Andrew Leigh (Fenner, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to recognise the deep contribution that Indian Australians have made to shaping Canberra. Walter Burley Griffin, the designer of our capital, spent his final years in the world's largest democracy. Today, Indian Australians help build the city he imagined.

At the last census, more than 17,000 Canberrans were born in India, making India our largest non-English speaking country of birth. Each February, the National Multicultural Festival turns Civic into a celebration of the world, and India In The City has become one of its most energetic anchor events. Run by the Canberra India Council, it fills City Walk with classical dance, contemporary performance, regional associations from across the subcontinent and, inevitably, those long food queues that signal something irresistible.

Whether it's Nav Varsh, Holi Mela or Diwali, Indian community events draw crowds across Belconnen and Gungahlin. I'm a regular visitor to the Gungahlin Mosque, the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Taylor, and the Hindu Temple and Cultural Centre in Florey, where I especially enjoyed participating in the chariot walk in June. I run into Gopal Baglay, High Commissioner of India, more often than I see any other diplomat.

The Indian community are regular and welcome visitors to Parliament House. This week, the member for Bean organised for members of parliament to meet His Holiness Baselios Marthoma Mathews III of the Indian Orthodox Church. Last month, Satendra Nandan and others organised an event here to mark the anniversary of Gandhi's birth. Many parliamentarians also attended the Deepavali celebration in the great hall, organised by the ACT chapter of the Hindu Council of Australia.

Indian Australians serve in our public service; run thriving small businesses; advance research at ANU and UC; and contribute across health, education, engineering, the arts and community life. During the pandemic, volunteers from the Canberra Sikh Association and HelpingACT, founded by 2022 Canberra Citizen of the Year, Mohammed Ali, provided vital support to those in need. I also acknowledge Dr Madhumita Iyengar, for her leadership of Initiatives for Women in Need, and collaborators Raffy Sgroi and Hari Iyengar from South Asian Federation ACT.

On a personal note, I'm excited to be travelling with my family to India next month. As I keep telling my sons, you can't understand the world if you don't understand modern India. To the Indian Australian community of Canberra: thank you for the energy you bring to our festivals, the enterprise you bring to our economy and the civic spirit you bring to our city. Canberra is more vibrant, more curious and more confident because you have chosen to call it home.