Damian Drum (Nicholls, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

Like all other communities, the seat of Nicholls has a very strong and vibrant Sikh community. Some 40-odd years ago the first families came to Shepparton. They were able to locate themselves in predominantly a fruit-growing area where they were able to achieve the employment that they wanted. Certainly they have over the years really established themselves with their tremendous work ethic. They worked as casual orchardists on the farms and worked in the pack houses and the cool stores. For a couple of generations now they've owned their own farms. Certainly it is an amazing success story. So many Sikh families live in Shepparton.

The Shepparton experience started with only 15 families. When there was fundraising for the Sikh temple in Shepparton, people did whatever they could to achieve the outcome that they wanted. They borrowed money and got grant money. They borrowed from other Sikh communities around Australia. They worked their way through so that they ended up with the result that they did. What we currently see is certainly an amazing result.

I was at the Sikh temple last Wednesday to catch up with Dhami Singh, among others. Dhami was kind enough to invite me there for the 550th anniversary of the birth of Guru Nanak. It was a great opportunity. I met many of the women who were preparing food for the evening. I sat around and talked to them. I tried the special drinks, breads and curries that they have. It was a tremendous way to welcome somebody into their community. It was also an opportunity to spend some time quietly talking with some of the elders in relation to the challenges that they have in accommodation. Without a lot of backing they look after people who turn up on their doorstep. Also they look after their community back home. Many of the Sikh community in Shepparton have ageing parents who they are very concerned about. They look after them as well.

I think the Prime Minister has been very well regarded. He wrote a letter to the Sikh community commemorating the birth of Guru Nanak. He stated that this is a moment of deep significance for those of the Sikh faith and for all inspired by his teachings of honesty, equality and goodwill. The Prime Minister went on to say that Sikhism is one of the fastest-growing religions in Australia, with over 125,000 adherents.

It is the values of the Sikhs and their faith that we have all spoken about here today that align so much with mainstream Australia. We see the major values of equality, honesty, respect and the belief that anyone can achieve anything and that your status at birth should not define you nor restrict you in what you wish to achieve throughout your life. I've often said in this House that Shepparton is a great example of multiculturalism. It's fair to suggest that the Sikh community, which now numbers over a thousand, is a great example for all within that multicultural community.

As I mentioned earlier, the Goulburn Valley Punjabi started to arrive around 40 years ago in the early eighties. Whilst they were first attracted to the orchards and the casual work that the horticultural industry was able to offer, many of them have since moved into professional fields as well as into transport operations. You can now see the Sikh community spreading its web not just throughout manual labour but also into the more professional outcomes that they are able to achieve as well.

We also find that the temple, which was originally built with the hard work of only 15 families or so, now has over 300 to 350 families that currently and consistently use the temple there on a Wednesday evening and a Sunday as well. It's a six-hour ceremony on a Sunday. Certainly they have come an enormously long way since that land was purchased way back in 2001. They have had a range of priests going through. The priest I met the other night there is relatively new and is certainly making a big impact on the community.

It really is an honour to work with this group and to be their local member. This is a very significant celebration for the Sikhs. I want to wish them all the best and hope that this respect, this honesty and this equality that they push forward can maintain their faith into the future.

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