Harry Jenkins (Scullin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Deputy Speaker Scott, I would like to wish you and all those in the chamber a happy new year. You might ask: why is he saying, 'Happy New Year'? Today is the new year under the Nanakshahi Sikh calendar. For the 30,000 or so Sikhs in Australia this is a very special day—Chet 1 under their calendar. It is the start of the Nanakshahi year 544. The calendar begins with the birth of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism, who was born back in the Common Era calendar of 1469.

Sikhs in Australia have made a wonderful contribution because of the way in which they have sought—beyond tolerance—acceptance of diverse views. That is all they ask. They see that it is very important that we accept those who have different views to achieve harmony. They are a community that first had people come to Australia in the late 1800s and they did not meet with any tolerance or any acceptance. They are an indicator of the way in which Australia has embraced people of diverse backgrounds. To all the Sikhs in Australia, I wish them: Happy New Year. I hope that it is a peaceful new year and that they have every success in their lives in Australia.