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

On a lighter note, I'd like to congratulate the Kenyan community in Queensland for putting on a fabulous football tournament on the weekend of 28 to 29 September. Teams representing the Kenyan diaspora across the whole of Australia came to my home state of Queensland, to Brisbane, to participate in this tournament.

I congratulate the team from Adelaide, who were the actual victors in the tournament. I also give my heartfelt congratulations to the Brisbane Kenya Stars, who were the runners-up. I had the opportunity to watch some of the matches, which were just outstanding. I'd like to place on the record my particular thanks to the High Commissioner for Kenya, the Hon. Dr Wilson Kogo. His Excellency spent most of the weekend in Brisbane at the football tournament, which I thought it was outstanding, as he made deep connections with the Kenyan diaspora in my home state of Queensland.

I congratulate the Kenyans In Queensland management committee under the leadership of Antony Kamau. Congratulations; you did a wonderful job. I also congratulate the Brisbane Kenya Stars management—Ken Cheptyony, Abel Samoei, Jackson Gitau and Prince Kimutai—as well as the community sponsors and supporters: Mkulima Young, Blackstorm Engineers, Umoja Entertainment, Fredo African Cuisines and the Berur community. Thank you to Dolly Njeru, the events coordinator for Kenyans In Queensland, for providing me with all of the details of the fabulous, wonderful volunteers who brought this very, very successful event together. We are very proud of our Kenyan Queensland community. They make an outstanding contribution to Queensland. Thank you for everything that you do.

On Monday, I was privileged to attend the Red Cross Lifeblood Springwood Donor Centre, where my dear friends of the Majha Youth Club, the Australian Pakistani National Association and the Logan Punjabi Community Sports Club organised for their members to give blood on a public holiday. Is there anything more community minded than giving blood, especially, on this occasion, on a public holiday? There were dozens of community members who came to give blood.

The senior representative of the Red Cross there told me how important it is that people give blood on a public holiday, because many of the usual donors don't give blood over long weekends. It's very, very important. As one of the donors said on the day, 'If my heart is pumping, I should give blood so another person's heart can pump.' It's as simple as that. There were fathers and sons giving blood together, husbands and wives giving blood. It was just outstanding. From my perspective, it just represents the extraordinary generosity and community spirit of these communities in my home state of Queensland. It's an inspiration for all Australians and it represents the very, very best of Australian values.

I was very pleased to attend a Daffodil Day morning tea in Queensland with my dear friends from the Iranian Society of Queensland. Our Iranian diaspora in this country is going through a very difficult time, given the events that are occurring in Iran. It was wonderful to see this community, under the leadership of the president, Mojgan Adel, come together to raise funds for the Cancer Council by putting on this Daffodil Day morning tea. There was wonderful food, wonderful Persian desserts, great entertainment and a wonderful sense of community at this event in Brisbane. I would like to thank all of the organisers, all of the donors and everyone who spoke on the day. It was a tremendous event.

I would like to say something about what the daffodil symbolises in Iran. I think this is particularly important, especially given the debate we had yesterday in relation to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and also the recent, what I consider vile, statements of the current Iranian Ambassador to Australia. This is what the daffodil symbolises in Iran in Persian culture: 'In our culture the daffodil symbolises rebirth and new beginnings. It's one of the first flowers to bloom at the end of winter, announcing the beginning of spring and signifying the end of the cold, dark days.'

As I was making my contribution in the debate yesterday in relation to the comments made by the Iranian ambassador, which were inflammatory and totally inappropriate for a diplomatic representative to make in this country; and, as I've made repeatedly in this place, that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps should be declared a terrorist organisation because it is a terrorist organisation, I was also thinking about how the Iranian diaspora came together in Brisbane on that Sunday morning and put together that morning tea to raise funds for the community. I just want to say to all of the members of the Iranian community in Queensland, but also across Australia, that for as long as I'm in this place you have my 100 per cent support. As I said to you at the morning tea, I will consider any attack by the Iranian regime on any of the members of the Iranian diaspora in Australia an attack upon me personally. An attack on them is an attack on me as their representative in this place, and they have my 100 per cent support. Thank you so much for raising those much-needed funds for the Cancer Council, and thank you for sharing your wonderful culture with the people of Brisbane.

I was very honoured to attend a football and volleyball tournament convened by the Brisbane Youth Sports Club and held in Logan, one of the most multicultural areas in my home state of Queensland. A big shout-out to their mayor, Jon Raven, who I see repeatedly at many events as I'm travelling around Queensland attending multicultural events. Congratulations to him and his team in terms of their multicultural spirit. The Brisbane Youth Sports Club soccer and volleyball tournament honoured the memory of Mr S Sodhi Singh Kharbarh. Mr S Sodhi Singh Kharbarh was a loving member of the Indian and Sikh communities in Brisbane. He was planning to open an Indian soccer club in Brisbane and to organise the Australian Sikh Games, before he passed away last year due to a long-term illness. Approximately 2,000 people attended this tournament in his honour. I would like to place on the Hansard record the wonderful community contribution Mr S Sodhi Singh Kharbarh has made to this country, to the people of Queensland. I would like to give my deep respects to his family, including Mr Sodhi Singh's wife, who was actually assisting in the provision of the food to the thousands of attendees at the sporting tournament. Thanks to all of the organisers and volunteers, including those providing the delicious food, and all of the participants.

I would like to give my heartfelt congratulations to my friends in the Nigerian community in Queensland, who hosted a very successful Nigerian Independence Day celebration. The theme for the event was 'unity in diversity', and it showcased the wonderful Nigerian culture, food, music, fashion and dancing, and, above all, how the Queensland Nigerian community of professionals, skilled workers, families, entrepreneurs and students are positively contributing to our wonderful country. Congratulations to the Nigerian Community Association in Queensland, including the wonderful president, Abayomi Showunmi, and all the organisers, sponsors and members for their commitment and contribution to the community.

One of the highlights of the occasion was a wonderful rendition of the Australian anthem by Ebony Okonkwo, who is the school captain designate for St Margaret's, one of the leading high schools in my home state of Queensland. She gave a beautiful rendition of the Australian anthem, which to me represented everything we needed to know about our Queensland Nigerian community—the way in which they are making such a positive contribution to our society and the talent and blessing they bring to our country. Nothing would make me happier than to see someone like Ebony sit in this place as a senator for Queensland sometime in the future. She is an amazing talent.

Congratulations to you Ebony, congratulations to your family and congratulations to our wonderful Nigerian diaspora for everything you do for our community and for our beautiful country.