Monique Ryan (Kooyong, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On behalf of the people of Kooyong, I wish to honour the life and legacy of my predecessor, who was the member for Kooyong from 1994 to 2010, Petro Georgiou, AO. As a senior adviser to Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser, Petro was instrumental in the introduction of multicultural policies, the acceptance of Vietnamese refugees to this country after the fall of Saigon and the founding of SBS. They are initiatives that continue to enrich our society today.

In his parliamentary career, Petro stood against racism, against mandatory detention and against the harsh treatment of asylum seekers. He often challenged his own party, the Liberal Party, to uphold the values of fairness and of humanity. He fought for reforms to draconian antiterrorism legislation and protections for Indigenous Australians.

In our community, he was known as a principled man who had the courage to speak truth to power. His friends and colleagues described him as a man of great warmth, wit and humility. Petro Georgiou changed Australia for the better. May we honour him in this place not only in memory but in action by never forgetting the power of principle and compassion in public life