Page 3494 - Week 09 - Thursday, 20 August 2009
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held by the Cypriot community assist our community to realise how fortunate we are, while those who have fled oppression and war in their homelands are forever grateful for their new-found freedoms in Canberra.
I would like to pay tribute to the organisers of the commemoration, which was at the Hellenic Club and which was attended by His Excellency Mr Yannis Iacovou, the High Commissioner of Cyprus; His Excellence Mr George Zios, Ambassador for Greece; Father Con from the Greek Orthodox Church and community; Ms Georgia Alexandrou, President of the Cyprus community of Canberra; Mr Emilio Konidouros, President of Greek Community of Canberra; Mr Theo Demarhos, President of the Hellenic Club; and Mr Con Poulos, President of the Queanbeyan Greek Orthodox parish. Also in attendance was the hardworking chair of the Canberra Multicultural Community Forum, Mr Sam Wong.
Facebook site
MS GALLAGHER (Molonglo—Treasurer, Minister for Health, Minister for Community Services and Minister for Women) (4.22): I rise to follow up a matter I raised in the adjournment debate on Tuesday, 23 June in relation to the fraudulent Facebook site that was created of me late last year. I tabled the picture of an unidentified male who appears on that site and I raised the question of the Leader of the Opposition coming into this place and confirming that this male, who is certainly unidentified to me, is not a member of the Liberal Party and is not known to the Leader of the Opposition, any of the Liberal MLAs or their staff.
I note it has been an entire sitting week—in fact, five sitting days have passed now—without any comment on this. I might re-table the photo of the unidentified male. But I am pursuing this matter to the end. It did upset me enormously, this matter. I am not going to let it rest. I again raise those questions I have asked. It is a simple question for the Liberal Party. I presume it is an easy response. If they are not aware who this individual is and if they are not aware of the individual, then I will leave it at that. But if they are, I would like to know about it.
Australian citizenship ceremony
Sport—triathlon
MR RATTENBURY (Molonglo) (4.24): In continuing the sporting theme of today’s adjournment debate, I would like to reflect on an event I attended on Saturday, 25 July. Ms Porter was there as well. We were invited to attend an Australian citizenship ceremony during half-time of the AFL match in Canberra between the Swans and Melbourne. I am recalling this as the first time I have actually been to an Australian citizenship ceremony.
I have of course the great fortune of naturally being an Australian citizen but I must say, for the five citizens that day—and there were only five—it was quite an inspiring event. The pride in those people at becoming citizens of Australia was, I think, palpable to everyone who was there. It was, in some ways, a classic Australian moment in the sense that there were young children playing half-time football matches on the pitch while these people were becoming Australian citizens. The chaos of the occasion somehow seemed appropriate.
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