Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I too rise today to speak on the Bourke Street terror attack which took place on Friday, 9 November, when terrorist Hassan Khalif Shire Ali crashed his ute into the Target centre, before it went up in flames and he began attacking people with a knife. I've just listened to part of the speech from the previous speaker, the member for Melbourne, who attempted to politicise this tragic accident and say it was the fault of the political class that this attack occurred. I certainly won't demean and trivialise the death of Sisto, who went to the aid of this person, by bringing politics into this issue. This was a tragedy that occurred in Australia, and it is the kind of thing that has occurred too often.

I will now talk about the actual tragedy—and the life that should be celebrated—and not politicise it. The city was sent into lockdown as Hassan Khalif Shire Ali did everything he could to intimidate and terrorise Australians going about their daily lives. That's exactly what it was: terrorism, nothing but terrorism. He wanted to terrify the people in Melbourne. It was an act of unlawful use of violence to intimidate and to create fear. We as Australians will never cop that. We will always live the way we have—with freedom to live—in this country, and no-one will ever take that away from us. I believe Australia is the greatest country on earth. It is the values and beliefs we hold as Australians that enable it to be the great country it is, and the sacrifices that have been made by many before us will never, ever be forgotten in the face of fear and terror. We will stand together and remain united.

I join with my parliamentary colleagues, with the speakers before me and those who will come after me, in condemning the act of terrorism that took place in Melbourne. I will continue to do everything I can in this place to ensure that we as Australians continue to prevail in the face of evil. I will not spend too much more time giving air to the atrocities committed by Hassan Khalif Shire Ali. Instead, I'd like to spend more of the time given to me to make this statement to remember the victims.

A division having been called in the House of Representatives—

Sitting suspended 16:59 to 17:28

As I was saying, I'd like to spend the time given to me to make this statement to remember the victims and first responders of the terror attack on Bourke Street. I extend my heartfelt thanks to the first responders who were confronted by bloody scenes, to those who ran to help while most were trying to run away. It takes a special type of person to handle that sort of work—police, paramedics, nurses and doctors—who are able to keep a calm and steady disposition in the face of fear. I acknowledge the impact these scenes would have had on them, and I hope that they all have had the time to personally grieve and digest the things that they saw on 9 November.

Police identified the victims of the attack as a 24-year-old man from Hampton Park and 58-year-old Rod Patterson, who was with his wife, Maree, when he was caught up in the incident. Mr Patterson received a knife wound to the head while trying to assist and shield others from the attacker. Mr Patterson's actions have been hailed as heroic, and I, too, would like to extend to him my thanks for his bravery. But it is the tragic passing of Sisto Malaspina that makes this incident so devastating. Sisto owned and ran the iconic Melbourne cafe Pellegrini's, located in the heart of the CBD. As we heard at the funeral service, 'pellegrini' means 'pilgrims'. It was an honour to represent the Prime Minister, along with his wife, Jenny, at Sisto's funeral and to hear of the impact he had on the lives of so many people. It's my privilege to share with you a little of that today so that the Hansard has on record the incredible life of Sisto Malaspina.

Sisto was born in the Marche region of Italy. He was the youngest son, and his full name 'Sestilio' translates as No. 6. At Sisto's funeral, his son joked that his parents must have run out of names. David, whom I met after the funeral, gave a magnificent speech in honour of his father. Sisto, after arriving in Australia and marrying the love of his life, Vicki, bought Pellegrini's, which became an institution of Melbourne. He was the father of a son, David, and a daughter, Lisa. Sisto welcomed his first grandchild, Sofia, into the world just one week before he was taken from his family. I was lucky enough to see Sofia, and she is a beautiful baby. I'm sure she would have been better off growing up with her grandfather, but there will be many people who will tell her many stories of how good a man he was. It weighs heavy on my heart that Sofia has had her grandfather stolen from her before she had the chance to experience his love for her and his love for life itself.

Sisto's son, David, shared a moving eulogy, which paid tribute to his dad's work ethic and his amazing ability to make everyone feel special, and I think that has been evident in the outpouring of love we've seen at Pellegrini's. It was a request of the family that people wear bright colours to the funeral, and it was very special to see so many people wearing bright colours to pay their respects to the bright and charismatic personality of Sisto. My wife, Cheryle, pulled out my brightest yellow tie and made sure I wore it as a mark of respect for Sisto and the family. I've read many tributes that tell similar stories of Sisto sharing coffee with his customers whom he saw as friends and giving every person who knew him the gifts of time, a listening ear and a smile which could set the world right.

I didn't have the privilege of knowing Sisto personally, but, from the stories that I've heard about him, I wish I had. It's amazing how many people's lives he has touched. I'm sure we all know Bradley at the Virgin Lounge at Tullamarine. He worked for Sisto, and his sister worked for Sisto for four years. After I left the funeral, and Bradley told me about his experience with Sisto and how shattered his life was, I gave him a copy of the funeral documents from the day. He was moved because of his respect for, and knowledge of, Sisto and his family.

It is the Sistos of Melbourne who have made the city what it is today, particularly after the Second World War. It was the Sistos who created businesses, raised their families and worked hard after emigrating to Australia. They were honest, caring and kept an eye out for one another. Sisto came to Australia for the life that he was able to live here, and he lived it to the fullest every single day. And that's a reminder for all of us to do the same. He'll be missed but he'll be remembered.

I see the member for Melbourne Ports is about to speak. I saw him at the funeral as well, and I'm sure he'll agree with me that it was a fantastic and worthwhile send-off for a man of Sisto's character and community spirit, and I think the state funeral did him proud. Vale, Sisto, and condolences to his family.

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