Andrew Charlton (Parramatta, Australian Labor Party, Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yesterday, the corridors of Parliament House were filled with something we need more of in public life: young people with optimism, purpose and a determination to shape Australia's future. I had the honour of hosting the first ever Maronite Youth in Parliament Summit, and it was a reminder of the enormous contribution that the Maronite community makes to our country.

In my electorate of Parramatta stands the Our Lady of Lebanon Co-Cathedral at Harris Park, the largest Maronite church in the Southern Hemisphere and one of the great centres of Lebanese Australian life. For more than four decades it has been where families gather, traditions are passed on, faith is kept alive and community is built. Maronite Australians have helped shape modern Australia, and Western Sydney would not be the same without them.

Last year we brought Maronite leaders into parliament, and this year we brought the next generation. Led by Bishop Antoine-Charbel Tarabay, Maronite Youth Australia and the Lebanese ambassador, the summit gathered 30 young Maronite Australians from across the country, including many from Parramatta, to speak directly with political leaders about the future they want to see. The conversations could not have been more important. They spoke about strengthening Australia's social cohesion, supporting Lebanon and the Middle East at this difficult time, creating opportunity for young Australians and ensuring that their generation has a genuine voice in national life.

For many Lebanese Australians, the events unfolding in Lebanon are not distant headlines; they are deeply personal. Families in Parramatta carry that worry every day. That's why giving young people a seat at the table matters so much. Multiculturalism in Australia is not about asking people to leave part of themselves behind; it's about recognising that our country is stronger because of the cultures, faiths and histories that people bring with them. Many of the young people at this summit were born and raised here. They're proudly Australian, proudly Lebanese and proudly Maronite, and those identities enrich our national story.

The summit was joined by the Prime Minister, senior ministers, the Speaker of the House and colleagues from across the parliament, a powerful sign that the government values and respects the Maronite community. These young leaders spent the day inside our democracy, attending question time, working alongside parliamentary staff and developing a formal communique with practical policy ideas for government. They also presented the Prime Minister with a cedar tree to be planted at the Lodge as a symbol of endurance, hope and the deep roots of this community. These are young Australians stepping forward to lead, in community life, in business, in public service and beyond. Their voices deserve to be heard, and their ideas deserve a genuine response.