Thursday, 15 May 2025

Members statements

Kurdistan National Prayer Breakfast

Enver ERDOGAN (Northern Metropolitan – Minister for Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, Minister for Corrections, Minister for Youth Justice) (09:39): Last month I had the honour of travelling to Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region of Iraq, to attend the inaugural Kurdistan National Prayer Breakfast, a historic gathering that brought together political, faith and civil society leaders from across Iraq and around the world. The gathering was one that was quite informative. It was one where through candid policy discussions and reflections we were all united in a shared commitment to promoting social cohesion, interfaith dialogue, peace, religious freedom and human rights.

As a member for Northern Metropolitan Region, the visit was deeply meaningful to me. My electorate is home to the majority of Victoria’s 40,000-strong Iraqi community, including large and proud Kurdish, Assyrian, Chaldean, Syriac and Arab communities.

The struggles faced by these communities on their journey to Australia, including displacement, persecution and migration, are directly tied to the history of this region. During the visit I had the privilege of engaging with faith leaders who are well known in my local community, including His Holiness Mar Awa III, the Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East; His Excellency Archbishop Bashar Warda, Chaldean Catholic Archbishop of Erbil; and His Eminence Archbishop Mor Nicodemus Daoud Sharaf of the Syriac Orthodox Church. These institutions have been and continue to be powerful voices for justice and unity here in Australia as well as abroad. A particularly moving moment came during my visit to the Lalish Temple, a sacred site for the Yazidi people. The stories of survival shared with me are ones that I will never forget. I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge Mr Ayad Yokhanna from VicTalk – (Time expired)