Ed Husic (Chifley, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Industry and Science) Share this | Hansard source

Faraz Tahir came to this country as a refugee and died as an Australian hero. He was just 30. His new life in this country was cut tragically short by a knife-wielding person in Bondi Junction. The other five victims of the attack at Westfield, Jade Young, Ashlee Good, Yixuan Cheng, Pikria Darchia and Dawn Singleton, were shopping, that most Australian of activities, on a weekend.

Faraz had just clocked on, actually, for his first shift as a security guard. As his brother Mudasar told us at Faraz's funeral, helping others was core to his nature. When Faraz and his fellow security guard Muhammad Taha heard the shouting and screaming as the attack on shoppers unfolded, it was Faraz who said, 'Let's find out what's going on.' Those were his final words, running to danger to protect strangers who needed his help. Both guards were stabbed—the only male victims—and Faraz was the one, unfortunately, who lost his life. Two weeks later, Muhammad Taha is still recovering from his wounds. He attended the funeral in a wheelchair. They'd met for the first time on the day of the stabbing and worked together to usher panicked shoppers to safety.

Faraz would have turned 31 the day before his funeral, the same day his family arrived in Australia to view his body. At his remembrance, which I attended with the Prime Minister, the New South Wales Premier and many others who came out in force to remember Faraz, people spoke of the pride they had in his actions. He had deep gratitude for a country that made him feel welcome and allowed him to dream of a good life head. This was the life he gave up so that others may live.

I'm proud to say my community in Chifley was part of this Australian hero's journey. He lived in the suburb of Plumpton. He attended the Masjid Baitul Huda mosque in Marsden Park, which is also where his funeral, the janazah, was held. He was an active and much loved member of Western Sydney's Ahmadiyya Muslim community. Quick to make friends, he was also known for his unwavering kindness and was an active contributor to the community's charitable endeavours.

Faraz was the best of us, and, in a fitting tribute, the Ahmadiyya community organised a blood drive in partnership with the Red Cross to commemorate his life and the lives of the other five Bondi Junction victims—giving to the community in death as he did in life, offering kindness and a helping hand to the country that made him feel safe and free. He and the other victims didn't deserve to die that day. They all deserved to live out their dreams, raise families and be part of their communities. May they all rest in peace.

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