Tuesday, 20 June 2023

 Lee TARLAMIS (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (13:36): Today is World Refugee Day, which is celebrated during Refugee Week. The theme this year is ‘Finding freedom’, encouraging everyone to explore what it means to be free. It is an opportunity to promote greater awareness of refugees, the issues they face and the positive contributions refugees make to our society. We should take the time to recognise and celebrate the resilience, courage and contributions of our refugees in Australia and worldwide. It also serves as a timely and important reminder of the millions of people around the globe who have been forced to flee their homes due to persecution, conflict and unimaginable hardships. We should acknowledge the importance of compassion and solidarity.

The plight of refugees is a responsibility that calls on all of us to act. We must advocate for policies that prioritise the protection of refugees’ rights and dignity. We must support organisations who work to help refugees find safety, and perhaps most importantly of all we can foster an environment that is welcoming and compassionate within our communities. Challenging stereotypes and misconceptions of refugees is something we should all be constantly doing. We should be challenging the narratives that portray refugees as anything other than people who make an immense social, cultural and economic contribution to our society. Refugees make Victoria a better place, with their presence in our society adding to our vibrancy and diversity.

There are thousands of refugees in my electorate, and their stories of hope and hardship never fail to move and inspire me while continuing to remind me of how lucky we are to live in such a safe and free country. There are also large communities from Afghanistan and Ukraine in my electorate, who we know have recently felt enormous pain as they have witnessed their family and friends back in their home country being persecuted, killed, displaced or even forced to flee just to survive. I am so proud that we live in such a welcoming, diverse and accepting community.