Paul Scarr (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Multicultural Engagement) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I take the opportunity to associate myself with Senator Paterson's remarks and mix in my thanks to Director-General Burgess and his team for the wonderful job they do.

On 9 March 2024 I attended an International Women's Day event with Queensland's wonderful Congolese community. At the event, the women of the Queensland Congolese community read a letter they had jointly written. It was a cry from the heart. As a sign of deep respect for each and every one of those women, I now read this letter:

As Congolese women, we are sincerely grateful for the amazing Queensland and Australian government, the First Nations People and all the beautiful hearts of Australians for welcoming us to this lovely Nation, also known to us as the "country of milk and honey." A peaceful country, full of justice and wonderful opportunities. We also are deeply grateful for the protection for us and our families from sorrows that might have accompanied us in our country of origin. The education opportunities given to us all and our children in Australia, your generosity is not only acknowledged but also appreciated.

When it comes to the international day celebration with and for Australian women, Congolese women living in Australia are witnessing the progress, success, growth, transformation, and sense of harmony within the country's communities.

Seeing another woman educated, attaining their maximum potential and obtaining the life she wants. To live in peace and with dignity, for a Congolese lady, it was like living in a dream, as she spent many years in refugee camps where such opportunities were not available. However, she thought, "Now that I'm here, I can run and catch up."

Since today is International Women's Day, the women from the Democratic Republic of the Congo living in Australia are making a real effort to fit in and become inspired to be part of the "progress." But she wonders how this aim would be achieved. She thinks investing in her would be like pouring juice into a dirty glass; which makes no sense to her. Why? Because terrible news keep coming her way. Today her siblings were killed. Next day her parents were buried alive, following day her aunty was sexually abused in the sight of her children.

The eyes of a Congolese woman have become water taps that run tears on a daily basis. The stories of her loved ones being cut in the neck with knives and machetes; the scenarios of her relatives being forced to have sexual relationship with siblings or other family members in sight of their children or even in the public. Due to all the crimes and atrocities happening in the Congo, the Congolese women have lost the appetite for the milk and honey that they found in Australia.

Research shows that consistent traumas can affect the survivor's brain performance, decision making, creativity and so forth. War traumas have frozen the Congolese woman's mind, doors of creativity have been shut, her aspirations and dreams locked up in the cage of her brain. How is it possible to invest in my traumatised brain? A Congolese woman asks, but no one is answering.

As she advances, to accelerate for progress, the Congolese woman feels alone because no one is there to help her deal with the horror experiences. Her rights are being abused and she keeps asking; Am I really part of the community of women in the world? Does the world really want to invest in me for my progress? But all she hears is silence, silence, silence.

No one is answering, but what she can hear is the sound of gunshots and bomb explosions.

The world is silent even though over 10 million people have lost their lives and about 40,000 rape cases have occurred in the Congo. This intensifies a sense of being isolated and alone within the global society on the political, social and economic fronts. The economic and mineral war in the Congo has displaced millions of people, leading to Congolese women not getting a sense of today's international women's day being meaningful to them. The land of the Congo is on the verge of being cut into pieces, and the women of the Congo has her hands on her head in distress, not able to find a safe place for her children.

…   …   …

Like any other women who stood up years ago in Australia and all around the world advocating for women's rights, us women from the Congo, we are deeply grateful for this opportunity to raise our voices here during this International Women's Day. We would like to call up on the Australian Government, Leaders men and women and the whole of the Australian community to stand with us fighting for peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo and also the rest of the World. Congolese women living in Australia are humbly requesting the Government of … Australia to say something regarding the crimes and atrocities executed by the rebel soldiers, and other international organisations involved in these events of war.

We are also placing our request for humanitarian visas to be offered to our beloved found in the refugee camps and elsewhere.

Without leaving behind our beloved that are displaced in the Congo; we call … for any material aids from the—

Australian—

government and non-government organisations that—

could be sent to—

our beloved Congolese women and children who left their villages for safety reasons.

We believe that the goal of the global international women celebration is to build women up. To provide equality between men and women, and ensuring that even amongst the different women around the world, they're all to be treated equally. I hope that we would all get along and that no one should be alone. I hope that exploitation comes to an end and that we can live by exhortation and not in constant exhaustion.

To Say something is a choice, to keep quiet is also a choice.

To live by example is a choice as well as not to live by it, is a choice.

To Make Peace in the World is a choice for World members, and deciding not to is also a choice.

… LET'S LIVE BY EXAMPLE AND SUPPORT EVERY WOMAN ON THE PLANET. LET'S LEAVE NO ONE BEHIND. LET'S MAKE OUR WORLD A BETTER PLACE.

FORTUNES CAN STILL BE MADE EVEN WITHOUT GUNS, VIOLENCE AND ABUSE!

That was a letter which was read by Queensland women of Congolese heritage, part of our wonderful Queensland Congolese diaspora, in Queensland on 9 March 2024. I want to pay tribute to each and every one of those women for what they do for their families, for what they do for the community. I understand that many of them, nearly all of them, are still supporting family members back in Africa, whether in the Democratic Republic of the Congo or in refugee camps—wonderful, wonderful women. This is the cry from their collective heart. I made a pledge that I would read it here in the Senate, and I think every senator here today needs to listen to those words and to reflect on whether or not Australia can do more to assist our Congolese community and to be a beacon for hope and for peace and try and bring an end to that awful, dreadful conflict in the Congo.