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

I'm sure, Senator, your mother would be so extremely proud of everything you've achieved. She must have been a remarkable woman.

I was so pleased last Saturday night to attend a wonderful event. It was a fundraising dinner hosted by my friends, the Friends of Ludhiana Australia. This event was inspired by the medical college which they attended: CMC Ludhiana, or the Christian Medical College and Hospital Ludhiana, which is in the Punjab in India. This remarkable institution was established in 1894—130 years ago. It was the first medical college for women in Asia. It was established by a remarkable lady by the name of Dame Edith Mary Brown. What an amazing person she must have been to have established that institution!

I pay tribute to Dr Jacob Cherian and his team for putting on this wonderful fundraising event. I also pay tribute to the dozens and dozens of doctors from CMC Ludhiana who practise medicine here in Australia. They've made their way from that medical college in the Punjab in India to Australia, and are providing medical services to Australians. I also give a special shout-out to the oldest and the youngest alumni of CMC Ludhiana, who were in attendance on Saturday night. The oldest graduate is Dr Patrick Seng Hee Tang, who graduated in medicine from CMC Ludhiana in1969—the year I was born! He then returned to Malaysia, and we are all blessed that Dr Tang decided to immigrate to Australia in 1989 with his three children. One of his children, Dr Kevin Tang, is now a very eminent gastroenterologist in my home state of Queensland. The youngest alumnus is Dr Sajeev J Jacob, who graduated from CMC Ludhiana in 2019, exactly 50 years after Dr Tang graduated. He worked in several rural mission hospitals in India before he came to Australia last year. Again, we're blessed to have Dr Jacob here in Australia.

I will close, with respect to the wonderful doctors who have graduated from CMC Ludhiana and who are all over the world, with this quote from Dr Sajeev J Jacob, speaking about meeting Dr Tang, who was the oldest alumnus in attendance:

This encounter beautifully illustrated how the spirit of CMC transcends generations and geographical boundaries, which I found connecting and empowering.

I too found it connecting and empowering. It was a great privilege to be in your company last Saturday night.

Last Saturday, I attended an event which was hosted by the Islamic Society of Toowoomba. It was the 11th annual Toowoomba International Food Festival, hosted by the Garden City Mosque during its open day in Toowoomba. It too was a wonderful event at which to be in attendance. From my perspective, the Garden City Mosque in Toowoomba represents the very best of Australian values. This was a mosque that was subject to two evil arson attacks in 2015. In response to those arson attacks, the Toowoomba community put its arms around the Muslim community in Toowoomba, gave it support and love, and made sure it was supported. It was an absolute privilege to attend the open day at the mosque last Saturday and to see the new, beautiful mosque which has been built in the Garden City of Toowoomba, a mosque that is open to all members of the community in Toowoomba.

I'd like to give my tribute to Imam Dr Mohammad Aminul Islam, who made some beautiful remarks on the day; to the President of the Islamic Society of Toowoomba, Associate Professor Dr Mainul Islam; and to a gentleman who I would describe as a force of nature—anyone who has met him will understand what I mean by that—Emeritus Professor Shahjahan Khan, who was the founding president and spokesman for the Islamic Society of Toowoomba—a marvellous man who has done so much to promote social cohesion in Toowoomba. I'd also like to acknowledge my dear friend Trevor Watts MP, the state member for Toowoomba North, who first introduced me to the mosque, and also leaders of the Anglican faith and the Catholic faith who were in attendance. The honourable Bishop Cameron Venables, the Anglican Bishop of the Western Region, gave a beautiful musical rendition which I think summarised the feelings of all in attendance. I congratulate him on his words and his musical performance. I'd also like to acknowledge the honourable Bishop Ken Howell of the Catholic Diocese of Toowoomba for his thoughtful remarks. That mosque was subject to those arson attacks, and then the people of Toowoomba rallied, provided support to the Muslim community and built a beautiful new mosque in Toowoomba, open to the whole of the community. From my perspective, that represents the very best of Australian values.

I was aghast to read comments from the current Labor government in response to two reports that the economics committee of the Senate finalised during the course of the last parliament. I was the chair of the Economics Legislation Committee and deputy chair of the Economics References Committee during the last parliament. From my perspective, the response that the Labor government has given to two extensive reports of the Economics References Committee shows an absolute disdain for the processes of this Senate, which we see again and again.

The Economics References Committee did a report into the Australian manufacturing industry. That report was 142 pages. The committee held hearings all over Australia. It had dozens and dozens of submissions with respect to the future of the manufacturing industry in our country, a matter of key importance for the future of our country, its industrial capacity and employment opportunities for people. It made 19 recommendations and was 142 pages long, and the government's response is 48 words—48 words! To a report produced by a references committee of this Senate, the government has given a response of 48 words, including:

… a substantive Government response to these recommendations is no longer appropriate.

Oh, I didn't realise! All the issues facing the manufacturing industry in Australia have been fixed!

But then, even worse, here's another one. I sat on the economics committee when it looked at Australia's oil and gas reserves. We have a problem with oil and gas reserves. We've had a chronic gas shortage in Victoria. AEMO is telling us about the urgent need to increase gas supply in this country. So I would have thought that this one at least would have gotten more than 48 words. Well, it did: it got 53 words. This report of the economics committee was 190 pages long. Again substantive recommendations were made, and again the same words were used:

… given the passage of time since this report was tabled, a substantive government response to the recommendations is no longer appropriate.

Really? I think the Labor government needs to reflect on this and show a bit more respect for the work that this Senate does on behalf of the Australian people.