Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

The Centenary of Anzac is a milestone that every Australian should be humbled to be part of because without those who fought on our great nation's behalf on the shores of Gallipoli from 1914 to 1918 and in all wars since we would not be living in this generous, diverse and tolerant country we all call home today. From 2014 to 2018, the Australian government has committed time, resources and energy to ensure communities across Australia can commemorate our service men and women, and embrace the good, the bad and the ugly of our history, and to learn from those events of our past to help create a better future. The city of Canning in my electorate of Swan has been focusing on developing a range of events and activities to respectfully and appropriately commemorate the Anzac Centenary, which is why I was pleased last week to announce that they would be receiving $25,000 in local grant funding from this government to further enhance their upcoming community project entitled Gallipoli Voices.

Gallipoli Voices is a cultural festival which has been developed in conjunction with Canning World Arts Exchange. It will feature performances from Turkish international guest artists and a host of local arts organisations, while a series of stalls will be set up for attendees to enjoy, once again with a focus on combining Turkish and Australian cultures. As members know, this cultural affinity was also remarkably witnessed between Australian and Turkish soldiers on the battlefields of Gallipoli, so I congratulate the city of Canning for recognising and promoting this and developing an event which will ensure community members of all ages are able to participate.

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