Matters of Interest

Croatian Earthquake Appeal

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (15:21): Today, I rise to speak about the generosity of South Australia's Croatian community and its fundraising efforts to assist with Croatia's recent earthquake and its recovery. In late March 2020, a 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit Croatia's capital city, Zagreb, and it has since been followed by persistent waves of other dangerous earthquakes over the last year.

Nine months after the March shockwave, on 29 December 2020, an earthquake reaching 6.4 on the Richter scale destroyed the towns of Petrinja, Glina and Sisak. These earthquakes have devastated Croatia's already floundering post-COVID economy, and the city has never really fully recovered from the first quake, let alone those that followed.

The Croatian earthquake appeal supports the three towns left in rubble by providing generous monetary donations to the thousands left homeless, the dozens wounded and the friends and families of the seven people who were killed. The donations are helping rebuild hospitals, homes and schools from scratch. The Croatian government has opened a state treasury account with the advice for all donations to be organised via the European civil protection operation to avoid generous donors being scammed by fake accounts.

UNICEF is one of the largest hands-on contributors to the earthquake recovery in Croatia; however, a report released in February of this year announced that there is still at least a 60 per cent shortfall in resources required, and it estimates that over $1 million still needs to be raised in order to give basic assistance to these communities.

In our state, from the first records of Croatians settling in South Australia in 1854 to the current total of about 10,000 Croatians now living here, the Croatian community has become an integral part of our state, building our economy and our state's rich cultural heritage.

The Croatian South Australian community has become well known for its successful impacts, such as its nationally successful soccer team, the South Australian Raiders; the huge cultural impact of the Croatian Ethnic School, which is the oldest Croatian school in Australia; the Lenek folkloric dancers; the world-leading Croatian-led tuna industry in Port Lincoln; and of course the annual Croatian Festa, which raises thousands of dollars each year for the local community. Croatian South Australians have played a visible, substantial role in South Australia's society, cuisine and economy.

South Australians have traditionally been generous with donations and, despite the recent coronavirus pandemic, South Australians have been rightly recognised for their commendable community spirit and generous public consideration. This was demonstrated at an event held on Sunday 14 February at the Croatian Sports Centre, which was attended by the Croatian ambassador, Ms Betty Pavelich, and also two of my Legislative Council colleagues, the Hon. Jing Lee and the Hon. Terry Stephens. It was lovely to see that the Mount Gambier Croatian community contributed some $25,000 to the local Croatian effort.

I want to thank the Hon. Terry Stephens and the Hon. Jing Lee for their effort in making that fundraiser successful. These funds will go to rebuilding a country that is now home to 10 UNESCO World Heritage sites and whose immigrants have helped build this state. I would also like to thank those who have already donated, no matter how great or small, as each donation contributes to the rebuild, ranging from basic items such as toothbrushes to rebuilding roads and infrastructure. These individual donations have kept Croatia surviving not only through a year-long array of violent earthquakes but through the global pandemic. I can only imagine how tough the reality is for people waking up every day who have lost their homes and their loved ones.

For this reason, I cannot stress enough the importance of the Croatian Earthquake Appeal, as we in South Australia are lucky to be in a position to provide and not ask. This appeal is close to my home and my heart, as one of the very first functions I attended as a member of parliament some 19 years ago—I think with the Leader of the Opposition at the time, the Hon. Rob Kerin—was a Croatian community event. Therefore, I really do think that I have made some great friends in the Croatian community, and I encourage members to support this appeal.

I would like to extend my condolences to the Croatian community of South Australia who have surely been affected in one way or another by these devastating earthquakes and to reaffirm the support of the Marshall Liberal government to all South Australians who may be experiencing a state of disaster in their countries of origin.