Ash Ambihaipahar (Barton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes:

(a) the rare convergence of Lunar New Year, Ramadan and Lent, which all commenced within 24 hours of 17 February 2026;

(b) this alignment has not been seen since the 19th century; and

(c) that other significant celebrations, including Holi and Passover, are also being observed by communities at this time;

(2) acknowledges and thanks the volunteers, faith leaders and community organisations who work tirelessly to mark these occasions and bring our communities together;

(3) recognises that these celebrations, across cultures and faith traditions, share common themes of reflection, generosity, renewal and hope; and

(4) affirms that Australia's diversity is one of our great national strengths, and that moments like this remind us that our many traditions together form part of the shared Australian story.

This year we have witnessed a rare convergence of Lunar New Year, Ramadan and Lent, and this alignment has not been seen since the 19th century. It is rare and deeply meaningful, and it provides us with an opportunity to reflect on the rich diversity that defines modern Australia and the shared values that unite us. At the same time, communities across Australia are also observing other significant celebrations, including Holi and Passover. Despite their different traditions, they share common themes of reflection, charity, renewal and hope, and these are values that resonate across cultures, faiths and communities. They are also values that help shape the Australian story.

This motion is particularly meaningful to me because my own life has been shaped by diversity in its truest sense. I'm proudly a Sri Lankan and Papua New Guinean Australian. My heritage reflects two rich cultures and traditions. I was also raised by a Maltese and Italian family who helped shape the person I am today. Growing up, I experienced multiple faith traditions. I also learnt about Catholicism through these families, attending church, observing Lent and celebrating Easter. I also grew up understanding Hinduism and Buddhism through my cultural heritage and family. Multiculturalism was simply my life. It is normal to celebrate different traditions, to learn from different cultures and to understand that faith and identity can take many forms.

That is why this rare convergence of Lunar New Year, Ramadan and Lent feels especially significant. It reflects what many Australians experience every day—multiple traditions, shared values and a sense of belonging that transcends any one background. In recent weeks, I had the privilege of witnessing these celebrations. I attended mayor of Canterbury Bankstown council Councillor Bilal El-Hayek's iftar and the Lakemba Nights market, where members of the Muslim and broader community gathered to break fast during Ramadan. My office also attended the Lebanese Community Council of New South Wales iftar. At each event and in the spirit of Ramadan, people from different backgrounds came together, shared a meal and reflected on the importance of compassion and service.

This week, I will be attending the Good Friday service at St Charbel's Maronite church, which is just outside of my electorate of Barton. Good Friday is one of the most solemn and significant days in the Christian calendar. It is a time of reflection, sacrifice and hope. I'll also be visiting Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto in Earlwood. It's a place that holds deep personal meaning for me. This is somewhere I visited as a child with the Italian family who raised me, and those experiences shaped my understanding of faith, community and compassion. Returning there now is not only about tradition but also about remembering the people who shaped my life and instilled in me values of generosity and kindness.

I also want to take the opportunity to say to my electorate have a holy and happy Easter. I hope that you're surrounded by family and loved ones and that you have time to rest and reflect.

I also recently celebrated Lunar New Year with CASS and the Nan Tien Buddhist Temple in Kogarah, and my team with Kogarah Storehouse, to welcome the year of the horse. The celebrations were vibrant and joyful, filled with cultural performances, yummy food, community connection and optimism for the year ahead.

What stands out across all these celebrations, whether it's Ramadan, Lent, Lunar New Year, Holi or Passover, is how much they share in common. Each encourages reflection. Each promotes generosity. Each celebrates renewal, and each offers hope. These shared values remind us that, while our traditions may differ, our aspirations are remarkably similar.

I want to acknowledge all volunteers—those from CASS; the Kogarah Storehouse; the Nan Tien Temple in Kogarah; faith leaders like Sheikh Shady Alsuleiman from the Australian National Imams Council and the United Muslims of Australia, and Father Anthony Azzi from St Charbel; and all community organisations who work tirelessly to bring these celebrations to life. The work is very vital to help build understanding and connection and cohesion across our communities.

My own upbringing showed me the importance of these connections. Being raised across cultures and faiths taught me that diversity is something to be embraced and celebrated. Moments like this, when so many important celebrations occur together, remind us that our many traditions very much form part of our collective Australian story and strengthen our social fabric. In a world that can sometimes feel divided, these moments offer unity, understanding and hope.

Alicia Payne (Canberra, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

Claire Clutterham (Sturt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion, and I reserve my right to speak.

Mary Aldred (Monash, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's actually a real privilege to follow such a beautiful contribution by the member for Barton. Across Australia, and especially in communities like mine in Monash, this time of year carries deep meaning. Lent and Easter are profoundly important for many Australians, particularly within Christian communities. Lent is a time of reflection, of sacrifice and of spiritual growth. It is a time when people pause, step back from the busyness of daily life and focus on their faith, on compassion and on self-discipline. It's also a time of fellowship, of coming together in our churches and our schools and our communities. And it is a time of preparation—preparation for Easter, a period marked not just by church services but by family gatherings, shared meals and moments of connection.

At its heart, Easter is about hope, and this year that message of hope feels more important than ever. In a world facing uncertainty and challenge, church leaders across Australia have reminded us not to lose sight of the bigger picture. Yes, we face immediate pressures, but we must also look ahead towards long-term solutions, towards renewal, towards building something stronger for the future. And that responsibility does not sit with leaders alone. Each of us has a role to play, and each of us can contribute to building stronger, more connected communities.

In Monash, we see that spirit in action. Each year, the combined churches of Warragul mark the beginning of the Easter period by raising a wooden cross at the Warragul Cenotaph. It's a tradition with more than 50 years of history. Last year, more than 200 people gathered to take part. It is a simple but powerful moment: a community coming together in reflection, in faith and in shared purpose.

Across the electorate, many of our local schools also mark this time through the stations of the cross. Students, teachers, families and parish members gather to watch young people bring these moments to life. Opportunities are there for young people to reflect on who they are, who they are becoming and who they wish to become and what they wish contribute to our community. There are opportunities to develop empathy, to consider those less fortunate and to take action in that spirit, and many do. Throughout Lent, students across Monash come together to raise funds for those in need, learning not just about compassion but what it means to live it.

The same spirit of generosity and community is on full display through the Good Friday Appeal. Across our towns, volunteers have been out shaking tins, organising events and giving their time, all in support of the Royal Children's Hospital. This is an appeal that raises vital funds to ensure world-class care for our children in Victoria. It's hard to find someone in Monash who has not in some way been touched by the work of that hospital, whether as a patient, a parent or a friend of someone who needed care in a moment of crisis. That is why people give, it's why they volunteer, and it's why they care so deeply.

Last year, Australians donated a record $23.8 million to the Good Friday Appeal. I want to acknowledge the incredible efforts of local communities in Monash who contribute so much to that result. In Yarragon, the community's Good Friday Appeal has grown into something truly remarkable. In 2025, they raised more than $41,000, placing them 31st on the regional tally board, ahead of much larger towns. But what makes this effort so special is how it has grown. It began in 2015 with a simple goal: to get Yarragon back on the map—raising $6,000 in its first year. Now, 11 years later, it has become a whole-of-town effort, with a monster raffle, an Easter egg hunt, events at the pub and the bowls club and local businesses all playing their part and getting involved. Even the youngest members of the community are involved as well. Last year, our students from Yarragon Primary School and Early Learning Centre raised $1,470 through their Coins for a Cause Day, creating an incredible 149-metre line of coins. It's a powerful reminder that generosity starts early and grows.

On Phillip Island, the community has also stepped up. What started as a single fundraiser—a PJ party and disco bowling night that raised nearly $7,000—has grown into the Phillip Island Good Friday Festival, which is quite incredible. I also want to acknowledge Leongatha, where this year local rock-and-roll groups will come together for a five-hour fundraising event at the Dakers Centre. I'm going along. I'm not sure whether I'll be rocking and rolling, but I'll certainly be supporting that fantastic effort in aid of the Royal Children's Hospital appeal.

Claire Clutterham (Sturt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I start by thanking my friends the member for Monash and the member for Barton for their contributions and beautiful stories of connection, reflection and the dedication of volunteers. These are stories of good people doing good things for others and standing together while they do it. I do encourage the member for Monash to indeed rock and roll this Friday.

It's been a busy couple of months for volunteers, particularly volunteers who give up their time to cook iftar meals for those breaking their daily fast during the holy month of Ramadan. I lived in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, for eight years during the early part of my prepolitics legal career, and I recall with fondness how the holy month was embraced by Muslims and non-Muslims alike. During the month of Ramadan, life would slow down as people took the time to connect or reconnect with their friends, families and faith. Work did not stop, but it took a back seat as people observing the holy month prioritised family over the office. What always struck me, every year that I lived in the UAE, was that Ramadan was not just for people observing it or for people of certain backgrounds and faiths or from certain countries. It really was for everyone. Everyone was invited to share, participate and collaborate together in an atmosphere of warmth and hospitality.

This warmth and hospitality was no different to what I experienced from the community, from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association, who hosted me at an interfaith iftar in early March this year at the Mahmood Mosque. Leaders from all faiths were present, including my friend Rabbi Frankie Salzman from the Beit Shalom Synagogue in my electorate of Sturt. At dinner, I sat with people I'd never met before, and we had a lovely evening of connection, good conversation and fantastic food, especially the chickpea curry. Faith or no faith, everyone was welcome. I thank Sharif and his team for an excellent evening.

Two weeks earlier, on 19 February 2026, I attended the opening of the Andrew Steiner Education Centre at the Adelaide Holocaust Museum, which is dedicated to educating visitors by telling stories of the Holocaust to create a fairer and more compassionate world. I was greeted with the same warm welcome by Annetay Henderson-Sapir, the museum director and chief executive officer. I had the opportunity to reflect deeply on many occasions throughout the event as the speakers—including Andrew Steiner himself; the then South Australian state education minister, the Hon. Blair Boyer; and the Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, Jillian Segal—all shared their thoughts about what the centre meant to them. The speeches were, of course, different, but they all had one central and clear theme: hope—an unquenchable hope that we can simply accept each other for who we are, act with kindness and compassion towards each other and promote human rights for everyone.

I raise these two events that I attended in support of this motion. The events were very different in terms of the attendees, what was being acknowledged and where they were held. But, in another sense, they were the same. They were good people of different faiths, cultures and backgrounds, but all Australians—not fearing each other or being angry with each other or being suspicious of each other but just having a meal together or having a drink together, reflecting on life and having a chat. All levels of government were represented as well, which was really pleasing to see from a federal perspective. I chatted with friends from my own party and also with friends from the coalition that I have gained since being elected to parliament.

The word that everyone was living by, and the word that I want my 2026 to be shaped by, is 'humanity'—humanity for everyone. It can be done. I saw it. It was happening easily. It is much easier to practise humanity than to practise anger, resentment and hatred. So, at a time when many of us are feeling upset and worried about what is happening around our world, what we can always do is come together in shared humanity, a love of family, friends and strangers, and our commitment to the community. This is what the people who attended the iftar and the opening of the Andrew Steiner Education Centre were doing. They were practising humanity, and all those who practise humanity and kindness belong in a modern, multicultural Australia.

Leon Rebello (McPherson, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'd like to begin by commending the member for Barton on moving this motion. The member for Barton's contribution on the experiences and the various individuals and groups that have influenced her and influenced the incredible person that she's become, I think, is something that we in this chamber have been privileged to hear. So well done.

I'd like to say that we are entering a time that is very important not only to my community on the southern Gold Coast but to people across this country, and for various reasons. I was up in Merrimac last Saturday, when the community came together, hosted by Gold Coast Property, for a community Easter hunt, which is something that went down very well, especially amongst the young people—although sometimes, on the Gold Coast, a lot of chocolate in Queensland's sun doesn't really end up very well. But it was a lot of fun, nonetheless. In particular, the event brought the Merrimac and broader Gold Coast communities together in raising funds for the Kelly Wilkinson Foundation. Danielle, who is Kelly's sister, has been doing an incredible job in trying to raise awareness in that space. I commend her on the work that she's doing as well.

Easter on the southern Gold Coast is coming up, and I say to the many Christians across my southern Gold Coast community that are celebrating Easter: I wish you a very happy Easter. Enjoy the time with your family and with your friends, and take that opportunity to get a bit of a pause out of what is no doubt a busy life and a busy period. Sometimes, it's those small moments that you get with your family that must be cherished and relished.

For me, on the Southern Gold Coast, something I always do—my parents came from Goa in India. It was a Portuguese colony in India at the time, and so we were all raised as Catholics. I play the piano at the local Catholic church, and I'll be there again for Easter. We have Infant Saviour in Burleigh Heads for a 7 am service, and then we typically go to Mary, Mother of Mercy at 10.30. I say to all the people who attend those services and those who volunteer at those services: thank you for everything you do for the Christian community, not just for Easter but across the year as well.

We also have other parts of the Gold Coast celebrating Easter. I say to the team at Glow Church and to the incredible supporters there who I've had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with over the last few years, it's a very special day for all of us and all of you, so please make sure you enjoy the weekend and use it as an opportunity to commemorate it.

A division having been called in the House of Representatives—

Sitting suspended from 17:30 to 17:56

As I was saying, we are entering a period of great celebration and great reflection for the Christian community in McPherson. I say to the people, especially those who are having to work over this period of cultural celebration—to the police officers, the ambulance drivers, the hospital workers and those looking after our community—a massive thank you for what you're doing for our community. If there's any way that we can support, please do reach out to my office.

Something else I'd like to talk about is the fact that, whenever we have these events that are periods of families coming together and community coming together, it's also worth recognising that there are many individuals—especially in my electorate, where the average age is slightly older than in the rest of the country—who are suffering from loneliness and isolation. I would say to our community that we have some incredible volunteer groups and community groups who go out of their way, especially around times such as Easter, to make these members of our community feel included. Thank you very much for all that you do.

On that note, I'd finish by saying to the people of McPherson: have a very happy Easter. Enjoy the time with your family and your friends, and enjoy what a beautiful period it is on the southern Gold Coast. We have the best weather and the best sense of community in the country. Make the most of it. Be safe if you're travelling. Travel safe and come home with your family, united and ready for the rest of the year.

Alice Jordan-Baird (Gorton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'd first like to commend my good friend the member for Barton for introducing this really important motion to the House. She's already making such an incredible difference here in federal parliament, and she is working so hard for the people of Barton. I'm honoured that she's my bench buddy in the House of Representatives as well.

There are grade 6 students in my community in Melbourne's western suburbs who'll spend a term this year learning about Australian parliament. These are students who leave their homes for school each morning—homes where they speak a language other than English with their families. They are students who spend their days in classrooms learning alongside, and building lifelong friendships with, other kids also from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds. Every day, it is an honour to represent these students and to represent the wonderful community which I call home in Melbourne's western suburbs.

During Harmony Week last week, it was extra special. That is because my community is a true microcosm of multicultural Australia. Our community is home to an incredibly diverse set of constituents. More than 30,000 of my constituents speak a language other than English at home. There are tens of thousands of families across the electorate, and, amongst these families, we have one of the highest proportions of first- and second-generation migrants in Australia. More than 33 per cent of my electorate was born overseas, all of whom have chosen to contribute to our nation's story and to our country's strength in making Australia home. You see that and you feel that during the months of February and March, a time when multiple faith holidays collide: Lunar New Year, Ramadan, Lent, Sikh and Hindu New Year, the month of Chet, Farsi New Year, Easter and Passover, among many others. It's a holy time of the year. With current uncertain world events, more than ever we feel the importance of coming together with community in shared humanity, reflection and cultural expression to gather across generations, passing on stories, faith and values.

As Australians, this shared humanity is who we are, and our multiculturalism is an asset. It is the rich and diverse cultures who have come together to make Australia the country it is today. You see that in my community of Gorton in Melbourne's western suburbs, where our diversity is seen at the Quang Minh Buddhist Temple's Lunar New Year celebration, which I attended alongside thousands of other Victorians from across the west. Together, we welcomed the Year of the Horse. Lunar New Year is a time for renewal and hope, and the horse symbolises strength, energy and determination. I loved standing with my Vietnamese community as we wished each other a chuc mung nam moi.

You see our diversity at the Hola Mohalla festival in Plumpton and the Holi festival in Kings Park. Holi is a festival that is a reflection of good overcoming evil, a theme that's rooted in ancient traditions. And we see that throughout our communities today, when we acknowledge that resilience, courage and faith can overcome even the greatest challenges.

I saw our diversity in Sydenham with the Maltese community celebrating Saint Sebastian and at the opening of two new Hindu temples in my electorate in Mount Cottrell and in Rockbank and of the Sri Durga Temple in Deanside, which I attended with the Minister for Home Affairs as well. I saw it with the Hazara community at an iftar dinner, talking to some incredible young women who were pursuing their careers in STEM, and during Eid as well at the Masjid Minhaj-ul-Quran. Ramadan is a time of deep reflection, renewal and devotion, whether it's sharing iftar meals with neighbours, supporting those experiencing hardship or giving generously through community initiatives. It's a month that calls for patience, generosity and compassion as well. It's these values which bring light into our community.

Multiculturalism is at the heart of our community, and it doesn't take much more than stepping outside and looking around to realise just that. You also see multiculturalism when you look around this very room in this parliamentary chamber. That is because our Labor Party is committed to electing parliamentarians who genuinely reflect our community's life experiences and values. That matters. It matters because it translates into real policies that have real impacts on our multicultural communities. That's why, for the first time, we've appointed a dedicated minister for multicultural affairs, and we've elevated that position into cabinet.

As I said, there are grade 6 students in my community in Melbourne's western suburbs who will spend a term this year learning about civics, citizenship and Australian parliament. When they do, I hope they look to us in Australia's federal parliament, and I hope they feel represented. On that, I commend this motion to the House.

Julian Leeser (Berowra, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This motion from the member for Barton provides all members with an opportunity to reflect on the cultural and religious diversity of their electorate, and I thank her for putting it forward. In the electorate of Berowra, we have a very strong group of religious communities of a range of different faiths. Sixty-five per cent of people that live in my electorate are adherents to some form of faith tradition, with 47 per cent being Christian, 6½ per cent being Hindu, 3.2 per cent being Buddhist, slightly under two per cent being Muslim and under one per cent being Sikhs, Jews, Baha'i and Zoroastrians. So we have quite a degree of religious diversity in our community.

One of the communities with whom I have had lots to do over my service as the member for Berowra is the Mahamevnawa Buddhist monastery at Cattai. On Sunday I had the privilege of being there to help lay the foundation stones for their new stupa. The monastery is quite amazing, and I've seen its development over the decade that I've been the member for Berowra, starting out with purely the prayer hall, then the dining hall, then the dedication of a Buddha statue, then the Bodhi tree relocation, where the pagoda is now under construction, and now the stupa. I want to acknowledge my good friend Reverend Soma Thero, who I regard as 'Aussie Soma' because he took his Australian citizenship a short time ago, which was a moment of great delight for me personally. He is the key spiritual leader of the Mahamevnawa Buddhist monastery. At the dedication of the stupa was his colleague Reverend Kekirawe Bodhidhamma Thero from Melbourne, who is the head of the monastery in Melbourne. We even had a visiting monk from Sri Lanka, Sumedha Thero, who was previously the founding monk who founded the Mahamevnawa monastery at Cattai.

I want to particularly acknowledge the amazing community that has really developed around the monastery and has seen this grow over many years—in particular, Rasika De Silva, who is the trustee of the monastery and is often the guiding force in terms of organising people in the community. What's so amazing about the community is that within the community there are architects, structural engineers, construction services, surveyors and stormwater consultants—all people who've volunteered their time to build this particular monastery at Cattai.

I want to mention some of their names, and I apologise if my pronunciation of the Sinhalese names is not as good as it should be. I want to acknowledge Sasanarathi Thero, who is the assistant chief monk. I want to acknowledge the architect, Kamalanie Gunatilake. I want to acknowledge the structural engineer, Damith Mohotti. I want to acknowledge the managing director of Intermarc Global, Dhammika Gunaratne. I want to acknowledge Mr Thevakumar, who's in charge of the construction services; Mr Siva Balamayuran; Mr Sunil Liyanage, the surveyor; engineer Ranji Premaratne; and project coordinator Dileepa Rathnayake.

It's been a really amazing thing to see the stupa develop. A stupa is often the spiritual heart of the monastery, and it's positioned prominently and approached with great reverence. Visiting and honouring a stupa encourages reflection on Buddha's virtues, on strengthening of right views and on commitment to living according to the dharma. The stupa is primarily a place of veneration and merit making and reminds devotees of the Buddha's enlightenment, his teachings of the Noble Eightfold Path and the goal of nirvana. The stupa inspires laypeople to practice generosity, morality and mental cultivation in daily life. The history of the stupa goes back more than 2½ thousand years, after the passing away of the Buddha, an event known as the Parinirvana of the Buddha. His followers wanted a way to honour and remember him, and, according to Buddhist traditions, Buddhist relics such as ashes and sacred remains were divided and placed inside stupas built in different regions. These stupas became important places where Buddhists could pay respect to the Buddha and reflect on his teachings.

I want to particularly acknowledge the Mahamevnawa community and say how delighted I was to see the construction of the stupa and its foundation stones being laid. We hope that by the end of the year the stupa will be up and running and will make a great contribution to this wonderful site, one of the most serene places in my community. One of the things that I particularly enjoy about visiting the Mahamevnawa monastery is when they pray the loving-kindness meditation: 'May all the people in the world be free of ill will, free of jealousy.' I sometimes think that they're sentiments we could benefit from in the parliament! I know the monks know that I particularly love the loving-kindness meditation.

To everyone at the Mahamevnawa monastery at Cattai: congratulations. I look forward to further developments at your site.

Julie-Ann Campbell (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A very special thing happened in 2026—a very rare thing. We saw a thing that many people have never seen before—indeed, that no living person has seen before—because this year we saw the coalescence of Lunar New Year, of Lent and of Ramadan. These are celebrations that are felt widely and strongly in my local community, a local community that is the most multicultural in all of Queensland. In the seat of Moreton, 39.1 per cent of people were born overseas and 35.9 per cent of people speak a language other than English at home. We have so many different ethnicities and faiths that we celebrate in our community together. So it doesn't matter whether you say, 'Xin nian kuai le,' whether you say, 'Eid Mubarak' or whether you're about to say, 'Happy Easter.' These are all celebrations that bring our southside community in Brisbane together, and it's a celebration of what makes us so unique and strong. These celebrations are not so dissimilar, because each and every one of them brings together our community, brings together friends and brings together the family, and we celebrate with food, often too much food. I think what they really demonstrate is that our similarities are so many more than our differences.

I want to take the opportunity to thank the member for Barton for bringing this important private members' business to this place, because not only is it an opportunity to showcase our own local communities, but it's also an opportunity to ensure that their voices are heard in this place, in the nation's capital. I'm incredibly proud to be an Australian of Chinese heritage, and I'm incredibly proud that, along with the member for Barton and so many others, the government benches look like Australia. They're what Australia looks like. We have all different heritages, but we come together with the same values, and those values are Australian values.

From my local electorate, I want to showcase just a few of the fantastic events that local organisations have been running. Just last weekend, we celebrated Eid, and we celebrated it with Crescent AusIndia with Yousuf, who heads up that organisation, and it was held at the Islamic College of Brisbane, a college, like so many schools, where the kids come together as a community and help cook food. They're actually very good at futsal, and their champion futsal players are their women's side. The person who leads that school is Ali Kadri. At Crescent AusIndia's Eid festival, we got to hear the electric sitar. We also got to eat at Baskin-Robbins ice cream while we were there too. It's that moulding of things within our community that makes it special.

We got to celebrate Chinese New Year at the Chung Tian Temple with the Venerable Manwang and President Michelle Lo. It's an enormous temple. While we were there, we signed new bricks that are going to go towards making the next extension of that temple to make it bigger and better and to make sure that more people can be welcomed through its doors. There was lion dancing, and there was food, and there were people from all across our community who made it special. This Easter, my daughter Margaret has already got her Easter basket selected and placed out so that, when we go to all of the local Easter egg hunts put on by local churches, she'll have the opportunity to go and visit both an Easter Bunny and the kind volunteers putting those events on.

We know that it's a challenging time across the globe, but celebrating and bringing people together—those solutions are local. They're special. They help with social cohesion, and they're the antidote that we need to a rising temperature in this globe.

Sam Birrell (Nicholls, National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This private members' motion seems to be a great opportunity for people to say very nice things about the member for Barton, and I will be no exception. It's a great motion that the member for Barton has brought, and I had the honour of accompanying her on a delegation to Port Moresby and meeting her mother. Hearing the member for Barton talk about her upbringing previously, I can tell you the apple doesn't fall very far from the tree. Her mother's a truly remarkable person doing some amazing things for the people of Papua New Guinea, and her daughter's making a fine contribution here.

It gives me an opportunity to talk about the Shepparton Interfaith Network. We've heard a lot of people talk about how diversity and faith express themselves in their community, and I've said often in this place, including in my first speech, that Greater Shepparton, the town that I live and grew up in, is one of the great examples of multiculturalism in this country. One of the key elements of that is the Shepparton Interfaith Network. It is made up of Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and Jewish people. The Catholic priest, Monsignor Peter Jeffrey, was one of the instigators of it, along with another a number of other people. It gives the architecture for people of different faiths around Shepparton to explore each other's religions, cultures and to talk about issues that are very important, particularly when we're faced with the challenges of social cohesion that Australia has been rocked by in recent times. It was with great sombreness that the Shepparton Interfaith Network came together for a candlelight vigil at the site of the former synagogue in Shepparton in the wake of the Bondi tragedy. To see all of these people from different religions, particularly the imam from the mosque talking about what the Islam religion really should be, and is, for most people—peace and tolerance and love—was a great example to all of us of people coming together to live with different faiths.

I've been reflecting on why Shepparton is such a great example of multiculturalism, and I want to explore this further. I think the region has things for the rest of Australia to learn. Basically, waves of migration came to the region, even before World War II but particularly afterwards, from southern Europe, firstly. Shepparton was where people went. Basically, they got off the boat, and the unskilled labour was in Shepparton because we had the fruit farms and dairy farms. People turned up there. Within a generation, most of those people owned farms, and there was no exception no matter where they'd come from. There was always this egalitarian nature, and I always say about Shepparton that your attitude to life, your work ethic and your ability to be an entrepreneur and make a business matters a bit more than who you pray to and what you look like. And I think that's been a really important part of why we've succeeded in multiculturalism.

The other thing I've reflected on is that the first mosque came to Shepparton in 1960—the Albanian community, so it was a European Islamic tradition that came first of all to the Greater Shepparton region. Middle Eastern people from the Islamic tradition came after that, but it's meant that we've never seen some of the fundamentalism and radicalism that we've seen, unfortunately, in some other parts of the world and some other parts of Australia. The Albanian community has welcomed us, and, then, after that, the Iraqi mosque, the Turkish mosque and the Afghan mosque followed in welcoming the rest of the community into their faith. Look at this as a faith, but it more than, 'This is our faith.' It is: 'We our Sheppartonians first. We are members of the Goulburn Valley, and Islam is our faith'—or Christianity or Hinduism or Sikhism. That has been one of the success stories of the Greater Shepparton region.

I've written to some community leaders and I want to know more about their impressions of why it's worked in Shepparton. We've got some challenges in other parts of the world, and, when I get that information, I'll share it with the community.

I want to thank the member for Barton for bringing forward this motion. I think it's important that we talk about the things we agree on, as well as talk about the things we disagree on. And this has given us an opportunity to do the former.

Colin Boyce (Flynn, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.