Indian Australian Association of South Australia

The Hon. J.S. LEE (20:48): I move:

That this council—

1. Congratulates the Indian Australian Association of South Australia for celebrating its 50^th anniversary;

2. Acknowledges the commitment of the association's committee and volunteers, past and present, for continuously showcasing the vibrant Indian culture in South Australia;

3. Recognises the importance of its establishment and achievements over the last 50 years in the promotion and preservation of Indian heritage and for enriching the multicultural landscape of South Australia; and

4. Acknowledges the economic, social and cultural contributions by the Indian community in South Australia.

It is with great pleasure that I rise today to move this motion to congratulate the Indian Australian Association of South Australia (IAASA) for celebrating its 50^th anniversary. The Indian Australian Association is known as the peak body that represents about 1,370 members and 700 families from the Indian community in South Australia. This leading organisation is well supported by many Indian community associations across the state.

Fifty years is a remarkable achievement for an organisation like IAASA, and it is a great honour for me to express my heartfelt congratulations to the association in the South Australian parliament today. I would like to place on the record special thanks and acknowledge the commitment of the association's president, committee and volunteers, past and present, for their contributions to deliver community services to its members, and their efforts in organising so many wonderful programs to showcase the vibrant Indian culture in South Australia.

South Australia, as we know, has a rich and wonderful multicultural history consisting of many incredible stories from people and organisations from diverse backgrounds. IAASA has a humble and interesting beginning, which I would like to share with members here today. The association was established in 1967 as the India Club of South Australia by three community-minded Indian families: the Dr Joshua family; the Dr Mazumdar family; and the Dr Nayak family. It just so happens they are all doctors, they are professionals.

These three families recognised the need for Indian community members living in Adelaide to interact and support each other, so therefore they started this informal club. Dr Nayak was appointed the first president. The club acted as a social hub. They wanted to bring the feeling to the members of a home away from home, allowing professional and skilled migrants to network and celebrate their cultural traditions.

Another important objective of the club was to create social harmony and to promote the Indian culture to the wider South Australian community, in particular to develop a strong spirit of cooperation, unity and cohesion between Indians residing in South Australia and mainstream Australians. These objectives were considered paramount to the founding members, as they wanted to openly share their proud Indian culture, their food, their values and the history of the Indian subcontinent with mainstream Australians. They felt this structure was the strongest form of integration and social cohesion. With this inclusive approach that ensured everyone was welcome, it is no wonder the popularity of the India Club of SA grew stronger every year, and the membership base expanded, attracting more and more families and new migrants from India and individuals from all walks of life to join the club.

Throughout the life of the club the committee has incorporated significant activities to ensure their members remain active and receive benefits from the many educational, social, cultural and recreational programs that the association offers. At the 1974 annual general meeting, under president Dr Mazumdar, the committee was asked to reflect on the structure and services of the club, and it was decided at that AGM to renew the constitution. A simple constitution was formulated with a view to promoting the knowledge and understanding of the Indian culture and developing a spirit of cooperation and further cohesion between all the Indian community members in South Australia.

These initiatives then gave mainstream Australians an opportunity to become acquainted with the Indian culture and history. Along with the change of constitution, the committee and the leadership team decided to rename the club to better reflect the needs and aspirations of the expanding community. The club was then renamed Indian Australia Association of South Australia (the short acronym being IAASA) to accommodate the growing membership base with new directions.

It's mission has always been forward looking and aimed to improve service delivery and better appreciation of it's membership. So, in the 1980s a discussion between the executive team and their members prompted them to look for a permanent building to house the association. They embarked upon a number of fundraising projects, including Indian food fairs, cultural evenings, Indian cooking classes, and dance and drama classes during the Adelaide Festival of Arts to raise money to reach their ultimate dream, which was having their own premises. The focus was to allow members and the community to have their own clubrooms to host events, practice dancing, teach language and cooking classes, and host various get-togethers for their community.

In 1989, under the leadership of Dr Lakshmanan and Dr Prasad, the Indian Education Centre Trust was formed enabling the association to successfully acquire the property at 6 Blamey Avenue, Broadview, under the association's name. The generous support of its members, sponsors and supporters helped to ensure there is a permanent premises to house IAASA. The hall provides members with a sense of belonging, a community united regardless of which region of India they come from, and they have a purpose of preserving and promoting the Indian culture to the broader South Australian community.

At this point, I would very much like to acknowledge the current president of the IAASA, Mr Adireddy Yara, and the executive committee who kindly provided my office with additional information about the association. I would like to put their names on the record, and congratulate all the elected members for the 2016-17 committee. They are: President, Mr Adireddy Yara; Vice President, Mr Gagan Sharma; Secretary, Mr Amarjit Singh Grewal; Treasurer, Mr Sam Dahm; Public Relations Officer, Mr Alok Arora; Grants Secretary, Dr Rajni Madan; Events and Sports Coordinator, Mr Pankaj Dumra; Women Wing and Youth Coordinator, Mrs Monika Bhasin; Cultural Secretary, Mr Gurdeep Singh; Assistant Secretary, Mr Mandeep Rikhi; and Media Coordinator, Mr Harvinder Garcha.

IAASA has had a total of 31 presidents since its establishment. I would like to thank all the founding members, presidents and committee members who have served IAASA with passion and dedication over the 50 years. I have had the pleasure and privilege to get to know a number of outstanding presidents since being elected to this parliament in 2010.

I would like to place on the record my gratitude and thank all the presidents with whom I have worked closely for their significant contribution to the Indian-Australian community, in particular: Mr Adireddy Yara, the current President; Dr Rakesh Mohindra, and his wife Dr Veenu; Dr Surendra Agarwal, and his wife Shashi; and retired Major General Vikram Madan, and his wife Veena. I know them, and they have become friends. They have been very supportive in terms of their guidance and advice as to who is who on the committee, which has been very invaluable in supporting the community.

The first known Indian immigrants arrived in South Australia in the late 1830s. The 2011 census data recorded South Australia as having a total of about 18,739 Indian-born individuals residing in our state. I believe, and I am sure the honourable President would know, that this number has probably grown significantly since that last census. It will be interesting to see what the latest census data will reveal.

In South Australia, we have about 67 Indian community associations that I am aware of, and the list continues to grow every year. I would like to thank all the members of the community for keeping my office and me informed about new associations, and about their representation for different interest groups and regions of India and the subcontinent. The Indian community of South Australia is passionate about living a fulfilling life.

The community has injected a lot of energy, talents and resources across the multicultural sports and business sectors of our state. As we all know, Australia and India share a common heritage in cricket. Every time a cricket game is on—whether it is Australia versus Pakistan, or Australia versus India, or Pakistan versus India—the whole Indian community will be jam-packed into Adelaide Oval for those games, and they bring with them an incredible energy.

The Hon. Tammy Franks mentioned earlier in her speech on the Olympics and Paralympics that a game of sport is not just about the sport: sports integrate all the cultural aspects of community life, and that says a lot about our Australian and Indian appreciation of cricket, and the cultural life of the sport.

As the shadow parliamentary secretary for multicultural affairs, I experienced, firsthand, the many exciting Indian events that spread across the state every year. If you want to go to an Indian event, there is one happening every weekend. I am sure some of you have joined me on a number of occasions. I just want to express my sincere thanks for all of the wonderful efforts by various organising committees, volunteers and sponsors in putting on such great shows and welcoming all of us into their events.

The small business sector within the Indian community has grown significantly as well, as many Indian migrants are entrepreneurs looking for new ventures to expand their businesses and opportunities. Throughout Adelaide and its suburbs, and in many regional towns of South Australia, we are spoilt by the availability of many Indian restaurants serving delicious northern and southern Indian food. There are more and more Indian groceries and mini markets located in various suburbs, serving the growing Indian populations living across metropolitan Adelaide and regional South Australia.

I have had the pleasure to meet and work with many business owners within the Indian communities in South Australia. South Australians have benefited greatly by the economic contributions of the Indian business community. They are business leaders in accountancy, the financial industry, the medical industry, migration services, property management, telecommunications, phone companies—the list just goes on and on.

There are currently 2,775 international Indian students studying in Adelaide and they provide great tourism and education export dollars coming in to our state. As of the financial year 2014-15, India was Australia's 10^th-largest trading partner, accounting for almost $18 billion in two-way trade, approaching about 3 per cent of total Australian trade flows. That is really significant, in terms of our relationship with India. It has been a great privilege to work with all of the Indian associations and businesses, witnessing their contributions and supporting so many Indian associations in South Australia.

IAASA is very well known for bringing the entire Indian and mainstream communities together to celebrate multiculturalism and Indian culture. I would like to congratulate them on this aspect. This year has been really big for one of the major festivals, which is Indian Mela, because it is the golden anniversary of their celebrations. In this particular year, IAASA also hosts another major event, the Indian Independence Day, which marks the 70^th Indian Independence Day. It was celebrated full of vibrant colours and cultural performance.

I was delighted the leader of the Liberal Party and opposition, Steven Marshall, and Mr David Pisoni were able to attend this event, together with many parliamentary colleagues. Today, I am honoured to put the spotlight on this wonderful association, IAASA, and to acknowledge their hard work and contribution to the South Australian economy and the community. Congratulations India Australia Association of South Australia on your 50^th golden anniversary. It is an amazing milestone. I commend this motion to the chamber.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins.