Julie Owens (Parramatta, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Small Business) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On 14 January, hundreds of Tamils in my electorate of Parramatta came together with family and friends to celebrate Thai Pongal, the Tamil harvest festival. I am pleased to inform the House that tonight, for the first time, the Tamil community will come together from all around Australia with members of this parliament to celebrate Thai Pongal in this, the people's house.

Pongal is the most auspicious festival for the farming community in the Tamil month of Thai. It is primarily celebrated to convey gratitude to the sun god for bestowing the farmers with energy for agriculture. Part of the celebration is the boiling of the first rice of the season, consecrated to the sun—the Surya mangalyam. This festival has its own special meaning and traditions, which are tied to abundance, peace and happiness.

As part of the Pongal festivities this year, I attended the Jaffna Hindu College Old Boys Association's Pongal festival in Civic Park, Pendle Hill, as well as the Community Migrant Resource Centre's Parramatta Pongal at Centenary Square. Both organisations play a crucial role in fostering and promoting Tamil language, arts and culture and providing much-needed support and assistance to recently arrived refugees. I take this opportunity to recognise and acknowledge the outstanding work both organisations undertake in my community.

My electorate of Parramatta is home to one of the largest Tamil communities in Australia. You only have to stroll down Pendle Way in Pendle Hill or Aurelia Street in Toongabbie to see and feel their presence in my electorate. The Tamil community has a fascinating chapter in our Australian story. They came as both skilled migrants from India itself and as a wave of Tamils, which first reached Australia in the early 1980s, fleeing conflict in their homeland of Sri Lanka. Their story is one of how they have utilised the opportunities provided by this great nation to make tangible progress in their lives, educate their children and contribute to the economic growth and prosperity of their adopted home.

Tamils are one of the most educated community groups in Australia. The majority of them have served our community as doctors, lawyers and engineers. The prominence and priority they give to their children's education is remarkable. Like many other communities, they maintain close ties and affection to their roots, language and culture. They say language is the bridge to one's culture. The Wentworthville Tamil Study Centre in my electorate hosts more than 650 students on the weekends and plays an important role in imparting the language and knowledge to the next generation.

Tonight, as I said, we will celebrate Thai Pongal here in this House. The Tamil Arts and Culture Association has worked incredibly hard to bring Tamils in from all around the country, including many from my electorate, and I encourage all my colleagues to attend. Celebrations such as these remind us of who we are. Vaalgha Tamil, Valarga Tamil!