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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2024-02-07 Daily Xml
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International Holocaust Remembrance Day

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS (Black—Leader of the Opposition) (12:12): I move:

That this house—

(a) notes 27 January is International Holocaust Remembrance Day;

(b) recognises the atrocities committed during the Second World War against many groups, and in particular people of Jewish faith and heritage;

(c) commends the staff and volunteers of the Adelaide Holocaust Museum and Steiner Education Centre for their work on Holocaust education since opening in 2020; and

(d) commits to maintain continued vigilance against antisemitism and all forms of racism in whatever form they take within our South Australian community today and into the future.

January 27 has been designated by the United Nations General Assembly as International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which is the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. The Holocaust, as most people would be aware but we should never forget, was the systematic state-sponsored persecution and murder of six million European Jews by Nazi Germany and its allies and collaborators. The Holocaust was an evolving process that took place throughout Europe between 1933 and 1945 but, of course, increased in significance and horror in those latter years of World War II.

The Holocaust was referred to as the final solution of Nazi Germany. It aimed to exterminate all Jewish individuals within the country's control. By the time that this abhorrent deed had come to an end, approximately two-thirds of the entire Jewish population in Europe had perished. International Holocaust Remembrance Day is an occasion to remember the millions of Jews at an individual level who were victims of the Holocaust, but more broadly than that it is an opportunity to reflect on the incessant attacks that have occurred on people of Jewish faith and tradition for millennia.

The Holocaust is within the living memory still of many Australians. There are still Holocaust survivors living in our country today. It is not that long ago. As someone still in my 30s, it occurred less than 40 years before I was born. That is not a long time ago. We cannot allow the passage of time to dilute or to allow a drift away from the realities of the persecution that the Jewish people face. We cannot allow the progress of time, or the drift of people's memories or the passing of those who had individual experiences in the concentration camps, to let us forget the lessons of the Holocaust.

There are many lessons. There are many opportunities for us to reflect on why the Holocaust happened and to put in place the protections and the awareness and the education across our society, between faith communities, between individuals and between nations, to make sure that such an event never happens again.

But in truth, in recent times we have seen an increase in antisemitism across the globe, and perhaps—although I do not feel qualified to say this definitively—we are looking at a time when it is more dangerous to be a person of Jewish faith and custom, more dangerous to proclaim one's Jewishness, than at any point in modern history since the occurrence of the Holocaust. That is the feedback that I get from members of the Jewish community here in South Australia.

In recent months, because of global events, I and many people in the Parliament of South Australia have had the opportunity to reach out to, to build relationships with, to talk to and to spend time with people of the Jewish community in South Australia to understand the challenges that they face and to understand and react to the protections that need to be put in place at multiple levels to ensure that people feel safe to practise their customs, traditions and faith as Jews in this state and in this nation.

South Australia has a great history with regard to being a melting pot of cultures and faiths, but it does not mean that we should not continually guard against the possible drift of that cohesion. We should continually fight for opportunities to bring people together and to celebrate what we have here in South Australia, even when other parts of the world might be dividing along racial and faith-based lines.

Education is a really important part of that, talking to people about traditions and customs and stories and why faith is so important to individuals and communities, remembering the Holocaust—why it happened, how it happened, its impacts and the ripple effect that it has had across the globe for more than 80 years now. This is all incredibly important. We must keep those memories alive, we must keep those stories alive, and we must keep those atrocities forefront of mind. It is not nice to need to do that, but we have to do that because that is a way to ensure that this does not happen again.

On the importance of education, of teaching people what has gone before and how to avoid it happening again, we are fortunate in Adelaide to have the Adelaide Holocaust Museum and Andrew Steiner Education Centre. The Adelaide Holocaust Museum and Andrew Steiner Education Centre was launched in November 2020 and it is still a pretty new institution here in South Australia. The previous state and federal Liberal governments came together to contribute to the funding to establish the museum, with the Australia government providing $2.5 million.

John Gardner, my colleague here in the South Australian parliament and Deputy Leader of the South Australian Liberal Party, was there during the launch of the museum and centre and has been a significant champion of that initiative, a supporter of the cause and a friend of the Jewish community.

South Australia's Holocaust Museum is dedicated to telling the stories of the Holocaust to create a fairer and more compassionate world by educating and inspiring South Australians to stand up against antisemitism and racism. The museum, really importantly, supports teachers and principals in South Australian schools and across community groups to teach the history and the lessons of the Holocaust to this generation and to many generations to come.

I had the pleasure of visiting the Holocaust Museum, which can be found on Wakefield Street, back in November. At that time, I was able to catch up with Kathy Baykitch, the centre director. Kathy has now moved on to another role in Sydney and we thank Kathy for her significant contribution to getting that museum off the ground and being a driving force within the South Australian Jewish community to making that happen. I was also able to catch up with Pauline Cockrill, the museum's curator; Thomas, the educator who has been working there for some time; and also in attendance was Elizabeth Ho OAM, a board member of the Holocaust Museum.

We also have the Andrew Steiner Education Centre alongside the museum, which was the work of Andrew Steiner OAM, who is a Holocaust survivor, artist, historian and self-funded Holocaust educator who has been doing that work here in South Australia for more than 30 years. Andrew Steiner turned 90 last year, and continues, where possible, to tell those stories, to teach those lessons and to encourage harmony between peoples and between faiths.

The recognition of International Holocaust Remembrance Day and other days like it really create a space, an opportunity, a date in a calendar for us to pause and to think about what has gone before and, as I mentioned a moment ago, how we can avoid that happening again. It is an opportunity to look at the past but also assess where we currently are, to delve into whether or not it is actually the most dangerous time since the Holocaust for Jewish people and is that a reality here in South Australia and Australia, as it clearly is in other parts of the world.

We have seen some progressive Western political movements say some pretty horrendous things against the Jews; not in Australia, though, in my assessment, and long may we guard against that. I believe there is a strong sense of bipartisanship across this chamber, across our parliament, when it comes to recognising, protecting and building relationships with the Jewish people in South Australia and in Australia more broadly as well.

Antisemitism in Australia is reportedly on the rise, but that bipartisanship across this chamber I believe stays strong. We have seen that in action through various contributions from both members of the Liberal Party and the Labor Party—including the Premier—since the events of 7 October 2023. It does not mean we should not remain vigilant, we should not continue to reflect on the past and we should not look forward to where we want to be in the future. We do not want instances of antisemitism to continue to rise. We want that to settle, to trend down, to disappear altogether.

I want to acknowledge the members of the Jewish community here in South Australia who have been in contact with me in recent months, particularly Norm Schueler and the people that he represents in this state. Norm has been a great friend to people across political parties. He is always keen to tell the story of the Jewish people here in South Australia and to encourage us again to reflect on the atrocities of the past and do everything we can to make sure that that does not occur in the future. International Holocaust Remembrance Day gives us that opportunity. It was a couple of weeks ago, but it is timely to raise this matter today in parliament to reflect on what it means and to show solidarity with the Jewish people here in South Australia. I commend the motion to the house.

Mr FULBROOK (Playford) (12:27): I am very happy to speak in support of this motion brought to the chamber by the Leader of the Opposition. I feel it is important that we send a strong and united message that antisemitism or, indeed, any racial or religious hatred is completely unacceptable in this beautiful state. A strong message must be sent and becomes all the more louder, hopefully deafening, when we speak together as one.

I want to preface my support for this motion by making it clear it does not come with favour to any one group. Discrimination, hatred or harassment is unacceptable in any shape or form and, while today we are highlighting the dreadful atrocities committed against people of Jewish faith and heritage, it needs to be stressed that history is littered with these dark chapters that must not only be condemned but also remembered for all the right reasons.

Growing up, I lived in a house where history and politics were dinner table discussions. This probably comes as no surprise, given mum came from Poland and dad was born in England two years before the start of the Second World War. Events relating to war-torn Europe were always close to home, and probably the reason I took up studying history at university. With no ambitions to take up teaching, some would question my decision to study the past and I would always respond by pointing out that it was a way to avoid future mistakes.

While Adelaide is half a world away from the historical epicentre of antisemitism, we do not have a shield protecting us from it manifesting itself in our backyard. The best way we can ensure we do not repeat our darkest days is by placing reminders of the consequences of ignorance, and this is how the International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the Adelaide Holocaust Museum and Steiner Education Centre prove to be invaluable.

When we reflect on some of the atrocities of medieval history, such as trial by water, the crusades, or even some form of crude torture, it is very common they are remembered regretfully with some degree of amusement. Distances in time often dilute the fact that we are dealing with humans and the suffering was real, albeit many centuries ago.

We must hang on to the realities of the Holocaust and ensure that this dark period is never diluted when we pass on its warnings to future generations. There is no novelty element to the murder of up to 17 million people and we must do everything to ensure as much accuracy and human emotion is passed on through discussions like the one we are having today. This is best done when we attach modern relevance to these reminders.

I do not suppose many of the volunteers associated with the Holocaust Museum and the education centre receive the same inner glow that other volunteers do when they help others. I imagine people like Andrew Steiner OAM, a Holocaust survivor, feel it is more duty-bound. For this, they deserve their own set of special words on why they are appreciated.

As we move further and further away from this barbaric era, even with my background and origins, I have concerns that it will be harder to communicate the loss of humanity to my son and future generations if we do not have these days and places to remind us. Given the fact this is a motion with bipartisan support, in many ways the fact that this house can stand together is arguably the best way to express appreciation to the staff and the volunteers of the Adelaide Holocaust Museum and Steiner Education Centre.

The people opposite from me are not my enemies. I have only been in this place for a couple of years, but in the short time, dare I say it, I would even count some of these people as my friends. We have our differences but we do not harbour hatred for one another. During one of my very first jobs as an MP, I had the honour of laying a wreath at the now-defunct Dutch club in Greenfields hosted by the Netherlands Ex-Service Men and Women's Association. We remembered the fallen, those who served, and the fact that within the Netherlands, three quarters of its Jewish population were murdered, the highest in Western Europe.

I was new to the job and my team had made quite the effort of organising a wreath. On that same morning, the member for Hammond was present to represent the Leader of the Opposition. He had driven all the way from Strathalbyn and, having not lived too far away from there in a past life, I was appreciative of his efforts. He had been nothing but kind to me since I was elected and I asked if he would do the honour of laying the wreath with me together.

After the ceremony, we both had attendees say how much they appreciated the combined gesture. We were both told that while we stood for different causes, the significance of laying the wreath as one, on a day when we recalled events that have their origins based on division, showed that lessons had been learned. As politicians we must never lose sight of this. For while we have jobs to represent people from different walks of life, we also have a duty to stand as one on the basics of what makes us human.

In April last year, I was shocked deeply when I went onto a social media page from the northern suburbs to see that a group of cowards dressed in balaclavas and under the cover of darkness had placed a banner on a footbridge over Main North Road. I have debated within my mind whether I would recount these words, but for the sake of historical accuracy, it was labelled 'Multiculturalism is white genocide'. It was very distressing but it was also fantastic how quickly leaders in the north came out to condemn these ugly words. The Mayor of the City of Salisbury, Gillian Aldridge, was on radio outlining that such a statement does not represent the wonderful communities of the north. Hats off also to SAPOL and the Department for Infrastructure and Transport for quickly having this banner removed.

Given I represent a community where 40 per cent of us are born overseas, myself included, it was felt that if the racists can have their banner, then so can we. A quick brainstorm with my office manager, Ryan Schumacher, and a call to Scott from Replica and we were ready with our own banner and set of words: 'Multiculturalism brings us together'. I was encouraged by how so many locals wanted to stand behind this statement, with local councillors, the Salvation Army and many multicultural groups joining me legally to gather in a park in Parafield Gardens—without the cowardly cover of balaclavas or darkness—to proudly illustrate who we really are in the north.

Fast-forward unfortunately to September, and it would appear that this mob were back, this time back in the same place with a new banner stating, 'It was the Jews'. While we reflect on the past, it is frightening that these people are still out there who would appear to not condemn these atrocities. Such people and their movement must be fought. When we cannot teach them the errors of their ways, we must do everything we can to consign their dangerous views to the far-flung fringes.

While I was saddened that our banner was not enough, coincidentally almost to that day, I was delighted we had something to respond with, following the arrival of 500 bumper stickers using the same set of words that we used on the banner back in April. I am pleased to say that they went quickly and I am sure we can produce more if anybody is interested. It is great to see this message scattered across the vehicles across the north and I hope it is a reminder to anyone hoping to spread hatred that that is simply not reflective of who we are.

Knowing that the two main parties within this chamber reflect this thinking, I am also encouraged by members of the other place. I am grateful we have also seen One Nation speaking out over the misuse of swastikas and I know the Greens have also gone out in force condemning these awful banners. I can appreciate these balaclava-wearing cowards will be near impossible to recognise, but I am very hopeful the major parties have sent a loud message that there is no room for them in our camps.

Finally, I want to underline and thank the Leader of the Opposition for part (d) of this motion. In my eyes, there can be no greater act of extreme hatred fuelled through mass ignorance than what happened in the Holocaust. I grew up discussing what happened to people of Jewish faith but, at the same time, never ignore that events also inflicted suffering on Russians, Poles, Jehovah's Witnesses, gypsies, Serbs, freemasons, homosexuals, the disabled; in fact, anyone who did not align to a widespread sense of false imagery.

The survivors and those close to them would be the first to tell you that the same ugliness that led to this trail of devastation can and has easily manifested itself against other groups since. This motion may on face value be reflecting on events that happened around 80 years ago, but it is still very much relevant today. We must continually reflect and learn from these events to ensure history never repeats. With that, and in the spirit of solidarity, I commend this motion to the house.

Mr BATTY (Bragg) (12:36): I also rise to support this motion from the Leader of the Opposition, noting that 27 January is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. It is a very important opportunity for this house to recognise the atrocities committed during the Second World War against so many groups, in particular people of Jewish faith and heritage. It is a very important opportunity for this house to once again commit to maintaining its continued vigilance against antisemitism and all forms of racism in whatever form they take within our South Australian community today and into the future.

In particular in this motion, I note a commendation of the staff and volunteers of the Adelaide Holocaust Museum and Steiner Education Centre for all of their work on Holocaust education since opening in 2020. That is something I really want to focus on in my brief contribution, in particular to acknowledge a lifetime's work from Mr Andrew Steiner OAM, who is my constituent, who is a Holocaust survivor and who is a remarkable man.

Since 1990, Andrew has provided education about the Holocaust to secondary and tertiary students in South Australia. The Adelaide Holocaust Museum and Andrew Steiner Education Centre, which launched in 2020, really is the culmination of Andrew's lifework which he has always said is towards a fairer, more just and more compassionate world.

He was born in Budapest in 1933 into a patriotic Jewish family who had lived in Hungary for generations. Following the occupation of Hungary by Nazi Germany in 1944, he spent most of his childhood in hiding along with his sister and parents before he and his family migrated to Adelaide in 1948. Twelve members of his extended family perished in the Holocaust.

I have had the honour and privilege of meeting with Andrew several times now, having him personally tour me around the Holocaust Museum and Steiner Education Centre and hearing this story from him firsthand, because while he was just a child the types of things he describes are not things one ever forgets. What he has done ever since has been truly remarkable because it has been shining a light on these atrocities to ensure such things can never happen again.

The museum and education centre in the city are the culmination of that work for Andrew Steiner. It tells the stories of the Holocaust to educate and inspire South Australians to stand up against antisemitism and racism and actively contribute to creating a fairer, more just and more compassionate world. Its permanent gallery, the Anne Frank Gallery, traces the history of the Holocaust, and the Lefmann Gallery is being developed to tell the story of Holocaust survivors like Andrew Steiner who made South Australia home.

Can I just use this as an opportunity to really acknowledge and thank Andrew Steiner for his lifetime of work, and also to thank and acknowledge all of those involved in the museum and education centre, as well as those who have recently departed the museum, including Kathy Baykitch, who I have also had the privilege of meeting with several times. Her passion for the museum and education centre was palpable. There is also Tamas Lorincz, the education coordinator, who does a lot of work with schools in South Australia to shine a light on a very, very sorry time.

I acknowledge all of these people. I also acknowledge my constituent, Norm Schueler, for his work and leadership in the Jewish community. The work that is done by all these people and many, many more helps shine a light on atrocities to ensure they never occur again. They help contribute to a fairer, more just and more compassionate world. I thank them for their contribution, and I commend this motion to the house.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (12:42): I rise to support the motion brought by the Leader of the Opposition to acknowledge 27 January as International Holocaust Remembrance Day, and some other related matters. The 27th of January recognises the anniversary of when the Red Army liberated Auschwitz, a site of atrocity potentially unparalleled in human history, with more than 1.1 million people—mainly of Jewish faith or heritage or identification—being killed for who they were, for who their forebears were, for their religion, for their heritage or for whatever monstrously, stupidly, wrongheaded, evil reason the Nazis identified them as Jewish.

The specific importance of Holocaust education cannot be understated. There are a number of instances of horrific, terrible genocide that have existed in human history, but in its industrial application of mechanised horror, the Holocaust stands potentially alone. The idea of getting train loads of people and taking them to warehouses where they would be murdered using the latest technology and scientific development specifically designed to kill as many people as possible as quickly as possible was an extraordinarily horrific novelty perpetrated by the Nazi regime during the Second World War.

Indeed, the removal of Jewish people prior to the Second World War from Nazi and Allied countries within Europe, followed by their extinction within Europe during the Second World War, I think, is an unparalleled example of racism taken to an extreme.

Hitler, in writing Mein Kampf, gave people a prelude to what were his intentions more than a decade before the Nazis controlled Germany. The measure of how nobody in Europe was able to conceive of such horrors prior to the Nazi regime is highlighted by the fact that, in modern-day parlance, 80 years later, we still use the Nazis as the embodiment of human evil whenever we are talking about a regime. If somebody wants to traduce somebody in modern society, they are called a Nazi. In a world that decreasingly values religion, where fewer people are going to church, I think the devil has been replaced by Adolf Hitler in the way that language is used in many ways.

I think it is the application of that cruel barbaric ideology on an industrial scale to the killing of Jews especially and also a range of other people, as other speakers have mentioned. Many people were persecuted during that time, but the specific condemnation that Hitler and the Nazis had for the Jews, and their pursuit of them in what they argued and convinced many people was somehow virtuous, was extraordinary.

The idea that a democratically elected government could perpetrate that on so many of their own people is something that troubles us still. Germany in the 19th century had as many liberal philosophers and democrats as any other number of countries in the 19th century, and the path they went down was able to be distorted. The mindset of all classes of society in early 1930s Germany, through circumstance but also presumably other things, was distorted in a unique way, and that government was democratically elected.

It is horrific to us to think that a democratically elected government could contribute such horrors to the scheme of human history, yet here we are: we have seen it done. That highlights especially the importance of Holocaust education, because we cannot rest on our laurels at any time. When you have a uniquely significant example of horror that can be perpetrated by a people voluntarily, willingly and enthusiastically in some cases, it is worthy of our schoolchildren having access to that history.

Andrew Steiner OAM and the other Holocaust survivors who lived in South Australia have numbered about half a dozen. Unfortunately, obviously as the passage of time continues, it is a diminishing number. The witness they have borne in recent decades has been tremendously important and useful in helping educate schoolchildren. Andrew Steiner's dream was that this Holocaust Museum would be begun in Adelaide, particularly with his own mortality in mind. All the work he had done for decades and continues to do in his later years—talking to people, using his art to tell the story—he knew would one day come to an end, with no first-person survivors left.

So the museum is able to continue telling their stories, and also how they built their lives in South Australia, but particularly to demonstrate for school tours, for casual visitors and for those interested an educational and museum experience, a cultural experience, that is worthy. The realisation of that dream obviously came about a couple of years ago. On previous occasions I have talked about the opening and the various support from governments, state and federal, and philanthropists who contributed to that. The state education department when I was minister provided some level of support for the education program, and I thank the Minister for Education, who has renewed and increased to a certain level that funding on an ongoing fashion; it is important work.

The engagement between the curriculum and learning division within education and the Holocaust Museum is important because these materials form part of our history curriculum and our social sciences curriculum, as well as our English curriculum—The Diary of Anne Frank is one of the most commonly studied texts within our schools, as it should be. The way in which the Holocaust Museum has been able to support the curriculum resources within the department has been useful, and those resources are tremendously useful for schools. I thank everyone in the Holocaust Museum who has had an engagement in doing that.

The work of the museum is broader than just the schoolchildren, of course, because Jewish people have continued to confront antisemitism in ways that non-Jewish people might be utterly surprised at. It is not a large community in South Australia but the specific resentment and hatred or fear of Jewish people has been described as the oldest of hatreds in various times.

Jewish people have been displaced from so many countries at so many different points in history. Last time, I spoke about the displacement of Jewish people from Judea under the Roman Empire in the late first century. These displacements have happened from all these places. Throughout World War II, while the liberating countries did important work in defeating the Nazi regime, prior to the onset of World War II too few of them covered themselves in shining glory in supporting as many Jewish refugees as they could have. We recognise International Holocaust Remembrance Day, 27 January, and in particular Auschwitz as an example of that horror. That is why 27 January is chosen.

The motion particularly identifies the staff and volunteers of the Adelaide Holocaust Museum and Steiner Education Centre for their work since it opened in 2020. The board is chaired by Greg Adams, who is supported by other board members: Jill Noble, Sean Hill, Elizabeth Ho OAM, Andrew Steiner OAM and Nicola Zuckerman. There have been previous board members I acknowledge and thank as well. Nicola Zuckerman was the chair of the board prior to Greg Adams taking over.

As the member for Bragg did, I acknowledge Kathy Baykitch, the inaugural director and chief executive. Kathy has returned to Sydney. We are looking forward to the appointment of a new director and we understand it is imminent. When that appointment is made, I look forward to meeting that director, as I am sure the minister and other members do, welcoming them to the role and helping them in any way that we can going forward for that important work to continue.

Later this year, the museum will close for a period of time to enable the grant provided by the former federal Liberal government and other fundraising dollars to be applied to significant infrastructure improvement to the museum. Currently, it is all ground floor and the building that they use on Wakefield Street, which has a peppercorn rent from the Catholic Church, has three storeys and I believe to have a lift installed is part of the plan. To really grasp the opportunity to use that building to its full potential is a wonderful thing, with modern museum technology being applied.

Later in the year when that closes, I look forward to its reopening. I thank everybody at the centre for their work. I stand with the member for Playford, the member for Bragg, and the Leader of the Opposition in commemorating this important day.

The Hon. D.G. PISONI (Unley) (12:52): I too stand to support this motion and remind the house:

That this house—

(a) notes 27 January is International Holocaust Remembrance Day;

(b) recognises the atrocities committed during the Second World War against many groups, and in particular people of Jewish faith and heritage;

(c) commends the staff and volunteers of the Adelaide Holocaust Museum and Steiner Education Centre for their work on Holocaust education since opening in 2020; and

(d) commits to maintain continued vigilance against antisemitism and all forms of racism in whatever form they take within our South Australian community today and into the future.

It is important that we recognise International Holocaust Remembrance Day because it was such a horrific time. I think the thing that makes it even more important today is the fact that we are seeing a return to elements, I would argue, of the extreme left who are turning to racism.

Remember, being Jewish is not just about religion, it is one of the few religions that is actually tied to a race. The Nazi attack on the Jews was not because of their religion, it was because of their race. It was an absolute racist attack. It was an attack on the fact that the Jewish community around Europe had, for many centuries, been successful in their adopted countries.

Of course, in the lead-up to the Second World War, Germany was heavily disadvantaged economically by the remissions that they had to pay back to the Allies after surrendering in World War I. We know how personally vindictive Adolf Hitler was in forcing the French to sign their surrender in 1940 in the very same railcar in which Germany signed their unconditional surrender in 1918.

Hitler needed a vehicle. He needed to blame a group of people for the predicament that the German civilians were in, and that predicament of course was an economy that was suffering not just because of their loss of the war but also from being in the time of the Great Depression. So, instead of being a visionary and saying, 'I've got solutions for you: I can bring you out of this poverty; I can bring out of the position that we are in,' it was a regime based on terror. It got there because of apathy. It got into the Reichstag because of apathy, but then it enforced its power by blaming—giving those people who resented Germany's position and the position they were in someone to blame—and saying, 'It's not your fault. It's not because we lost the war. It's not because we are Germans; it's because of the Jews. It's because of the Jews that you're in the position you are in.'

Then, of course, we saw the invention of propaganda used in politics, with Goebbels. We saw those movies that showed rats in buildings and then talked about the Jews, associating in people's minds the rats and the Jews. We saw, in occupied Belgium in about 1942, I think it was, the same method being used on the locals there, and they turned on the Jewish community. It was an awful period in their history, when civilians believed what they were seeing in those movies that were being screened in the cinemas and took action themselves and bashed and murdered Jewish people just because they were Jews and they needed somebody to blame for the position that they were in, and that is where we are today.

Antisemitism did not start to rise just after 7 October; we had an instance in this chamber where it was reported by the member for Morialta that there was an antisemitic motion by a council group within the University of Adelaide. Fortunately, that person has been removed from their position.

It is important that we remember International Holocaust Remembrance Day, and I support this motion.

The Hon. D.J. SPEIRS (Black—Leader of the Opposition) (12:57): I would like to thank all the speakers for the bipartisan sentiment put forward in relation to this important motion recognising International Holocaust Remembrance Day. I commend the motion to the house.

Motion carried.

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