Maria Vamvakinou (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to congratulate players from my local Oromo Youth Australian football club, who last month competed in the Oromo Sport Federation's 20th anniversary soccer tournament in the United States. I would like to thank my friend and local constituent Hamza Wariyo for introducing me to these young and dynamic players within our community. I am pleased to have a very vibrant Oromo community in my electorate of Calwell, who are making a great contribution to our local community.

The soccer tournament, held in Minnesota in August, saw 28 teams—including two from Australia—competing. The tournament raised awareness of Oromo culture by bringing the Oromo diaspora together, fostering relationships and sharing cultural heritage and identity. Both of our local soccer teams competed under the Australian flag, and I congratulate the Oromo Youth Australian football club for making it to the quarter finals. Before they flew out to Minnesota, I had the pleasure of meeting Barisa Kedir, the Australian team manager and player for the Oromo Youth football club. Barisa is a wonderful young man who considers his soccer team pretty much an extension of his own family. He gives much of his time after school to playing and to coordinating those he calls his favourite boys, and his friends.

Sport is a great way to foster pride in the community as people build their new life here in Australia. But, of course, my local Oromo community remains very concerned about conditions for the Oromo people in Ethiopia. On their behalf, I would like to take this opportunity to bring the plight of the Oromo people to the attention of this chamber. The Oromo constitute the largest single ethnicity in Ethiopia, with an estimated 38 million to 50 million people. They are at least 40 per cent of Ethiopia's population. Most reside in the Oromia region, which encompasses Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa. The Oromo people practise varying faiths, including the indigenous religion, Waaqeffanna. The region also generates an estimated 60 per cent of Ethiopia's economic resources.

While making up such a significant proportion of Ethiopia, they lack significant political, economic and cultural representation. Importantly, Ethiopia's political system is largely dominated by the Tigrayan ethnic group. The Oromo people, as I have said, feel that the Ethiopian resources and wealth are not shared equally. My local Oromo community is very concerned about the large number of Oromo people who have been killed and the many who have been arrested and jailed. The protests continue to rage. They involve farmers and students. All are seeking to fight for national self-determination and a more representative democracy. (Time expired)

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