Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Tonight I am pleased to update the House about the vibrant Indian community living in and around my electorate. I was honoured to join the celebrations with this community at their annual Indian bazaar last weekend. The three-day festival was held at the Mount Gravatt Showgrounds in the electorate of Kerry Rea, the member for Bonner, and it was a true celebration of Indian culture. It was a showcase of Indian food, fashion, art and entertainment, including guest artists from Fiji and India, along with local Brisbane band The Sounds of Bollywood.

The festival attracted more than 12,000 people and was a great way for people from all walks of life to experience a taste of India and the Indian diaspora. This year the organisers of the bazaar, the Indian Cultural Association of Queensland, elected to bring forward the bazaar from its regular September spot on the calendar to last weekend so as not to clash with the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. This recognises the large number of people in the Indian community who are of the Muslim faith and it is also a sign of the great spirit of cooperation and understanding between the various cultural groups in Brisbane.

On that note, I want to recognise Deepak Kumar, Pamesh Chan and Neel Kashyap, the organisers and the executive of the Indian Cultural Association of Queensland. Their association does great work throughout Brisbane to promote cultural and religious harmony and to build links between Indian and other cultural groups. This is what makes the fabric of a healthy community. Last weekend I was also able to meet on the Sunday with the Indian Senior Citizens Association. This volunteer group provides support and friendship for Indian seniors in Brisbane and also helps to protect and support Indian cultural heritage.

Australia is home to more than 150,000 people born in India. On the latest census data this is an increase of 50 per cent over the last five years. Eleven thousand of the Indian community live in Queensland. Indian-born people make a great contribution to our country. They are professional, highly skilled people helping to alleviate the skills crisis in Australia. The majority of recent Indian migrants to my community, it seems, are doctors, teachers, computer programmers or engineers. They come to Australia from many parts of the world, not just India but Fiji, Africa—especially southern Africa and Zimbabwe—New Zealand, the USA, the United Kingdom and a couple of other European countries.

India is becoming one of the world’s great superpowers and is the biggest democracy in the world. The country has one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. Through increased trade links Australia has developed much closer ties with India in recent years. Way back in 1991 India was Australia’s 24th largest trading partner. To me, 1991 does not seem that long ago. Fast forward to today and India is the fourth largest market for the export of Australian goods.

Finally, I want to convey my concern for all of those in India affected by the devastating floods in Bihar state. I know many in Australia would have family and friends directly affected by this tragedy. Our thoughts are with you at this most difficult of times. More than 100 people have been killed and more than three million people have been displaced from their homes as a result of the floods. Now those who endured the floods face the outbreak of disease in crowded makeshift camps. The Indian government has responded quickly to re-route emergency supplies, tents, army units, aircraft, boats and divers to help with the relief effort. While the Indian government is not seeking any international aid at this time, the Australian government and many of our NGOs remain ready, willing and able to assist if required.

While I am not of Indian descent, I can say that my son is of Indian descent because his great-grandparents came out to Australia from India in World War I, so I feel a particularly close affinity with the Indian community. I was able to take my son along to one of the events and felt proud to be involved with a community that comes from the world’s biggest democracy. Many of the Indian community in my electorate come from Fiji and, unfortunately, they more than anyone else know how fragile democracy is. So it is great to see that a great country like India can maintain its democracy despite the many cultural and religious differences. Once again, I want to put on the record my thanks to the Indian community in my electorate in Brisbane and my appreciation for their contribution to cultural and racial harmony in Queensland. (Time expired)

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! It being 8.00 pm, the debate is interrupted.