Tuesday, 31 October 2023

Republic of Türkiye centenary

Iwan WALTERS (Greenvale) (13:36): I am sure the house joins me in wishing Victoria’s strong and proud Turkish community a very happy republic day. This week marks the centenary of the founding of the Republic of Türkiye under its first president and father of the nation, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. I am delighted that the Victorian government is supporting many special community events this week, with an investment of $200,000 to celebrate this auspicious milestone and the strong relationship shared between Türkiye and Victoria. It is a relationship that has been sustained by the generosity of the Turkish people following the carnage at Gallipoli and Çanakkale in 1915. It is a relationship that has been underpinned by the migration of many Turkish people to Australia, a large proportion of whom have settled in Melbourne’s northern suburbs and my electorate of Greenvale.

As co-convenor of the Parliamentary Friends of Türkiye, it has been a pleasure working with Consul General Doğan F Işık and his team at the Melbourne consulate to advance relations between Victoria and Türkiye. I am proud that my electorate of Greenvale has the largest Turkish–Australian population of any district represented in this house, and I am deeply grateful for the contributions of so, so many. Cumhuriyet Bayraminiz kutlu olsun.