Sally Sitou (Reid, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last night, my electorate of Reid was the site of what really felt like a rock concert. It wasn't the Killers, John Farnham or even Bruce Springsteen; it was the reception for the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi. What an evening it was. With 20,000 of the Australian-Indian diaspora coming out to attend, it felt like a real marker of how far our two countries have come, and it felt like the start of an even deeper relationship full of colour, full of energy and full of vibrancy. It was absolutely teeming with pride for both Australia and India. This was an event that shows how important the relationship is.

I was struck by what the Prime Minister of India said about our people-to-people connections being fundamental to the development of our broader relationship, and it's absolutely true. Right at the heart of our bilateral relationship is the Indian-Australian community. It's our second-largest diaspora and the fastest-growing one. In my own community, the impact of the Indian diaspora is profound. Strathfield and Homebush, in particular, are home to many Indian-Australians, and one of the greatest pleasures of my job has been getting to know this culture better and understanding the things that they care about. That's why I'm so grateful for the huge generosity of spirit with which the community has welcomed me as the federal member.

When I think about my local diaspora community, I can see why Prime Minister Modi decided to come to Reid: because there really is a lot to celebrate. There are religious traditions, like the Diwali service I attended at the Sri Karphaga Vinayakar Temple in Homebush alongside the member for Strathfield and the mayor of Strathfield, where we got to celebrate the traditional post-harvest festival of light. There is the Holi festival that I held in Airey Park in Homebush, a celebration of colours and powders to mark the coming of spring, where local students came to celebrate with us, including the year 7 class from Homebush Boys High School. What was so heartening about that day was seeing school students, grandparents and everyone in between—some of Indian background and some not—all celebrating this wonderful tradition that is so colourful and so bound by community. There's an inclusiveness and openness to the diaspora in my area, and I'm privileged to be part of it.

I'm so blessed to have the Strathfield Australians of Indian Sub-continental Heritage in my electorate, an excellent not-for-profit community organisation that elevates and celebrates the work of the Indian diaspora community. Similarly, we have Seva International, a non-political and non-religious organisation that focuses on the rapidly expanding Australian-South Asian community in Sydney. It's a diaspora community that has been growing in prominence over the last few years, and for good reason. Fortunately, I think it's now very clear that we're finally moving beyond the three Cs: Commonwealth, cricket and curry. Can I suggest a new formulation? That is: compassion, community and collaboration.

One thing that is very clear is how fundamentally important it is for my Indian diaspora community to give back. We saw it particularly through COVID, when they were all going out and supporting each other. So many local organisations helped out those who were doing it tough through the pandemic, particularly those vulnerable international students who didn't qualify for government support.

While I'm sure Prime Minister Modi gets to do a fair bit of travel in his job, there is no doubt that he will remember the rock-star reception given to him at Sydney Olympic Park, in the electorate of Reid, by the Prime Minister and the Australian Indian community for a long time to come. I know I certainly will.