Greenvale Electorate Faith Communities
1 May, 2024
Iwan WALTERS (Greenvale) (19:07): The adjournment matter I wish to raise this evening is for the Minister for Multicultural Affairs. The action I seek is for the minister to meet with me to discuss the joint public statement that has been issued by a broad range of Assyrian, Chaldean and Syriac community organisations in my electorate. This statement exemplifies our shared values as Victorians and Australians in its call for peace, social cohesion, freedom of faith and support for law enforcement and its promotion of democracy, freedom and the rule of law. This statement was prompted by the deeply concerning attack last month on Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel in Sydney. I want to thank all of the signatories to this statement for their profound leadership in rejecting all acts of violence and their commitment to ensuring that all Australians have the freedom to practise their have faith without fear or hindrance, a commitment that the Victoria government shares.
I also thank my local Assyrian, Chaldean and Syriac community organisations for their unstinting support of law enforcement officials, who diligently conduct their duties to protect all Victorians and indeed all Australians. Similarly, I would like to thank all the reverend clergy who minister to faith communities in Greenvale and across Melbourne’s north for their true leadership. Their ceaseless commitment to peace, harmony and social cohesion and to supporting communities which have experienced profound trauma and persecution in other parts of the world is deeply inspiring and makes such an immense contribution to our community and its multicultural diversity.
I also thank the minister for her deep concern for the faith communities in my patch and for having personally reached out to so many community and faith leaders in recent weeks. I similarly thank Victoria Police and its officers in the north for their sensitive and proactive community policing and the Victorian Multicultural Commission and the Ethnic Communities Council of Victoria for all playing their part in sustaining the interfaith respect and harmony that is so important in our state. At a local level can I also take this opportunity to thank Hume City Council, led by mayor Naim Kurt and also particularly councillors Joseph Haweil and Sam Misho, for their vital community leadership and for working tirelessly to sustain the safety, dignity and freedoms of all religious communities. I look forward to meeting with the minister.