Joanne Ryan (Lalor, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to pay tribute to St Francis of Assisi Primary School in my electorate. I visited there earlier this month to do a flag presentation at a whole school assembly and was absolutely thrilled to listen to the entire school sing both verses of the national anthem—which always makes me smile—as well as their school song. They do those things to celebrate learning, diversity and shared values.

After the assembly I met with parents. I was approached by one of the mothers in that community, Ana Matei. She came to speak to me to thank me personally because her family had received their permanent residency the week before. She asked me sincerely to bring her thanks to this place and send it to the other place. Permanent residency for Ana; for her husband, Marian; and for her children, Ana and Ilinca, is an important thing. Ana wanted everybody at Parliament House to know how much they appreciate it, what it will mean for her future and what it means for her children. She wanted to say a huge thank you to the Australian population and, in particular, the Australian parliament for allowing them to have permanent residency in our community.

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