Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

On indulgence, I wish to associate the opposition with the remarks the Prime Minister made about the tragic loss of our Queensland Police member but also the death which we heard about overnight of a 12-year-old school girl from Melbourne. I have been in touch with Samir Kafaji. He is the president of the Iraqi Council of Victoria. Zynab's family had been here for about 20 years. They were refugees. They came out of Iraq to Saudi Arabia to a camp and then as refugees to Australia. Zynab was 12. She was born in Australia. It is devastating news.

This happened at the end of day of fasting at Ramadan. Zynab, her mother and her uncle had gone to visit grandparents in Baghdad. The father was breaking his own fast late yesterday in Melbourne when he got a phone call which no parent could ever imagine receiving. He has now made his way to Baghdad. Our thoughts are also with her two brothers. Her mother was wounded, but not too seriously. The uncle has been wounded more seriously.

Samir was able to inform me that little Zynab was very active in her faith community. She would work hard to clean the mosque and prepare the food. I have also spoken to the principal of Sirius College, where she attended school, Halid Serdar Takimoglu. Obviously, like all parliamentarians, I asked the obvious question: 'How are all the other kids coping?' He said, 'It's quite devastating. The school has put counselling in place.' It really leaves one to conclude: how do we explain to other 12 year olds that their friend will not be getting off the plane back from Iraq? How do we explain to our young this tragic death? It is not a conversation any of us want to ever have. So I too want to applaud the AFP, because they do their very best to stop us having to have that conversation.

See this speech in context