Andrew Giles (Scullin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today marks five years since the commencement of the conflict in Syria. So it is appropriate that this day, though a very sad day, should be acknowledged in this place. Today—and, indeed, every day—we should be thinking about the millions of people affected by this conflict and thinking also about what we can do. So this morning I was very pleased to join the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the Assistant Minister for Multicultural Affairs and member for Reid, the Leader of the Greens, and many parliamentary colleagues in an event to mark what has happened and what continues to happen in Syria and—amidst some hopeful news today—to recognise the scale of the challenge. Indeed, this event, which brought together the faces behind five years of crisis, spoke eloquently to the challenge that is before the world.

The images bear far more eloquent testimony than any words can of the human consequences of this extraordinary struggle. Statistics cannot bear testimony to it either, but the statistics bear repeating. Nearly half a million people have been killed; half of Syria's population—more than 11 million people—have been displaced and nearly five million are refugees. Today, we should think about the generosity of the Australian people in responding to this challenge and think about what more we as a nation can do to restore peace and restore human rights in that part of the world. In doing so, we must acknowledge the leadership of our civil society and call on this government to echo that leadership with real action.