Peter Slipper (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Poland is one of those countries which, over the years, has been an enigma to many of us. On the one hand, it is a country which was for many years firmly under the control of the Soviet bloc. On the other hand, it is a country which has an incredible history of independence, culture, development, innovation and democracy. I think it is appropriate in the Australian parliament, particularly given the fact that we have so many Australians of Polish origin living in our country, for us to pause for a moment on this 20th anniversary and give thanks to God, to Solidarity and to the collective democratic will of the Polish people for their capacity to throw off the yoke of communism and adopt a democratic system which for us in Australia is something which comes as second nature.

We often take democracy for granted in this country, and yet in many parts of the world it is an aspiration which, in many cases, has been extraordinarily difficult to implement. I think that the late Pope John Paul II, as a Polish pope, was a role model and he assisted, along with the Solidarity forces, in bringing about democracy in Poland.

Poland is a wonderful country. It has the capacity to make an incredible contribution to making the world an even better place. The fact that the people of Poland now have the democratic rights that we take for granted is something that we all ought to give thanks for, but the whole world benefits from the fact that we do now have a democratic Poland, able to take its place as an equal partner in the world community. In Australia, we have a Polish embassy that is highly respected and interacts well with the Polish community and the Australian community at large. Polish Australians have told me that during the dark days of communism, the embassy of the so-called People’s Republic of Poland was seen as a place of repression. It was seen as a place that spied on Australians of Polish origin. Under successive ambassadors in Australia, the Embassy of the Republic of Poland has interacted with the Polish community but, more importantly, has interacted with ordinary Australians who are very keen to foster the wonderful relationship that now exists between the Republic of Poland and Australia.

Australia is often referred to as ‘the lucky country’, and we are in many respects. We might differ in our politics but then, of course, we will have a cup of coffee or a drink or something like that and politics tends to be a contest of ideas. We all accept that every three years we have an election and the people of Australia or the state, as the case may be, determine the government that they are going to have. In Poland, for approximately half a century, the people did not have that right. They had more religious freedom than some other parts of Europe but less than we have. I believe it is appropriate on this 20th anniversary that we salute the government and the people of Poland and we ought to wish them well for the future. (Time expired)

Chris Hayes (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to start by thanking the member for Fisher for bringing forward this motion. Having been adversely affected by two world wars and fighting and struggling for the last 60 years, it is good to see Poland developing as a country in the way it is at the moment. Poland suffered for 40 years under a communist regime and prior to that it was, as we all know, invaded by Nazi Germany during the Second World War. It is important to note the spirit of the Polish people. The Polish people in about 1980 brought about the formation of the independent trade union Solidarity, which became the pinnacle body in establishing democracy in Poland. Lech Wałesa, the leader of Solidarity, went on to become the first elected President of Poland. They are the things that we should be celebrating today. This reform was not something that just happened by chance; it was designed by the Polish people themselves. This reform movement that ended communism in the Eastern Europe started in Poland.

Since the end of communism Polish democracy has developed rapidly, despite some various difficulties. In 1991, as part of its involvement with the European Union, Poland was one of the first to sign its agreement with Hungary, making a significant change from a communist state involved in a determined economy to an open, free market economy—and that has continued. Thanks to those pioneers, since 2001, 85 per cent of the Polish trade is on a bilateral basis. In 1999 we saw Poland make attempts in terms of its involvement with the Western Europe allies in becoming a valued, strategic partner of NATO. In 2003 the Polish people supported the US-led military intervention in Iraq and became one of the largest European state unions by 2004.

Unfortunately, the Polish people feel that a lot of their more recent history has gone unnoticed. That is why in 2009 they embarked on having a national celebration of the Polish 20-year anniversary since their first postwar elected government. At the celebration Lech Walesa said:

We managed to end an era of divisions, mistakes and confrontation. No other generation had a chance to try to achieve that.

I think that was very pertinent. The first Polish Prime Minister, Mr Mazowiecki, said:

Twenty years ago, what seemed impossible became possible.

These are not things in our distant past; they are things in our very, very recent past—and these are things that we should be celebrating. I think it is appropriate at this particular point in time that we remember the struggles that the Polish people endured to deliver a free and open society—a society which is now one of Europe’s leading economies.

The date 4 June 1989 marked a decisive victory for democracy in Poland and, ultimately, across eastern Europe. Regrettably, 4 June 1989 also marked the terrible atrocities and sacrifice of Tiananmen Square, when China crushed the peaceful pro-democracy protest. We have a duty to bring the joy of freedom and democracy to others and this means supporting the courageous efforts of individuals, notably Aung San Suu Kyi and her battles as Burmese opposition leader. I also think this anniversary of the Polish liberalisation is an opportunity to send a sign of solidarity to nations struggling for freedom, including North Korea, Cuba, Iran and Burma.

Luke Simpkins (Cowan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this motion that notes the 20^th anniversary of postwar free elections in Poland and the part played by Poland in the collapse of communism in eastern Europe.

There are more than 164,000 people living in Australia of Polish descent and almost half of them were born in Poland. Reflecting the existing and developing relationship between Australia and Poland, apart from the embassy in Canberra, consulates or honorary consuls are maintained in New South Wales, Queensland, the Northern Territory, South Australia and Victoria.

Indicative of the heritage of the strong Polish community in Australia, on 6 June this year the 41^st convention of the Polish Community Council of Australia and New Zealand took place. Committed to the promotion of Polish-Australian matters and interests, the convention decided to create a team with representatives across the country whose task will be to respond appropriately to any anti-Polish activities.

With regard to the motion before us, it would be absolutely correct to say that Poland has always played a significant part in European history. As this motion properly states, Poland, in many ways, led the way out from underneath the communist shadow that had enshrouded eastern Europe following World War II. The communism brought to bear by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics had proven to be a spectacular economic failure and the eastern bloc of nations could easily see the significant difference between standards of living in countries across Europe.

It was in 1980 when dissatisfaction with pay and other conditions under the communist regime resulted in the independent union, Solidarity, being established. Solidarity’s origins were in a strike at the Lenin shipyard in Gdansk, with Lech Walesa becoming its leader. The strike led to more strikes in Gdansk and then to strikes across Poland. The communist government agreed to legal organisations and Solidarity began.

In 1981, however, martial law was declared on 13 December. On the same day, Walesa was arrested. After being jailed for 11 months, he returned to the Gdansk shipyards as an electrician in 1983, the same year he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. From 1987 to 1990, he again led Solidarity, which assumed the position of the opposition. The opposition provided by Solidarity to the communist regime allowed the people of Poland a focus on the pursuit of democratic reform. Another occupational strike in Gdansk led to the government agreeing to the legalisation of Solidarity and the free election of 36 per cent of seats in the Sejm, the Polish parliament.

In 1989, Solidarity won all of the 36 per cent of free election seats available in the parliament and all but one seat in the newly created Senate. After that victory, Walesa was able to create a non-communist government by persuading the allies of the Communist Party to desert to his opposition group. Under Prime Minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki, these conditions then allowed the reformist government to pursue a market based economy. In 1990, Lech Walesa became President.

It is widely considered that, as a result of those changes, the Polish economy is one of the best in the old eastern European bloc of nations. The advantage ex-socialist states have is that they have the capacity to privatise a significant number of enterprises. Even now, I understand that the government is in the middle of floating a number of publicly owned businesses and the Polish stock exchange has been thriving, although the world financial challenges have damaged the Polish economy.

Nevertheless, admission of Poland to NATO in 1999 and, in 2004, to full membership of the European Union, clearly represents the progress that has been made. There is no doubt that the democratic spirit is strong in Poland. The events of history had caused it to be interrupted in the last century, but it is nevertheless a tradition of Poland. As fearsome as the USSR and its satellite communist governments were, the actions of the Polish people have shown courage and fortitude. They adopted a position of leadership and clearly they were the first of the eastern bloc nations to realise the democratic dream in the contemporary period.

I will conclude by speaking briefly of the Polish community in the north and north-east suburbs of Perth. I recently attended a function at the Cracovia Club in Beechboro. It is clear that, although there are not very large groups of Poles in Perth, the culture and the sporting traditions of Poland are strong. The Poles who live in my electorate have embraced Australia, but they retain their feelings for their mother country and a strong cultural heritage. The Polish people have done well in Australia, and I am confident that they will continue to make a strong contribution into the future.

Sharon Grierson (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I stand to also support the motion by the member for Fisher that the House recognise the 25th anniversary, on 4 June 2009, of the first postwar free elections in Poland, which marked the end of Communist rule in that country. As has been noted in the debate, those precipitated the overthrow of all the Communist regimes in central and eastern Europe, finally leading to the tearing down of the Berlin Wall, the dissolution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the progression of Poland to the modern, vibrant country it is today. Indeed, before the impact of the global financial crisis, Poland had one of the fastest growing economies in central Europe, with an annual growth rate of over six per cent. I suppose that there, as in many countries, they have suspended that sort of growth, but that will return.

The marking of this anniversary will be of great significance, though, to those of Polish heritage living in Australia. In the 2006 census, one per cent of the population of Australia claimed Polish ancestry and, of those persons who were born in Poland—and the majority were—most arrived pre-1991. It is obviously a good sign for Poland that fewer people are immigrating to Australia now.

Newcastle has a proud Polish community, with just over one per cent of the population of Newcastle being of Polish ancestry. The strong and thriving Polish community in Newcastle is just one of our many ethnic communities. Having always been a city that prides itself on its multicultural background, it is of particular importance to note that next week the Ethnic Communities Council of Newcastle and the Hunter Region will hold the official opening of its new premises of the Diversity Learning Centre. This centre will play an integral role for the multicultural community of Newcastle, providing a unique location for the extensive work of the ethnic communities council, as well as providing an invaluable community asset which will serve as a focal point of current and future community initiatives. As the executive officer of the ethnic communities council, John Gebhardt OAM, recounted to me, ‘This event is of great significance because it is a milestone in the evolution of an active and vibrant multicultural community which has been part of Newcastle and the Hunter’s history.’

I must also compliment Mr Gebhardt: he is of Polish descent and a great dancer—I have seen him in action—but he has also talked to me on many occasions of his time as an early immigrant in Australia in the Greta Migrant Camp, quite a huge postwar camp. Those experiences tested those communities, and strengthened them, in many ways. It is always lovely to share in their recollections; some of them are very tough and others are joyful. So I do thank John Gebhardt for all the help he has given to me as the federal member.

Immigration has been a significant element in the social, cultural and economic growth of the area of Newcastle and it continues to make a major contribution to our region. The Diversity Learning Centre further represents the productive partnership between state and federal government and volunteers for not-for-profit community organisations like the ethnic communities council. What began as a modest, meagre shell of an old bowling club has now been transformed into a facility that houses the functional offices of the organisation, driving valuable and essential community projects, one of only a few such facilities in the state of New South Wales.

This has come about through an investment of hundreds of hours of volunteer service from a band of dedicated and motivated individuals, and has resulted in a new home for multicultural communities in Newcastle. Along with the then Minister for Employment Participation and now Minister for Home Affairs, the Hon. Brendan O’Connor, I visited the centre to see the results of this hard work from the individuals involved, ably assisted by a federal government Work for the Dole scheme. I must say I was impressed with the good old-fashioned elbow grease that had gone into fixing up the place—obviously, elbow grease and a lot of commitment.

The graduation ceremony for those Work for the Dole participants, many of whom who had stayed on to continue their work, allowed me and the minister to see how the development of the centre was progressing, helped of course by $85,432 provided by the Rudd Labor government towards that project. I am sure the finished project will be even more impressive when it is opened next Monday. Let us hope that the centre will be a heart of the community for all ethnic groups in Newcastle. I wish the Ethnic Communities Council of Newcastle all the best for the future, recognising the important part it plays. But I also wish the Polish community great joy in the continuing success of Poland under democratic government.

Arch Bevis (Brisbane, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.