Catryna Bilyk (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Earlier this week I presented a notice of motion to the Senate noting Holodomor. Today, I wish to acknowledge that last Saturday, 26 November, was the 89th anniversary of the enforced famine known as Holodomor. This famine took place in Ukraine between 1932 and 1933, and resulted from the deliberate actions of Joseph Stalin's communist government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Up to seven million Ukrainians were starved to death. In fact, the word 'holodomor' translates from Ukrainian as 'death by starvation' or 'murder by starvation'.

The cruel policies of the USSR at the time were aimed at suppressing Ukraine's resistance to the regime, as well as destroying their aspirations for democracy, nationhood and the assertion of their unique cultural and religious identity. The Soviet Union's denial of the famine continues today as an official policy of the Russian Federation. As I said, it's estimated that up to seven million Ukrainians starved to death as a result of these policies. These actions must be acknowledged, remembered and condemned, just as we condemn Russia's attacks on Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity since the country declared independence in 1991, culminating in the illegal annexation of Crimea and this year's completely unjustified invasion of Ukraine.

Russia's decision to pull out of a deal to allow the export of grain from Ukraine from Black Sea ports marks a continued use of food as a political weapon. In the same way that we commemorate the Holocaust, it's vital that the story of Holodomor is told and acknowledged by the global community, just as it is in Ukraine. We need to honour the memory of those who suffered and teach the true history of this event to future generations.