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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2024-09-11 Daily Xml
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St Francis of Assisi Newton Parish

The Hon. D.G. PISONI (Unley) (12:04): On behalf of the member for Morialta, I move:

That this house—

(a) recognises that the St Francis of Assisi Newton Parish celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2023 and notes a special publication has been released to mark 70 years of legacy and achievement;

(b) acknowledges the important work of the parish in preserving Italian heritage, cultural traditions and religious beliefs;

(c) commends the significant positive social and cultural contributions that the parish has made to the local community, including fostering religious, cultural ties and community links between Italy and Adelaide; and

(d) thanks parish priests, community leaders and volunteers of the parish for their dedication and wonderful support to providing a sanctuary for the local community to gather on special occasions and for organising community events and celebrations which promote interculturalism and multiculturalism in South Australia.

I am pleased to rise to move this motion on behalf of the member for Morialta, who is unavailable today. He is on a skills trip with the Minister for Education, Training and Skills, so I have the pleasure of moving this motion and speaking in support of this motion in his place. Unfortunately, the leader, who I know is also an enthusiastic attender and supporter of this event, is also unable to speak on this motion today.

St Francis of Assisi Newton Parish was first established in 1953 and celebrated its platinum jubilee in 2023. It has been recognised as one of the first parishes to introduce the Italian mass and eventually festa groups to the Italian community in South Australia. The St Francis of Assisi Newton Parish holds events for the community, including baptisms and weddings, and helps to facilitate the functions of many other community groups by allowing its church hall for hire.

The major event of the Italian community in the north-eastern suburbs is the Montevergine Festa, organised and hosted by St Francis of Assisi Newton Parish. This event brings together many members of the community and also shares Italian culture and traditions with the broader multicultural community. The event is often attended by the Hon. Jing Lee; the member for Hartley, Vincent Tarzia; and the member for Morialta, John Gardner.

I have also attended the event on many occasions, particularly when I was first elected and when the north-eastern suburbs did not have a Liberal representative in the parliament. I remember how welcomed I was to attend and represent the Leader of the Opposition at those events in the early period of my role as the member for Unley. Of course, the big event was the parish street walk, if you like, from one church to another. I think at my first event it was the full length, but since then I believe it has reduced in length simply because of the increasing age of many of the participants so it is an event that is as inclusive as possible.

The event goes back a very long way. You only have to visit Italy at festive times of the year to see how important events like the Montevergine Festa are in Italy. Seeing that happen here in Adelaide by the community, which is very dominant in those suburbs, really does show how Australia has changed from its prewar demographic to its postwar demographic, where cultures and events were imported into Australia from parts of Europe.

I spoke earlier about the Greek community and, of course, what they have in common with the Italian community. Both of them have delivered so much to South Australia. According to the 2021 census data in Hartley, over 8,300 residents identify as having Italian ancestry, which is about 21 per cent of the electorate. In Morialta, over 8,100 residents identify as having Italian ancestry, which is nearly 22 per cent of the electorate. Comparatively, the overall state average of residents who identify as having Italian ancestry is about 5.8 per cent, which is roughly what we see in my electorate in Unley, which is slightly higher than those who identify as having Greek ancestry. There is a perception in Unley that the Greeks have a bigger community, but I say it is just because they are louder and that is why that perception has developed.

In Hartley, approximately 2,100 residents were born in Italy, which equates to 5.3 per cent of the electorate, and this is the third largest cohort of migrants in Hartley after the Chinese and Indian communities. In Morialta, approximately 1,600 residents were born in Italy and this equates to 4½ per cent of the electorate, and it is the largest cohort of migrants in Morialta.

Of course, we know that the bulk of the Italian migration started in the early 1950s and went right through to the early 1970s. Many of these people were men who came first and then brought their families, or they brought their wives and started families here. Others met people here and started families here, but one thing that they all have in common is that they are now very much in their experienced years—if you like, their senior years—and have so much to look back on as to what they have contributed to South Australia and to the north-eastern suburbs; in particular, what they have contributed to the economy, business in South Australia, to the community, to education, to law, to many of the professions and of course the building industry.

There is a significant difference with migration trends in Australia now, compared to the other time when there was a boom in steel migration. Migrants who are coming to Australia now are in fields like medicine, technology and social services—all needing houses, of course—whereas the migrants from Italy and Greece were actually building those houses. They had the skills that the economy needed for building those houses. I know so many Italians who, even though they might not have had building construction experience back in Italy, when they arrived, worked in the building industry and consequently we saw a building boom for those migrants who were coming to South Australia.

Brand-new suburbs, many of them in the seat of Hartley and the seat of Morialta were being built, and built by the very migrants who were buying blocks of land to establish their new lives in those suburbs. It was not just their communities they were building for; they were building for the growing population that was happening right across Australia and here in South Australia too, of course.

We have a lot to thank the Italian community in the north-eastern suburbs for. We know, because of the Italian community, there is a large affiliation with the Catholic Church in those suburbs. In Hartley, for example, over 11,000 residents identify their religious affiliation as Catholic, which is equal to nearly 28 per cent of the electorate. This is the second largest group by religious affiliation in Hartley, only behind 'no religion' in Morialta and over 10,700 residents identify their religious affiliation as Catholic, so nearly 29 per cent of the electorate. This is also the second largest group by affiliation behind the 'no religion' group, so still a very strong community.

When I was a regular attendee at the Montevergine Festa, I was introduced to priests who had come from Italy to this event. When they were up on the stage, even though I did not know the local priests, I was still always able to quite easily work out who the Italian priests were. Deputy Speaker, I think you would understand this, because you just had to look at their shoes: the Italian priests who were visiting from Italy always had the best shoes. With my heritage in Milan, something I learnt very early as a young person is that Italians are very particular about their shoes. I certainly noticed that with the visiting priests at the event, but I do digress.

I commend this motion to the house. I congratulate the Italian communities in the seat of Hartley and the Italian communities in the seat of Morialta and, of course, those throughout Adelaide and in my own electorate too. Of course, we cannot forget places like Port Pirie that have a substantial Italian heritage community. We know that even though many Italians may very well have ended up in the suburbs of Adelaide, often their first job was on the railways in country South Australia. I remember hearing one story where somebody virtually got off the boat at Port Adelaide or Outer Harbor where they arrived by train from Bonegilla in Wodonga and were placed on another train and sent up north to work on the railways.

Their accommodation was an unlined tin shed with a tap outside and a canvas bed. But they were there, they worked, they earned money and they saved that money to start a future for their families here in South Australia, and what a tremendous contribution they have made. I thank my father every morning when I wake up for the gift that he gave me, that is, being born in Australia. To the St Francis of Assisi Newton Parish, congratulations on your 70th anniversary. I look forward to seeing the release of the publication that celebrates 70 years of legacy and achievements. I look forward to the continuation of the success of your community and the Italian community here in South Australia.

Ms SAVVAS (Newland) (12:17): It is an absolute pleasure to support this motion today because I think it should well and truly be a bipartisan effort to acknowledge the achievements not just of the Italian community but specifically, of course, the community at St Francis of Assisi here in the parliament. They have contributed so much to Italian community and culture over the last 70 years but also to the rest of us who are not Italian by background. I know the fabric of our state is well and truly better off having so many incredible Italian migrants be part of it, and I personally want to put my thanks and my recognition to all the Italians in South Australia who contribute to that.

It was in the early 1950s that the Catholic Archdiocese recognised a real need to support the growing arrival of Italians in South Australia. In October 1953, the Capuchins had their first mass at Newton in the newly built church. I will say it probably has not changed much since the time it was built 70 years ago, but it also served as the first Italian community centre in South Australia and, by my understanding, there were about 3,000 Italians who attended the event on that day. The influence that they have had in South Australia since that time, in that 70 years, has been immeasurable, and I think now is a really good opportunity to recognise some of those specific names and faces who have contributed to that influence.

First I would like to acknowledge the man, the myth, the legend himself: John Di Fede. John has been a loyal stalwart of the Italian community for many years and has contributed to the Italian community in many ways. My own journey with the name John Di Fede goes back a little way. I worked at the John Di Fede Reception Centre for many years growing up, which he does remind me of every time I see him at an event. That is just one example of the ways that John has contributed to this community over decades and decades. Another example is through Radio Italiano 531, as well as his influence in St Francis of Assisi.

Just a couple of weeks ago, John and the team at St Francis of Assisi—the volunteers there—hosted the most beautiful function in their hall to celebrate the new Chair of the South Australian Multicultural Commission, Luisa Greco, who is another member of that community who has contributed so much to South Australia.

We had this beautiful dinner just for Luisa's family, friends and supporters in the hall on the side of the church. It was entirely put on by the community that make up that church—the volunteers who make up that church—at no expense to any of the guests who were attending. Again, I think that says a lot about the type of community that Italians have built in South Australia. That was not the first time that I attended a function entirely put on and supported by John and the volunteers around him. I really want to acknowledge that service, the service to the community, and also the ability that people like John have to lift others up.

Many people spoke that night about Luisa and her journey to become the Chair of the multicultural commission and spoke about how she had been a mum with a new baby sitting in the back at one of the Italian offices. She would bring her baby in every day. They saw something in her and have worked over many years to bring her up and bring her through different boards and communities across South Australia—to the point where she is now, as the Chair of our multicultural commission, which is such a beautiful role.

Luisa is another person in that community who has contributed so much. I think of my personal relationship with Luisa and what she has been for me in terms of supporting my community seniors forums in the north-east. John and Luisa have both been involved for a very long time at the Campania Club in Modbury North in my electorate. It was only about a year ago when I first called Luisa, telling her I had a function. I thought I had needed about 100 spaces but I had five days to move it to a space with 200 spaces, and of course she made absolutely everything happen so that we could accommodate an event like that for the community.

It was John and Luisa together—and they are a formidable duo at times—who first came to the government with the idea of supporting a book about the history of St Francis of Assisi in South Australia. Earlier this year, to mark the occasion, the minister, Zoe Bettison, alongside the Premier, yourself, Mr Acting Speaker, and I were there, along with a number of other supporters from the Italian community. Alongside all of the big names and faces in the Italian community, we launched that book in the Old Chamber here in Parliament House.

I do really want to thank John and Luisa for all the work that went into it, because it was their advocacy in that meeting that allowed the state government the opportunity to support the production of that book, and what a beautiful book it is. There is a section at the beginning that is in English, the back section is in Italian, and there are beautiful colour photos and beautiful graphic design.

They have all these amazing old photos that people have kept for generations, and it gives such a wonderful recount of the history of the St Francis of Assisi community here in South Australia. I loved looking at the ones from the late 1990s and early 2000s, as I actually grew up behind the church and we attended it when I was very little, so looking at the photos of that particular time was particularly warming for me.

I also want to thank the committee of the Madonna Dell'Arco who had the idea and put the support behind the book, and all of the individuals involved in its production. Emma Luxardo was very instrumental in putting that book together. Victoria Placentino had a lot to do, I believe, with the photography and design behind the book.

Enza is involved in everything. She has been an incredible support for that project as well, as have all the community members who got together to write a piece, to talk about their memories of St Francis of Assisi over the years and of course to provide their photos and supporting documents for such a wonderful piece of history that does not just describe the church itself but the Italian community here in South Australia in a really meaningful way.

Again, the church is known for the wonderful festas that it puts on. We are just a couple of weeks out from the Festa della Madonna di Montevergine, which they host every year. Of course, as mentioned by previous members, they do the wonderful procession with the icon through the streets. It is a really wonderful thing to be part of. I know that many talk about how it is much larger these days here in South Australia than the festas actually are back home in their home villages and home towns in Italy.

Again, that says a lot. We have an Italian community here in South Australia, 100,000 proud. I know for a fact that there are many small villages, particularly in places like Benevento, where we actually have more people from that region or from particular villages in South Australia than are still in those villages back home, which says so much about the home that has been created by Italians here and for Italians here and the influence that, of course, they have had on South Australia.

We were just talking amongst ourselves about the influence even on this parliament. We have a number of members of parliament with Italian descent, of course, and we know that Italians continue to contribute in all of the highest professions, but also they achieve in the arts, they achieve in government relations, and in the law. We have such a large number of successful Italians to thank for the strength of this state.

Even on that evening, as I mentioned before, when we launched the book, you could see all the cavalieri all around and so many Italians who have contributed to our state in a meaningful way who have been part of that community at St Francis of Assisi. It is a real privilege to support St Francis and to acknowledge the contribution they have had here in Australia and South Australia today. I want to thank everyone who has been involved in all of the celebrations, particularly that book to celebrate their 70 years. It has been an absolute pleasure to be part of that community over the last few years. Long may they prosper.

The Hon. D.G. PISONI (Unley) (12:26): I thank the member for Newland for her contribution. I thank the member for Morialta for bringing this motion to the house and for giving us the opportunity to celebrate the community in his electorate. There is one point I think that has been shared and understood today with both the Greek and the Italian communities in this place being mentioned, which is the bipartisan support and love of those communities by this parliament and by the people of South Australia. I commend the motion to the house.

Motion carried.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Before we move on, I would just like to also personally extend my congratulations to the St Francis of Assisi parish community on their 70th birthday. I was able to, like the minister, say a few words earlier this year after the reception we held in parliament.

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