Chris Hayes (Fowler, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to thank the member for Werriwa for bringing this motion before the parliament in recognition of the 50 years of diplomatic relations between Australia and Peru. We enjoy very good relations between our two countries and it stems from our shared common values, particularly in freedom, liberty and the transparency of government. We also share a commitment to global cooperation through membership of organisations such as the United Nations, the World Trade Organisation, APEC and others. Our relationship has been integral to developing our participation in those bodies.

The two nations also share a commitment to tackling such issues as environmental issues, fisheries management, international law enforcement and transnational crime. Madam Deputy Speaker Grierson, you and I are aware of their cooperation in respect of those latter matters, being former members of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Law Enforcement.

Among the things I would also like to talk about in the limited time I have today are our educational ties. These continue to grow between our Australian universities through agreements with their Peruvian counterparts. There is certainly a successful scheme in place at present that sees the exchange of post-graduate students. At the moment, our trade in exports is also up from 2011-12 to about $244 million.

Like Australia, Peru is also a resource-rich country. Mining is a vital part of Peru's economic development and is a significant contributor to its GDP, much as it is in Australia. In fact, Peru is ranked amongst the top five global producers of minerals and metals such as lead, silver, zinc, tin, gold and copper. That naturally attracts the interest and involvement of companies operating in Australia, such as BHP Billiton and Xstrata.

As I understand it, there are about 8,500 Peruvian-born citizens in Australia. Whilst I have the honour of representing the most multicultural electorate in the country, the Peruvian community in my electorate is relatively small, especially compared to the Vietnamese, Chinese and those of Arabic-speaking backgrounds. However, although small this community has a very strong representation in local organisations looking after the interests of individuals and various Latin-American speaking groups in my community. For instance, Community Action Services Australia, CASA, is a local not-for-profit organisation representing Australians with a framework of diverse multiculturalism. I have known CASA over the last few years, have seen them on several occasions and have visited their premises at Fairfield Heights. They provide assistance, guidance and under the leadership of their executive officer Marta Faggiano they aim to assist, particularly, disabled people, those with hearing problems and people from Latin-American speaking backgrounds. In addition to a very comprehensive settlement grants program, this organisation has expanded its services to assist those who are unemployed, families, single parents, aged migrants and refugees. Their concentration is on those people coming from Latin-American speaking backgrounds.

Another local organisation offering support and assistance to members of the Spanish and Latin-American communities, including the Peruvian community, is the Spanish and Latin American Association for Social Assistance, known as SLASA. Under the leadership of its president Yvonne Santalucia, SLASA assists migrants and refugees when they settle in Australia. I recently had the opportunity to support this organisation's application for a program to provide Spanish-speaking men in the Fairfield LGA with services and educational activities in relation to health and social issues. As most of us would acknowledge, men are generally known to be a little more reluctant to discuss issues of health, particularly mental health, and therefore this organisation has concentrated on making sure these issues simply do not fall through the cracks and are addressed. I have nothing but praise for the Peruvian community. The fact that they take on leadership not only in Peru but also what they do here in Australia is a credit to them. (Time expired)

See this speech in context