Anne Stanley (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We all live in a community of one sort or another, but our communities are far more complex than a collection of homes and streets. The real essence of a community consists of the areas of common interest, of which the physical location where we actually live is probably the least important.

The great American novelist and author of Moby Dick, Herman Melville noted the following:

We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibres connect us with our fellow men.

So true, because there are indeed thousands of fibres that connect us all and help constitute a modern community.

One very strong connective fibre in the area of common interest that brings people together in the electorate of Werriwa is faith. Faith in my electorate is expressed in many and varied ways. For the Mandaean community it's expressed around water and baptism in the Georges River. For our Islamic community, events such as Ramadan and Eid are particularly significant, as the many mosques in my electorate fill with prayers. In this respect I was most pleased to attend the Ramadan Eid Bazaar at the Whitlam Centre in April and iftars held by Al Amanah College. For the Syriac community, the recent blessing of the foundation stone for a new parish and pastoral centre in Kemps Creek. In relation to my Buddhist community, I'm always delighted to attend the Lunar New Year blessing and the upcoming Moon Festival. At Diwali my Hindu community lights the streets to the joy of everyone, and we are now looking forward to the upcoming celebration or Lord Ganeshotsav. And of course, we have Christmas and Easter, which are celebrated by the Christians in my electorate.

These observations are by no means exhaustive, but they are a snapshot of the diversity of our community. Our community is cohesive, and it's important to emphasise there is real acceptance and acknowledgement that all faiths have a place and need to be respected.

If religion is one fibre that connects the electorate and makes the wonderful community what it is, what are the others? Schools and education rank highly. An event I attended this year was the 40th anniversary celebration of the William Carey Christian School. Other have included International Women's Day at Hoxton Park High School and my visit to Unity Grammar to celebrate their new STEM building.

Any visit to the sidelines of a sporting fixture or a match on a Saturday or Sunday will show another place where communities are formed. From my days of refereeing junior rugby league, I've known the unique place that sport, and particularly junior sport, plays in forming communities and building resilience. Be it helping on the day doing line-marking, serving in the canteen or simply cheering from the sidelines, sport is uniquely placed in my electorate to help grow a sense of belonging and cohesion.

It was wonderful to be at Liverpool Olympic and see them host a tournament under the banner of the Snaparoos for players of all ages and disabilities. The event was supported by the Southern Districts Football Association, and I was privileged to catch up with Catherine Cannuli, Andy Favaloro and the CEO of the Marconi Club.

On top of these fibres of faith, education and sport, there are also layers of general community and cultural events that foster a sense of belonging and social cohesion in our electorate. The list of events I've attended in recent months is too long for me to go into in detail but I will make mention of the Serbian Folkloric Festival, Pakistan Mango and Cultural Festival and the 53rd Annual Mass and Communion Luncheon for the Liverpool Catholic Club. Each of these events are examples of the fibre that Herman Melville referred to.

There is one final event that I would like to mention tonight and that is particularly important for social cohesion in my community, which is National Sorry Day. In May, I attended Liverpool Council's Sorry Day commemoration. It is a time to reflect on the injustices endured by our Aboriginal Australians, to say sorry and to commit ourselves to doing better. The need for Sorry Day is more important than ever. Complete social cohesion will only be achieved when real reconciliation takes place.

My electorate is not immune to pressures, but the threads that unite it—faith, education, sport and cultural diversity—do so in a manner that make for a wonderful community and I am so proud to be their representative in this place.