Anthony Byrne (Holt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to support the motion of the member for McEwen, which marks and recognises the 550th anniversary of the birth of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism. His birth is celebrated worldwide as Guru Nanak Gurpurab on Kartik Pooranmashi, the full-moon day in the month of Katak, in October and November. In this place in particular, I wanted to extend my warmest wishes to the Sikh community in Australia and particularly in my area. I join them in celebrating the 550th birthday of the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak. The 550th anniversary should serve as a reminder to us all about the importance of the values that Guru Nanak espoused and promoted throughout his life, which include compassion, equality and humility.

Sikhism is the world's fifth-most observed religion. It is a faith that believes in equality and service to others. Sikhism emerged, obviously, 500 years ago in Punjab. It was founded by Guru Nanak, who was a non-practising Hindu who was against rituals and praying to idols. According to CNN, Guru Nanak taught a message of love and that all religions were good. If you were Hindu, he said, be a good Hindu. If you're a Muslim, be a good Muslim. If you're a Christian be a good Christian.

According to CNN there are 25 million Sikhs around the world, who hold services at temples and gurdwaras, where everyone is welcome. ABS census data from 2016 confirms that there are about 126,000 followers in Australia. Sikhism is now the fifth-largest religion in this country after Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism.

Victoria is home to Australia's largest Sikh community, with more than 52,000 Sikhs calling Victoria home. The Sikh community forms an important and growing section of our community, with the Sikh faith being one of the emerging religions in Australia. The growing Sikh community makes an important contribution to our multicultural nation through its commitment to Guru Nanak's teachings of selfless service and social justice. On this special occasion we are thankful to Sikh Victorians for their extraordinary contribution and service to our local community.

I want to take the time to congratulate the Andrews Labor government on establishing the Sikh Celebrations and Events Fund, which provided $200,000 in funding for 20 events through October and November this year, including a humanity walk in the Melbourne CBD, with over 20,000 in attendance. Also, to recognise the 550th anniversary, on 12 November the Andrews government illuminated buildings and landmarks around Melbourne in the colour of saffron, which is a very important colour. The locations at which it was done included the Bolte Bridge, Arts Centre Melbourne and the AAMI Stadium. Locally, in the City of Casey, Bunjil Place was lit up to celebrate this anniversary.

Also, an event was organised in October by Sikh Volunteers Australia, which was attended by hundreds of people, at which various community groups were awarded, in recognition of their service to and cooperation with multiculturalism and support for people in need. This seminar was called Share and Care.

In my electorate we have a large Sikh community and we have incredible groups, like Sikh Volunteers Australia Inc., which provides free food to community welfare events, assists in emergency and relief efforts, and provides services to local community organisations, local councils and non-profit events. We see them everywhere. Last year we were fortunate to award a government Stronger Communities grant in Holt to the Sikh volunteers to help purchase a volunteer bus. The aim is to purchase a 10- to 15-seater bus that will take people in the local community to events.

We also had an amazing event in my electorate—the 32nd Annual Australian Sikh Games at Casey Fields. Over 130,000 people attended the event over two days. We welcomed over 3,500 athletes, and they competed in over 14 different sports. It was over the Easter weekend. It showed, in conjunction with the athletic and sporting events, some of the culture. The cultural events and cultural stalls that surrounded it were quite amazing. In my time remaining I wish to thank the Sikhs for the contribution that they have made to Australia since coming to this country. I certainly wish them all the best and celebrate with them the birth of a remarkable individual—Guru Nanak.

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