Thursday, 1 August 2024

Ministers statements: Palestine Australia Relief and Action

Ingrid STITT (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (12:38): I recently had the honour of welcoming to Victoria members of our newly arrived Palestinian community at a welcome dinner organised by Palestine Australia Relief and Action (PARA). The evening of love, healing and connection was an opportunity to come together and create a new sense of belonging for a community that has fled months of war and devastation. Speaking with these families, they shared stories of hardship and courage, heartbreak and loss but above all a desire for peace.

In the middle of this dinner there was a really powerful demonstration of why events like this are so important. Two friends who did not know that each other had survived and fled Gaza were reunited at the dinner, in the same city on the other side of the world, eight months after hostilities began. It is moments like this that really remind us of the human toll of war. Regardless of where you were born or what you believe in, war’s greatest impact is always on ordinary people and on innocent civilians who just want to be able to go about their lives without the fear of violence. For these two men it was a bittersweet moment of reunification, and for so many of us it is a moment that we will never have to deal with. These families have been through so much.

I want to sincerely thank PARA and their CEO Rasha Abbas for hosting this heartwarming event. I am proud that the Allan Labor government has been able to support PARA in their important work to foster belonging and social cohesion here in Victoria. As Victorians we should all be so proud to continue as a community to open our arms to those in need. In times of conflict and war that is more important than ever.