Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

At the annual Maltese community Australia Day event this year, which is always a great event, there was a significant announcement. Lawrence Dimech, one of the great leaders of the Maltese Australian community, announced he was retiring from all positions in the community. Lawrence is in his 80s and has done his bit for our country and for the Maltese Australian community. I want to pay tribute in parliament to his service.

Lawrence migrated to Australia in 1954. He founded the Maltese Herald, a newspaper very familiar to many honourable members. He also served as editor of the Malta News and was an immigration attache and consul for Malta in the years from 1971 to 1977. He was then appointed by the then federal government as the director of the Community Migrant Resource Centre Parramatta and served between 1977 and 1985. Afterwards, he was an executive officer at the Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs from 1985 to 1992.

Lawrence founded the Parramatta Melita Eagles Football Club and served as both secretary and president. This is particularly relevant because the Parramatta Melita Eagles Football Club has been through a period of dormancy and it's coming back; it's being reinvigorated. I'm a very strong supporter of the Parramatta Melita Eagles Football Club. I'm very pleased to be supporting its refounding, and I know Lawrence will be very proud and pleased with that. I'm sure they're going to play a very big role in football in Australia.

Lawrence has been the secretary of Maltese Welfare Inc. and president of the Maltese Community Council of New South Wales. He was a recipient of the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2003 for his service to the Maltese community in New South Wales, and in 2014 he was awarded the National Order of Merit of Malta on the recommendation of the then Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, an award which is generally not given to anybody outside of Malta. An exception was made in Lawrence's case, and it was awarded to an Australian citizen.

Lawrence has been a very good friend of mine over many years—my entire time in parliament—as has his wife, Marlene, who is a constant support for him and a leader of the Maltese community herself. I want to pay tribute to Lawrence and Marlene today on the very significant announcement of Lawrence's retirement from all community activities. He made it clear that he thought it was time for the next generation to be given their opportunity. I know that the entire Maltese Australian community joins me in wishing Lawrence the best. As I often say about the Maltese community, I love them so much that I married one. My family; my wife, Rebecca Mifsud; and I wish Lawrence and Marlene all the very best.