, yesterday I had the pleasure to join the Manager of Opposition Business to launch the Australia-Armenia Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Union. We heard from Armenia's former human rights ombudsman and director of Centre for Law and Justice, Dr Arman Tatoyan, who is in Australia to raise awareness about the conflict. He and the ANC are asking that Australia joins with the United States and other allies in calling for Azerbaijan's withdrawal from Armenia. I thank the ANC chair, Mr Kolokossian, and the youth advocates for their continued and tireless advocacy and for bringing the voice of the Australian-Armenian community to parliament. I look forward to working for them in my new capacity as a federal MP.