Paul Scarr (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Bilyk, don't leave yet; I'm about to say something nice about you as well. I associate myself with the lovely remarks from Senator Brown. I would also like to acknowledge, from the perspective of the coalition, the strength, the resilience and the authenticity of Senator Bilyk; her wonderful sense of humour, which I enjoy very much; and her collegiality.

From my perspective, one of the ways to assess the character of someone is to look at the things they don't have to do but do anyway. One of the things I greatly appreciated about Senator Bilyk was that she reached out to me when I became chair of the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity oversight committee and she invited me to a cup of tea to discuss the function of the committee and things I should know as a chair. That was a sign of collegiality which I greatly appreciated and which left a lasting impression on me and a sense of collegiality which I'll seek to emulate for as long as I'm honoured to continue to serve in the Senate.

So thank you very much for your service, Senator Bilyk. It was wonderful to see you in Parliament House. Whenever I see you, Senator Bilyk, I've got a smile on my face, which is probably the best comment I can say about you.

On 25 March 2025, in the last week of the last parliament, I gave a speech in the Senate calling upon the Australian government to advocate, through all available international forums, the protection of ethnic and religious minorities in Syria. In the first week of this new parliament, I am now moved to rise again to speak on the same subject. On 19 July 2025 I met with members of the Queensland Syrian Christian community. This followed the horrific suicide terrorist attack on 22 June 2025 on the Mar Elias church in Damascus, which killed more than 25 worshippers and injured over 60 others. I quote from the incredibly powerful address given by patriarch John of Antioch at the funeral service for some of the victims:

What happened is a massacre. I repeat and emphasize: it is a massacre.

It is a targeted attack on a fundamental component of our beloved Syria.

An attack on every Syrian.

Later in his speech, patriarch John of Antioch movingly described the heroic efforts of three parishioners to save others:

This criminal entered the church, being armed and carrying explosives. Our young men—Jiries, Bishara, and Boutros, whom I know personally—saw him. They pulled him back, pushed him away, and threw themselves on him. They willingly accepted to be torn apart, and they were, so they could safeguard those inside the church. This is our people. They are our heroes.

Many members of the Queensland Syrian Christian community have very close connections with this church. I met a woman who was married in the church. I saw photos of a close friend of a community member, who was severely injured. I was shown video footage of the aftermath of the attack. It was indescribable. It will stay with me always.

At my meeting over the weekend, I also spoke with two women currently in Syria who have family members living in Queensland. I spoke to them face to face over the internet. Their situation is intolerable. Their fear and desperation were palpable. I heard of threats made to replicate the attack on the Mar Elias church, odious slogans saying, 'Your turn is next,' being painted onto church walls and incendiary pamphlets being disseminated calling for 'destroying the homes of Christians, slaughtering their children and taking their women captive'. I heard of the disruption of a further potential suicide attack on a church in Tartus in mid-July, which has also been reported by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. I heard of the burning of a church in al-Sura and the destruction of 38 homes belonging to Christian families. I heard of the continual fear of violence against unarmed civilians—including sexual violence—and of kidnappings and murder. I heard of members of Christian religious orders being forced to cooperate in the production of propaganda. What I heard was deeply disturbing.

Following the suicide terrorist attack on the church, the European Parliament passed a resolution recognising the urgent need to protect ethnic and religious minorities in Syria. The resolution:

Notes, with concern, that many Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) members with grave human rights violation records have assumed roles within the transitional administration, with potentially concerning implications for religious freedom, as evidenced by the recurrence of incidents involving Syrian officials;

The resolution also:

Urges the Syrian transitional authorities to facilitate swift, transparent and independent investigations into these acts, and take all necessary actions to quell sectarian violence, ensure accountability, including by prosecuting perpetrators and enablers of human rights violations such as in the case of Mar Elias, uphold freedom of religion and protect all communities;

As I give this speech, there is also the ongoing, devastating situation in Suwayda, which is of grave concern. At my meeting on the weekend I was shown a video of three men being forced at gunpoint by militia to jump off a balcony to their deaths—an act of barbarity which, once seen, is impossible to forget. To give voice to the concerns of the community, I can do no better than to once again quote from the address given by patriarch John of Antioch during the funeral service for some of the victims of the suicide bombing:

What our people want is security and peace. The primary duty of the government is to ensure safety for all citizens without exception or discrimination.

In the service, patriarch John of Antioch then courageously and powerfully directed comments to the president. He said:

Mr. President,

We congratulated the revolution and its victory in all our speeches. We also congratulated you personally. And when you became the president of the country, we congratulated you and did everything necessary because we are true citizens of this land. We are Syrians, proud and genuine. Our country is our land and our dignity. I have said it before and I will say it again: we have extended our hands to you to build the new Syria, and we still, sadly, wait to see a hand extended back to us.

Those are the words of patriarch John of Antioch at the funeral service for victims of the Mar Elias suicide bombing, which has traumatised our Syrian Australian Christian community.

I call upon the Australian government to do all it can through all international forums to advocate for the protection of ethnic and religious minorities in Syria. I call upon the Australian government to listen and respond to the concerns of the Syrian Australian Christian community with respect to access for their loved ones to Australia's humanitarian program, including the vulnerable women and children trapped in Syria who have close family links to Australia. Please, hear their pleas. I call upon the Australian government to do all that it can to provide support to the Syrian Australian community during this most traumatic of times. Finally, I grieve with those Australians who have lost loved ones in Syria, and I hope and pray for peace for all the people of Syria.