Wednesday, 30 August 2023

Falun Gong

David LIMBRICK (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (18:04): (441) My request is for the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events. During my time as a member for South-Eastern Metro I have come to know the practitioners of Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa. They promote and live their values of truth, compassion and forbearance. They are law-abiding, hardworking people with a strong value system, and we are lucky to have them in Australia. But unfortunately many of these people have been subject to terrible human rights abuses by the Chinese Communist Party, and some of this bullying has not stopped even once they have moved to Australia. I am particularly horrified when they are treated poorly in Australia, as we saw a few years ago with some terrible reporting by the ABC’s Four Corners. The ABC found very little of substance but tried to smear the whole movement, which greatly pleased the Chinese Communist Party. I would also say that true to the warnings provided by Falun Dafa, unfortunately the ABC’s footage was used to justify continued persecution in China.

This brings me to the latest example of what appears to be institutional bullying in their new home. Each year they put on a spectacular show called Shen Yun, which showcases the best of traditional Chinese dance and music. I have been honoured to see this a number of times, most recently at the St Kilda Palais Theatre. It is great entertainment, and I can vouch there have never been any serious problems with security or anything else. So I was horrified to hear that Shen Yun was cancelled by the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre despite the fact that there have been no problems with previous shows. The MCEC erroneously believes that there is a problem with Falun Dafa.

My request for action is for the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events to meet with representatives of the Falun Dafa association to discuss these issues and ways for them to avoid these misunderstandings in the future. My office would be happy to put them in contact and help facilitate this in any way possible.