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

I rise on behalf of the many Sudanese in my electorate to congratulate the government of Sudan, and particularly the people of southern Sudan, on the recent referendum. The results are now in and have been officially announced. There has been an overwhelming majority of people in the south of Sudan who voted in favour of independence—90-plus per cent.

After decades of conflict in Sudan this is a great step forward. I will not dwell on the horror that has gone on in years past. The silver lining of that horrible war is that my electorate is all the richer because of the many Sudanese constituents who have come there. They go to local schools and pay taxes and they contribute to my community and make it all the richer, especially in the suburb where I live. In Moorooka we have a Little Africa, a strip of restaurants and African businesses, particularly Sudanese.

I am talking about people like John Deng, who I gave an award to at the beginning of last year. With his wife and six-month-old daughter he came as a refugee and now John is a great advocate for the Sudanese community. He is actually organising a charity to raise money for prosthetic limbs for people who have been maimed by the civil war.

At the Moorooka Bowls Club on the weekend I worked with the organising committee to work towards that date of 9 July, when we will have a brand new country. After decades of conflict I look forward to celebrating that with my Sudanese community. (Time expired)