Daniel Mulino (Fraser, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On Sunday I attended the 30th anniversary of the Polish Museum and Archives in Australia and heard a remarkable migration story about the Rats of Tobruk—not the legendary World War II Australian soldiers but the Polish Rats, the Polish Independent Carpathian Brigade, who reinforced the Allied garrison to hold the Libyan port of Tobruk. For eight months in 1941 the garrison withstood daily bombings, searing heat and bitterly cold nights.

After the war, the soldiers were transported to Britain. While Churchill had assured the troops they'd be welcome, a campaign soon turned public sentiment, and soldiers were told that they would not be able to remain on UK soil. Thus started Polish migration to Australia, despite the longstanding preference for British migrants. Following furious lobbying of Arthur Calwell by Australian Rats of Tobruk Association and others, 1,500 Polish soldiers were accepted. As one digger stated, 'These men are not Poles; these men are our brothers.' This migrant scheme of 1947 to 1948, the first coordinated intake of non-British migrants, was also a catalyst for the Nationality and Citizenship Act 1948. But it wasn't a free ride. The soldiers had to work for two years on hydroelectric projects in Tasmania—projects that, like the Polish community, continue to this day to benefit the Australian community.

Mr Speaker, my electorate has a number of thriving social enterprises. Just around the corner from my electorate office is SalamaTea, a cafe serving Persian food. Its founder, Hamed Allahyari, who has called Melbourne home since migrating to Australia from Iran in 2012, went above and beyond to feed people during COVID. Hamed's first paid employment was running cooking classes with the social enterprise Free to Feed. His experience inspired him to open a similar social enterprise to provide opportunities to refugees, asylum seekers and migrants who faced the same problems that he did when he arrived in this country.

Another thriving social enterprise is Green Collect, which was co-founded 15 years ago by Sally Quinn. It keeps office items out of landfill by reusing, repurposing and dismantling the items. It is a remarkable example of what can be achieved in a true circular economy. Sally, a social worker, knew that a job with meaning was the key to rebuilding lives for those experiencing difficulties, whether they were refugees, people experiencing homelessness or survivors of family violence. With a female-dominated workforce, not only is Green Collect transforming the waste sector and transforming lives; it is also transforming the workplace.

The organisation 100 Story Building has another amazing story to tell. They use the arts, creativity and imagination to build critical literacy skills, confidence and a sense of belonging. Its work focuses on young people, aged five to 18, from the most disadvantaged communities economically, culturally and socially. Many migrant and refugee families take advantage of this remarkable social enterprise. They have worked with more than 45,000 young people and 2,000 teachers since 2013.

These social enterprises in my electorate are replicated right across the state of Victoria and nationally. They are organisations with a purpose. They produce employment for people from a disadvantaged background and they undertake their activities with many other important social objectives in mind, such as protecting the environment. The social enterprise sector has grown dramatically in Australia over recent decades, and it is important that government play its role in helping the sector to grow further. This could include accreditation and, where appropriate, social procurement. I look forward to working with the social enterprises in my electorate and more broadly.

House adjourned at 17:00