Motions

Sri Lanka Terrorist Attacks

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (15:23): I move:

That this council—

1. Expresses its deepest sorrow and abhorrence at the senseless killing of innocent men, women and children in coordinated terrorist bombings at Christian churches and hotels in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday 2019;

2. Mourns the extensive loss of life, including two Australians, and hopes for the full recovery of the many injured;

3. Expresses its deepest sympathy to the families and friends of all those who have been affected by this appalling event;

4. Stands in solidarity with the people of Sri Lanka and South Australia’s Sri Lankan community;

5. Condemns terrorism and extremism in all its forms; and

6. Reaffirms its commitment to an inclusive and harmonious multicultural society.

Sadly, just six weeks ago, this house and the House of Assembly adopted a very similar motion which was phrased in very similar terms to the one I have just moved, and that followed the horrific terrorist attack in Christchurch. These two appalling events in recent weeks and months have some terrible, tragic similarities; in particular, that men, women and children were murdered as they had arrived for prayers in their chosen place or places of worship.

As we as a parliament did then and I am sure we as a parliament will do now—the House of Assembly has already passed a similar motion—I know that we will all join together and oppose any form of terrorism around the world, wherever it occurs and for whatever claimed or proclaimed reason that might be given in terms of the particular terrorist act. The vision that I am sure we all saw in recent weeks in relation to this particular attack would have appalled us all, and I know that those of us with families know that our families equally shared that abhorrence at what they again were watching on the evening news services.

In his contribution earlier this week, the Premier quoted from local media a particular statement made by an office worker in Colombo, and I want to, as did the Premier, put that particular statement on the public record. This office worker in Colombo said:

We have seen so much violence during the Civil War. For the outside world, it may be big but for us, life goes on.

I think it is a tragedy for those of us fortunate enough to live in Adelaide, in South Australia, in Australia, that that particular office worker summarised in one brief sentence the tragic nature of what many of them had lived through for almost three decades of civil war, in terms of, in many cases, senseless violence from any number of sources during that three decades. For many young members of that community and that particular office worker they had really known no different, in terms of the background.

Of course, in recent times with the ending of the three decades of civil war, which ended in and around about 2009, there have been recovery and hard-won peace, if one can put it that way, with more isolated examples of violent activity during that 10-year period—the most recent 10-year period as compared to the previous 30 years or so.

The Premier, on behalf of the government but also I know speaking on behalf of the broader South Australian community when he spoke earlier this week, indicated that he had met with the Sri Lankan Honorary Consul in South Australia, Dr Charitha Perera, and also with Mr Prabath Perera, who was the former chair of the Sri Lankan Catholic Association of South Australia. He expressed, on behalf of the South Australian government and the South Australian community, sympathy but also solidarity with the ever-growing Sri Lankan community in South Australia.

The last census reported that there are almost 3,800 Sri Lankan-born people living in South Australia, an increase of almost 42 per cent in just five years, so it is a smaller but significantly growing community in South Australia that we have welcomed into our multicultural and generally harmonious community in South Australia.

Some members of this chamber, including the Hon. Ms Lee, will speak during this debate. The Governor, the Premier, the Leader of the Opposition and a number of other members of parliament, together with members of the Consular Corps of South Australia and various faith leaders, joined almost 900 people in the Catholic cathedral in Adelaide to attend a mass in support of the Sri Lankan community and to share prayers with those who have been impacted by these terrorist acts in Sri Lanka.

On behalf of the Liberal Party members in this chamber and the Marshall Liberal government, I know a number of members will join in brief contributions to this particular motion representing their particular parties. I am very confident that I, in moving this motion, will eventually see unanimous support for this motion.

I want to conclude by saying that, whatever our political allegiances or political differences are in South Australia, over many decades political leaders in this state have united in support of our multicultural community in South Australia. We have welcomed newer communities from around the world for many decades. Some are relatively small but growing, like the Sri Lankan community. Others, such as the Italians and Greeks and the Vietnamese who came in waves in previous decades, are much more significant. But they are no less important, or no more important, depending on the size of their community.

We, in South Australia, have welcomed them all into our multicultural community. We want to see a harmonious multicultural society in South Australia. The Marshall Liberal government, under the leadership of Premier Marshall, is pledged to support that. I know that the former Labor government and the current Labor leader, the member for Croydon, equally are pledged to support our harmonious multicultural community in South Australia. I know that the leaders of the other respective parties represented in the parliament are similarly inclined as well.

It is something which does not come easy. It is something we have to continue to fight for. There is always the occasional opportunity for partisan political advantage to be sought. The Marshall Liberal government has pledged to do what it can to ensure that there is ongoing multipartisan support for our multicultural community in South Australia. I urge—I know I will not have to urge. I look forward to the support of all members in this chamber for this particular motion.

The Hon. J.S. LEE (15:33): I rise to support the motion moved by the honourable Treasurer in this place and also by the Premier in the other place on behalf of the government. Today, in South Australia and the whole world, we are reaching out to the Sri Lankan community and mourn the extensive loss of life after a series of coordinated bombings on Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka, which killed more than 250 people and wounding 500 others.

The attacks were the deadliest on the island nation since the end of its civil war 10 years ago. We see with great sadness that an act of evil has unfolded again, which has taken many lives of innocent men, women and children, having targeted three churches as well as four hotels in the capital, Colombo. Only six weeks ago, the South Australian parliament moved a motion condemning the acts of hatred and violence on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. Today, we are united once again to condemn the acts of hatred and violence in Sri Lanka.

Australia and Sri Lanka have shared a strong relationship with common values and shared interests for many decades, and in 2017 celebrated our 70^th anniversary of diplomatic relations. Through these historical ties we have been blessed with many Sri Lankan migrants calling Australia home, as highlighted earlier by the Treasurer.

With more than 3,700 Sri Lankan-born people living in South Australia, these bombings have greatly impacted on the community. Having the honour of knowing and working with so many wonderful people from the Sri Lankan community in my role, it has saddened me to learn that such a peaceful and welcoming community is under attack, and they are grieving the loss of their brothers and sisters back home in Sri Lanka.

Last Sunday, 28 April 2019, I joined His Excellency the Hon. Hieu Van Le, Governor of South Australia, the Premier, the Hon. Steven Marshall, the member for Adelaide, the Hon. Rachel Sanderson, the Leader of the Opposition and other colleagues at a mass with the Sri Lankan community at St Francis Xavier's Cathedral. I express my deep gratitude to Father Philip Marshall, together with other reverend fathers, who showed great compassion and love to preside over the mass and the memorial service of shared prayer for the people of Sri Lanka.

The mass was also joined by other religious leaders from the Muslim and Buddhist communities. Special thanks go to the Honorary Consul of Sri Lanka, Dr Charitha Perera, and Mrs Perera for working with the Sri Lankan Catholic Association to organise the mass and the memorial service. Also, my sincere appreciation to Madhavi and Prabath Perera for their outstanding organisational support to coordinate the mass with the Sri Lankan community.

This important community mass allowed everyone to stand shoulder to shoulder and heart to heart to light candles, pay our respects and pray for the departed souls who were sadly lost in the horrific bombings. At the mass hundreds of people—Christians, non-Christians, people with other faiths and those of no faith—came together in solidarity to show our love and support to the community.

The killing of innocent people while they were acting in good faith, praying in their churches and going about their life in their normal ways was an act of pure evil. It was a deliberate and merciless attack on all peace-loving people. Taking the lives of innocent men, women and children based on hatred, intimidation and violence has no place in our society. We live in a society that is open, generous and respectful of all people. These fundamental values must be preserved and protected in order for every person to have the opportunity to follow the religion they choose and live a fulfilling life.

Today, as well as yesterday, both houses of parliament have spoken out on this motion to express our deepest condolences to families, friends and communities that have been deeply affected and devastated by the attacks in Sri Lanka. I join religious and world leaders to condemn the horrific acts of violence. We must stand together to make sure that no-one ever has to practise their faith in fear.

Together with all my colleagues in parliament, we condemn every form of terrorism and extremism. We express our deep sympathy by standing together with the Sri Lankan community. We pledge our love and support to the community in these difficult times. We grieve with them and we feel their pain and suffering. We are also grateful to the police officers, firefighters, paramedics, doctors and nurses who were confronted by the tragic and traumatic scenes caused by the bombings in Sri Lanka. Some of them were risking their life to save others. We say thank you.

We will continue to join the community in prayers and mourn the tragic loss of life, and we send our warmest thoughts and good wishes to those who were injured for their speedy and full recovery. I wholeheartedly support this condolence motion. I stand together with and pray for the Sri Lankan community, and reaffirm my commitment for an inclusive and harmonious multicultural society.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Leader of the Opposition) (15:39): Only weeks ago in this place we were expressing our condolences to the New Zealand people after the horrific Christchurch attacks. Now we find ourselves expressing deep condolences to Sri Lankans and the Australian Sri Lankan community following another hate-filled attack, the Easter Sunday attack, on innocent people in churches and hotels.

I sincerely hope that this is the last time we need to speak in this place about an horrific attack and the loss of innocent lives, including men, women and defenceless children, but, regrettably, it almost certainly will not be. These attacks are designed to splinter the community and we are here to ensure that they do not.

Sri Lanka is no stranger to conflict, with internal conflict sweeping through the country over its recent history. Many caught up in conflict came to Australia and other countries to seek refuge. Today, we come together with the local community and we mourn with them. We come together with the Sri Lankan community and offer our support. We condemn the attack. Hatred is never ended by hatred.

Seventy-two years ago, Australia established diplomatic relations with Sri Lanka. Like other close neighbours, we have done so through the arts, sport, food and trade. We will continue to do what Australians do best by working to build relationships. I want to thank the first responders, the community leaders and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade via the Australian High Commission in Sri Lanka for supporting those caught up in this attack.

To the local Australian Sri Lankan community I have this to say: we are with you, we mourn with you and we offer our heartfelt support to you.

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE (15:41): The word 'worship' will mean something different to every member of this chamber and to every South Australian. Religion often forms a significant part of a person's identity. It could mean a time to reflect on religious beliefs and values or a time to come together to support each other as a community, united by faith, whether that be Christianity, Islam, Hinduism or Buddhism.

What 'worship' does not mean is 253 worshippers' lives being cut tragically short in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday and 50 lives in New Zealand just recently. What it does not mean is to fear practising your faith and coming together as a community to share values, friendship and beliefs. On Monday night of this week, the ABC covered a story that depicted just that: the Sri Lankan community in fear of coming together as a community to practise their faith. I quote:

Sunday church service cancelled, for fear of more attacks and a televised mass was held instead. The Archbishop of Colombo delivered a special sermon from the chapel of his home...

I have mentioned countless times in this place the value of community, the thread that gives people purpose and belonging. When we are made to fear the very thing that enables us to feel that we belong, whether that is religious beliefs or values or perhaps a sporting team community, a fundamental social thread has been frayed.

We have seen distressing scenes because of these senseless killings of innocent men, women and children in coordinated terrorist bombings at Christian churches and hotels in Sri Lanka on one of the most important days of the Christian calendar, Easter Sunday. They say we are stronger when we stand together. We must never forget those who have had their lives cut short by the hands of terrorists and we must never let their lives be lost in vain and allow others to follow.

A church, a temple or a mosque can be rebuilt, but lives cannot. Their memories, however, can and must always live on. There is no place for hate, violence or terrorism in our community and we should never be pushed into our homes in fear of expressing our own beliefs. Our thoughts are with the Sri Lankan community and the South Australian Sri Lankan community at this difficult time.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (15:43): I rise on behalf of the Greens to associate myself with the words of the previous speakers from government, opposition and, I am sure, all members of the crossbench. The bombings of Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka were designed to create fear, as previous speakers have noted. I note, however, that even amongst that fear and the fear of those Christians perhaps to worship even as the funerals were held, tents were erected and they were not driven away from their services the next Sunday by that fear. They continued to show their devotion to their religion.

We are often divided by religion, by race, by fear. It is important for this parliament and all parliaments to bring this motion here today for this discussion and that our leadership never succumbs to the temptation to buy into that fear or to use that fear as a political tool. With those few words, I commend the motion to the council.

The Hon. C. BONAROS (15:45): Once again it is with a heavy heart that I rise on behalf of SA-Best to support the motion and, of course, associate myself with the words of other honourable members. Only a few short weeks ago, as others have mentioned, on 19 March, this chamber came as one mirroring the House of Assembly to send our support, sympathy and love to our brothers and sisters in New Zealand in the wake of the unspeakable tragedy at the hands of an Australian gunman.

Today, we come together, united once again to honour our brothers and sisters in Sri Lanka who were killed by bombers who targeted three churches and three major hotels on the holiest day for Christians, Easter Sunday. The numbers were incomprehensible: 250 deaths at last count and some 500 people injured, including 42 foreigners from all over the globe. I acknowledge that the number of deaths has been the subject of some revision in recent days, thankfully not quite as high, as it was thought to have climbed to over 350.

It was an attack on innocent people, on families, children, older people, mums and dads, brothers and sisters; an attack during valuable family time and during rest, and an attack during prayer and worship, a time of peace and reflection. The coordinated series of suicide bomb attacks were aimed to cause maximum destruction and have maximum impact on the world stage. The images broadcast around the world of what remains of the churches and hotels—all scarred by shrapnel and stained by the blood of the victims—are a distressing reminder of the human toll of terrorism.

Acts of terror targeting churches, mosques, synagogues, temples or any other place where people congregate to pray and gather in peaceful religious observance is truly despicable and must be denounced in the strongest possible terms. That was true in Christchurch and now, heartbreakingly, it is just as true in Colombo, Negombo and Batticaloa—all targeted in a series of coordinated bombing attacks by radical Islamists.

Christians, predominantly Roman Catholics, make up 7.4 per cent of a population of 22.4 million in Sri Lanka. It is Christianity in Sri Lanka that managed to broach the sectarian divide with its long inclusion of Burghers, Tamils and Sinhalese ethnic groups. Sri Lanka is a nation that has already endured too much violence. The Easter attacks across Catholic churches and hotels are the latest chapter in Sri Lanka's history of violence.

Sri Lanka was home to a long and bloody civil war that ran from 1983 to 2009 between Tamil separatists and the majority Sinhalese government forces. It is the primary reason why many of South Australia's 3,800 (and growing) Sri Lankan-born residents have made their home here. Sri Lanka was rebuilding itself, tourism was emerging as a success story for the country, foreign investment was increasing, the economy was growing and families were finally returning home—families like Manik Suriyaaratchi, her husband Sudesh Kolonne and their 10-year-old daughter Alexandria.

They were Australians from Melbourne who had gone back to Sri Lanka in 2014 where Manik was the managing director of her own consultancy business, making the most of a more peaceful and prosperous Sri Lanka. She had earned an MBA, a master's in commercial law and a bachelor of aeronautical engineering, and previously worked at NAB and Qantas. She was intelligent, accomplished in business and a devoted mother to Alexandria. Tragically, Manik and Alexandria were killed while attending Sunday mass at St Sebastian's Church in Negombo, north of Colombo, when a bomb exploded killing scores of Easter Sunday worshippers, many of them children.

Today, Sri Lanka is dealing with the horrific aftermath of another terror attack. So many lives were cut short; so many children at mass on Easter Sunday or holidaying with family. Why purposely kill children en masse? SBS has reported that Sri Lanka's youth in particular never expected to experience the horror of war of previous generations, but the Easter bombings changed that for the worse.

As many as 50 children have been reported as killed, dozens more badly wounded. But, as has been reported, the deepest scars are not just physical. Countless young people bore witness to some of the most horrific scenes imaginable: broken, dismembered bodies, floors slicked with blood, parents virtually paralysed with grief, clutching siblings' coffins as they disappeared into the earth. 'Something has been lost,' one mother said, 'We are so broken.'

Violence against innocent men, women and children is an act of cowardice, motivated by pure evil. Violence only begets violence. It serves no purpose. It solves nothing. I, like many others, despair at times like this and again, like others, I wonder when it will all end. I guess it ends when we learn not to fear others, to stop treating others differently, to be distrusted and instead try to understand what binds us in our common humanity.

We condemn the actions of those who take it upon themselves to hurt others, especially in the name of race, religion or belief. I want nothing more than to say such evil must never be allowed to create fear and hate, but it has. I wish I could say, hand on heart, we will not succumb to terror, but, sadly, all too many already have. So, today, I stand in support of the Sri Lankan people and the local Sri Lankan community in South Australia who have made this state their home and who are so central to our prosperous multiculturalism. I grieve with you and offer my support, sympathy and love, and I pray for the terror to end. With those words, I commend the motion.

The Hon. F. PANGALLO (15:51): I rise to support the condolence motion and strongly endorse the words of condemnation by my colleagues, including the Hon. Connie Bonaros. Terror has no place in our society, but it remains an omnipresent threat to our civilised and democratic way of life. Terrorists are brainwashed cowards full of hate whose targets are the innocent and the vulnerable going about their lives in a peaceful and harmonious way. As we have seen in recent events in Christchurch, the terrorists are not always the archetypal radicalised Muslim but also hardline white supremacists and malcontents, who are just as dangerous.

In Sri Lanka, these cowards claim to be Muslims and they chose to strike at churches on the holiest of days, Easter Sunday, when Christians joyously celebrate the resurrection of Christ. There were South Australians in the bombed Catholic Church in Negombo. They survived but will be affected for the rest of their lives by the horrific scenes they witnessed. The terrorists targeted hotels where tourists from all parts of the world were happily enjoying an idyllic holiday. Sophia Hynes-Bishop from Adelaide was in her room at the Cinnamon Hotel, tearfully making a call to her mother back home, thinking it might be her last.

The latest attacks were rightly condemned from all quarters, including Muslims, who are emphatic that their religion does not condone this type of inhumane behaviour. Being part of the commonwealth, Australia has strong and long links with Sri Lanka, from trade and investment to education, agriculture and social welfare programs. Sri Lankan Australians are the 12^th largest ethnic group in Australia, numbering 86,412 of those born there and 109,853 by ancestry. There are 3,785 in South Australia.

Many famous people of Sri Lankan heritage have contributed to our society in fields of academia, education, literature, business, religion and sport, both men's and women's, like Tania Van Heer who was Australia's most successful athlete at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, winning two relay golds and a bronze in the 100-metre sprint. Tania's family escaped the political tensions in Sri Lanka and settled in Adelaide in the mid-1980s. In fact, one of our favourite high school teachers was a Sri Lankan, and he was one of the most loved.

In the entertainment world there are two who come to mind who made their home in South Australia: Kamahl, the Malaysian-born singer of Sri Lankan parents who came to Adelaide in the 1950s, where his successful singing career took off, with support from one of my old bosses, Rupert Murdoch. The other is Guy Sebastian, the first winner of Australian Idol and now an established and international pop star, reality TV coach and, of course, a Eurovision performer. Whilst not South Australians, other celebrities we have adopted as our own include Keith Potger of The Seekers and TV lifestyle host Jamie Durie.

It is disconcerting that we must now forever be on alert and can never feel complacent in a world where religious and political zealots want to wreak havoc to spread their evil messages. We can never allow them to feel they are winning, and we must always stand united to their threats. I commend this motion.

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (15:55): I stand in support of the motion and concur with the sentiments expressed by everyone in this parliament. I also thank the government for putting this motion to the council so that we can express our horror and disgust at the terrible acts that occurred in Sri Lanka. This is the second time we have had a condolence motion in recent times: Sri Lanka and also Christchurch.

These sort of terrorist and extremist acts occur around the world all the time. In the United States it is becoming almost a daily event where people are shot at universities, churches, synagogues, mosques, or whatever. As community leaders the onus is on us to stand up on all occasions and express our total objection and disgust at acts inflicted on innocent people who are going about their daily lives, whether it is praying in a church, a mosque or a synagogue, or just going into a hotel where they are on holidays or at business meetings. With those few words, I concur and send my condolences, best wishes and love to the families and relatives of those people who have suffered so badly in Sri Lanka.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (15:57): I thank all honourable members for their heartfelt contributions to the debate, and I welcome the unanimous support from this chamber and another chamber as a clear indication that the South Australian parliament is united in support of the Sri Lankan community at this difficult time.

Motion carried by members standing in their places in silence.