Tuesday, 14 October 2025

 Ingrid STITT (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (12:42): Today I want to extend my thoughts and our government’s support to Victoria’s Jewish and Palestinian communities. The historic peace deal and the release of all living hostages have provided a glimmer of hope in this devastating chapter in the history of Israel and Palestine. For the families of the hostages who have been displaced, they can now return home. Two million Palestinians in Gaza have been displaced, have lost their homes and their loved ones. We are all hoping that this agreement will begin the steps to a better, peaceful future for Israelis and Palestinians alike. To those Victorians who have family and community in Palestine and Israel I say this: we stand with all of you – Jewish, Muslim and Christian.

The last two years have cut deep wounds and inflicted much trauma, and it has divided communities in an unprecedented way. But with this hope for peace comes a hope for healing, and our government will always be there for you. We will stand with our proud Jewish community who have lived with an unprecedented rise in antisemitism and the nefarious influence of foreign actors, and we will stand with our most newly arrived communities from Gaza. I have had the honour of meeting so many of these brave and beautiful individuals, and they remind us that we must always promote efforts to come together and connect to build bridges and remove barriers. Our multiculturalism is our greatest strength, and only together can we nurture the multicultural Victoria that we are all so proud of.