Thursday, 18 June 2026

 Renee HEATH (Eastern Victoria) (10:24): I refer to the words of principal Sonny Aiono from Heritage College in Officer at their Holocaust memorial ceremony, who said that when we remember the Holocaust we are not simply remembering a tragic event from the past, we are remembering what can happen when prejudice is allowed to grow, when people are dehumanised and too many people choose silence. This event was run and organised by students with the help of Katy Matteo and Sarah Perry, and I especially want to thank Jeda and Zoe for their incredible hospitality. Students retold accounts of the Holocaust and the incredible resilience of Jewish people who, in the midst of what was the most horrendous thing that our minds cannot even comprehend, continued to go on. We heard from Holocaust survivor Peter Gaspar, born in Czechoslovakia in 1937. His early years were subject to the horrors of the Nazi regime, and this was his message to the students:

… you are smart and you have a voice. You have the power to make a difference with your voice – power to be an agent of change. You are not being kind, friendly or polite by keeping quiet when you … witness stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination. Don’t let such talk … slide by you … unchallenged, pretending it is not your concern … That is your business. Call it out … right there and then …

This is such a vital message for today, and I want to thank this incredible college, particularly Sarah Perry, for their amazing leadership.