Dai Le
Fowler · Independent · Australia
“Sometimes it is measured in language, in cultural unfamiliarity and in the absence of services that actually reflect the community they are supposed to serve. My second amendment embeds a requirement that appropriate treatment must be linguistically and culturally accessible at the person's geographical location.”
“The language a person speaks at home is one of the most important factors in how they express their needs, understand their rights and advocate for themselves or their loved ones. Language forms the bridge between all of us socially, culturally and emotionally.”
“by leave—I move amendments (1) to (3) circulated in my name together: (1) Schedule 1, item 4, page 4 (line 23), after "circumstances", insert "(other than the person's linguistic environment)".”
“Australians living with disability deserve a scheme that is trusted, well managed and sustainable. But sustainability and financial viability cannot come at the cost of fairness, and they certainly should not be achieved by pushing the most vulnerable participants into greater uncertainty or into a system of bureaucracy that is harder to…”
“The system must be able to respond to the lived experience of people on the ground, not just assumptions built into centrally designed guidelines. Taken together, these amendments rest on one principle: the NDIS must be as diverse as the people it serves.”
“They are an attempt to make it work for the people who will be hurt most if we get this wrong. I have moved these amendments not to stop reform but to make sure reform is fair, inclusive, practical and safe for people living with disability from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and people from low socioeconomic background…”
The complete record
Every one of 371 lines we hold for Dai Le, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 5 of 8.
“On Thursday 22 January, the sacred Lord Buddha relics arrived in the Fowler community and were venerated at Phuoc Hue Temple in Wetherill Park in the heart of south-west Sydney. For many in our community, the arrival of the Buddha relics on that day was profoundly symbolic, as it was also the national day of mourning following the tragic Bondi shootings. Standing alongside Venerable Thich An Thien and other venerables from Buddhist temples in western and south-western Sydney, I was reminded that, in moments of grief and shock, communities instinctively turn toward peace, reflection and compassion. In Fowler, one of the most culturally diverse electorates in the country, it's often our shared humanity, not our differences, that brings us together in times of sorrow.”
“My community is made up of people who have fled war, authoritarianism and oppression. They understand deeply what happens when hatred is allowed to grow unchecked. They came here because Australia promised something different: safety, freedom and respect for one another. At moments like this, Australians look to leadership for reassurance—not rhetoric. They want to know that our laws protect everyone equally, that no community is scapegoated and that our shared values remain intact. Let us honour the victims of Bondi, not by deepening divisions but by choosing unity over fear, compassion over blame and humanity over hate. That is the Australia the families of the victims deserve. That is the Australia my constituents believe in and that is the Australia we must continue to protect. Thank you.”
“It is an Australia that we must hold onto, now more than ever. I came to this country as a refugee in 1979. I have now lived in Australia for 47 years, and in all that time I have not encountered such terror on our shores except for the Port Arthur massacre and the Lindt Cafe siege. These moments mark us as a nation, not only for the violence inflicted but for how we respond in its aftermath. We must be careful not to allow grief to harden into division, or fear to be redirected from one community onto another. Antisemitism must never be met with Islamophobia. Violence against Jews must never become vilification of Muslims. Hatred cannot be cured by more hatred. I represent Fowler, one of the most culturally and religiously diverse electorates in Australia.”
“Despite being shot multiple times, he disarmed one of the attackers. Ahmed, who had already devoted his life to protecting others through service in the police force in his home country of Syria, once again stood up to protect strangers. His actions reflect the very best of Australia. That day ordinary Australians did extraordinary things. They did not ask who was Jewish, who was Muslim, who was Christian or where anyone came from. They acted because someone needed help. I also wish to acknowledge the Bondi surf lifesavers and the emergency responders who were on duty that day and who assisted and supported the community in the immediate aftermath, providing care, reassurance and calm in an extraordinarily distressing situation. That is the Australia we know: grounded in fairness, decency and care for one another.”
“People from all faiths and backgrounds reached out with compassion, united in their horror at what occurred and in their shared humanity. We also stand with the Jewish community of Australia. This was a targeted act of antisemitic terror, and it must be named as such. Antisemitism has no place in this country—none. Jewish Australians deserve to live in safety, dignity and peace, just as every Australian does. Yet, even in such darkness, the candle of hope still flickers, carried by the courage of ordinary people who chose humanity over fear. We remember Boris and Sofia Gurman, who stood together in an extraordinary act of bravery, attempting to disarm one of the gunmen so that others might live. Their selflessness cost them their lives, but their courage will not be forgotten. We thank Ahmed al-Ahmed, a Syrian-born father of two.”
“I rise today with a heavy heart to honour the 15 innocent lives lost in the horrific and senseless act of violence at Bondi on Sunday 14 December. What should have been an ordinary summer's day by the sea and a joyful celebration marking the first day of Hanukkah was shattered by an act of terror that has left families grieving, communities shaken and our nation in mourning. Today we grieve with the families, friends and loved ones of the victims. Their pain is unimaginable and their loss will be felt for a lifetime. On behalf of my community in Fowler, I wish to place on record the many messages of sorrow, sympathy and heartfelt condolences that have been shared with the families of those who lost their lives.”
“I'm asking for a Fowler loading, a specific targeted incentive that says to every bright young medical graduate: 'Your skills are needed here. Your complex work will be valued and compensated.' Please don't tell my community you're investing billions in their health while their local clinics are closing. Fund the doctor, not just the card, so my constituents can get the care that they deserve.”
“They rely entirely on bulk-billing. This government's incentives are a blunt instrument. They fail to recognise that a bulk-billing consultation in a disadvantaged area like mine is often far more complex and time consuming. The promised urgent care clinics are a bandaid. They may take pressure off an ED for a broken arm, but they do not manage diabetes or complex PTSD. They do not build the trust needed for vulnerable patients. Only a regular local GP does that. If we want to save universal health care, we must stop pretending that south-western Sydney is the same as the affluent east or north. I call on the government to introduce targeted geographical incentives for GPS operating in areas of high socioeconomic disadvantage.”
“They waited six long hours, six hours of waiting in pain, because of a chronic shortage of doctors and nurses. Even worse—they had no equipment or specialist to treat the injury, and they were told to go to Liverpool Hospital. That six-hour transfer is the true measure of a 'strengthened' Medicare in Fowler. In Fowler, we face a silent crisis. Our heroic local general practitioners are retiring. No-one is replacing them. Young doctors are not coming to south-west Sydney. Why should they? A GP can set up practice in affluent suburbs in the east and north, charge a high gap fee and work reasonable hours. Compare that to a GP in Fowler. Our community has a high proportion of refugees and migrants. We have high rates of chronic disease, complex mental health needs and language barriers. Our people cannot afford gap fees.”
“I rise today to speak for the people of Fowler and the wider south-western Sydney community who are increasingly feeling abandoned by this government's approach to health care. We hear the Labor government week after week boasting of a $6.1 billion record investment and strengthening Medicare. We hear about a universal card being the solution for all. I invite the Prime Minister and the health minister to come to Cabramatta and Fowler, not just during election time. Come and walk into a local GP's waiting room in Liverpool or Fairfield, because the reality here is vastly different from the rosy picture painted in the Canberra bubble. The truth is that a gold card doesn't mean a golden ticket to treatment. Just last month, my constituent Luis took a family member to Fairfield Hospital Emergency with a broken ankle.”
“My question is to the Minister for Home Affairs. Minister, my community would like to know, were you or any government minister at the airport when the ISIS affiliated women, also known as ISIS brides, arrived back in Sydney in September?”
“Yet the very students who could fill these roles are being pushed to breaking point by placement poverty. Some of the heaviest burdens fall on medical radiation students. Students undertaking degrees in radiation therapy or diagnostic therapy can expect up to a year of full-time work for zero income. Expending the prac payment scheme is not a handout; it is a strategic workforce investment. If we are serious about fixing shortages, supporting young people doing the right thing and ensuring communities like Fowler have the healthcare workforces they need, then we must end this two-tiered system and extend the prac payment to all health disciplines with mandatory clinical placements. I call on the government to show leadership and get this done. I commend the matter to the House.”
“His parents are already stretched, he doesn't want to be a burden, and he isn't alone. Dozens of students tell me the same thing. If students like David cannot afford to finish their degrees, Fowler loses out. The country loses out. The government will say this expansion is too expensive, budgets are tight, placements across disciplines are too complex to administer, or they will call for more consultation—anything to delay a decision. But the cost of doing nothing is far greater. Modelling shows Australia will need around 25,000 additional allied health workers by 2033 in aged care alone. Jobs and Skills Australia projections indicate the broader health and social assistance sector will require over half a million new workers in the next decade.”
“They want to give back to the suburbs that raised them, and we need them to. Fowler has historically recorded some of the highest GP bulk-billing rates in Australia, in the mid-90 per cent range, because our families cannot absorb a large out-of-pocket cost. I want to share the story of David, one of the young people on my Fowler Youth Advisory Committee. David wants to become a doctor so he can serve the local community his family has called home for decades. He is bright, hardworking and compassionate, the kind of culturally competent, locally grounded doctor we desperately need. But David is really worried about how he will afford his clinical placement. He told me that, when the time comes for months of unpaid full-time placement, he doesn't know how we will survive financially.”
“The reality is straightforward. Allied health and medical students complete long, unpaid full-time placements. They can't work while doing them, but rent still has to be paid and transport still needs to be paid for, as does food, textbooks and basic bills. Too many are being pushed into an impossible choice: push ahead with placements and fall into financial stress or walk away from their degree entirely. In a community like Fowler, those decisions bite even harder. According to the 2021 census, almost 12,900 students in Fowler enrolled in tertiary education, including over 8,000 university students. Many are the first in their family to go to university. They are our future doctors, physios, psychologists and radiographers. They come from migrant and working-class families.”
“I rise in support of the member for Indi's matter of public importance and to make one simple point. Unless the Commonwealth prac payment is expanded beyond a narrow group of disciplines, we will continue locking future health workers out of the system we claim we urgently need. As we have heard from crossbench members, while we all welcome the government's scheme to provide about $332 a week in prac payments for student studying teaching, nursing, midwifery and social work, many are asking: why are we stopping there? Why are physiotherapy students excluded? Why are radiographers, psychologists, occupational therapists, speech pathologists, paramedics and medical students left out? This isn't a small policy oversight. It cuts through the principle of fairness and undermines our ability to fix our workforce shortages.”
“We can and should pursue renewable energy but we must do so responsibly. That begins with a simple principle: state forests should be protected. I commend this motion to the House and support the member for Calare's motion to introduce a bill to stop windfarms in state forests.”
“Yet here we are, rushing ahead poorly planned renewable projects that will cost more to build, more to maintain and ultimately push more costs onto consumers. Communities like Fowler are tired of paying for bad planning. We need smart, balanced long-term decisions, not shortcuts, not symbolic gestures, not projects that look good in press releases but create environmental damage and financial burden in years ahead. The government must also acknowledge that a transition done badly will undermine public support for renewables. People want clean energy but they also want honesty. They want transparency and they want assurances that we are not destroying forests and creating mountains of unrecyclable waste in the name of climate action. If we lose public trust, we lose the transition. That is why I support the member for Calare's motion.”
“If we allow wind farms in state forests we risk turning protected lands, areas meant for recreation and conservation, into future waste sites once the turbines reach the end of their 20- to 25-year lifespan. That is not a responsible environmental stewardship. The irony is that we are destroying natural habitats and biodiversity in order to build something that is meant to help the environment. Renewables must not become a licence to industrialise conservation areas. While these wind farms may not be proposed in the electorate of Fowler, the consequences absolutely flow into my community. Western Sydney suffers from urban heat, poor air quality and rising energy costs. Families and small businesses in Fowler are struggling with electricity bills that go up despite the promise of cheaper renewable energy.”
“Before a single kilowatt of electricity is ever generated, these projects create massive upfront emissions that nobody seems to talk about. Why should we be clearing state forests—precious environmental assets—to build infrastructure that already carries such a large carbon footprint? When we look at the long-term impact, the concerns get even more serious. Wind turbine blades are notoriously difficult to recycle. Current technology cannot process the composite materials, so thousands of blades around the world are ending up in landfill. Australia is no exception. While I acknowledge that it is only for softwood pine plantations and not plantation pine forests, we still have to look at how these wind farms are being built and set out across these softwood pine plantations.”
“I rise today in strong support of the member for Calare and his call to stop wind farms from being built in our state forests. Let me start by saying this: Australians support renewable energy. My community in Fowler supports renewable energy, but we also expect governments to show common sense to plan properly and to protect the environment, not to destroy it in the name of saving it. That is exactly what is happening when wind farms are carved into state forests across New South Wales. We are told that wind energy is automatically clean and low-emission but that is simply not the full story. Building these massive turbines requires enormous amounts of steel, concrete, rare earth minerals and global transport. All of this is highly energy intensive and carbon heavy.”
“The association's contribution goes well beyond cultural preservation. Chin Lien has repeatedly stepped up in times of need, raising funds for communities facing hardship, supporting disaster relief efforts and helping to strengthen local resilience. Here in Fowler, the association generously provides crucial support to organisations such as Fairfield SES, enabling young volunteers to receive essential training and equipment. I congratulate Jennifer, the executive committee and all members of the Chin Lien association for their ongoing service, their commitment to community harmony and their generous work in bringing people together. I thank them for their contribution to the fabric of Fowler.”
“One of our local community organisations, the Australian Chin Lien Chinese Association, based in Canley Vale, recently marked an important milestone, electing the first-ever female president in Jennifer Tran. The association has been a pillar in our community for over three decades. It began its journey in 1992, operating from a small rented house on Gilmore Street in Cabramatta before the official temple was built in 1994. Jennifer's involvement with the association spans back to 1992, the very beginning of its operations. Her deep commitment was recognised when she was initially elected as president in March this year. I'd also like to acknowledge previous presidents Mr Henh Phong Duong, Mr Dong An Dang, Mr Wak Kau Chan and Mr Son Ha Long, as well as various vice-presidents who have built this community.”
“We must make it more affordable and accessible for those in my community wanting to study arts degrees, be it in history, politics or media—courses which the previous government made prohibitively expensive for many young people to study. I genuinely look forward to seeing a government that is brave enough to make a real difference to the lives of Australians, instead of just making a slick announcement, and we know HECS debt will continue to grow. That's the reality. The government must offer credible, genuine, honest solutions, not just more marketing slogans.”
“There is no structural reform to stop debts from ballooning again next year. There is no guarantee of meaningful ongoing financial support for those already at the bottom. What communities in south-west and Western Sydney need is not another round of cheap marketing slogans dressed up as policy. We need a government willing to put forward transformative long-term reform. We need real commitment to expanding fully funded scholarships for low-income students so that a disadvantaged postcode is never a barrier to aspiration. We need to break the cycle of perpetual debt that traps young people for decades. We need policies that genuinely make an impact on the lives and livelihoods of those who need it most. That's why I called on the government to support my bill to reverse the unfair job-ready graduates program or at least reform it.”
“These young Australians do not need hollow slogans. They need access and affordability. They need the genuine opportunity to be part of the new workforce without beginning their careers trapped in decades of debt. This motion, and the policy is celebrates, is fleeting. It delivers a talking point, not meaningful change. It offers relief today but guarantees that debts will balloon again next year. We must ask: Who exactly is this policy helping, and who is being ignored? What did this policy do for those students who worked multiple jobs and scrimped and saved to pay off their student debt? Absolutely nothing. What did this policy do for those young people that didn't go to university? Absolutely nothing. The policy is a narrow political exercise. It fails to address educational inequality at its roots.”
“They are juggling work, study and debt, often working late-night graveyard shifts just to keep their heads above water. They are exhausted, stressed and doing everything right, yet still falling behind. The government's recent announcements are a perfect example of this shallow approach. We are seeing the rebranding of a promised university campus into a so-called study hub. Renaming a project does nothing to address the real barriers facing young people in Fowler: the crushing financial pressure and the mounting HECS debt. The Albanese government's reckless spending is keeping interest rates high and driving up the cost of living. And, for those who manage to finish their studies, the government's mass immigration program is making it harder and harder for young Australians to secure jobs at the end of their degrees.”
“The government is currently excelling at two things: brilliant marketing and clickbait announcements. We see them everywhere: cheaper medicine, help to buy, free TAFE courses and, of course, the ever-present line about reducing HECS debt. These slogans are slick. They are memorable, and they make for fantastic ad campaigns. But, for communities like mine in Fowler and across Western Sydney, the reality on the ground could not be more different. Take the issue of student debt. A 20 per cent reduction after years of runaway indexation and skyrocketing fees is simply not good enough. It is a temporary patch on a systematic problem that continues to punish low socioeconomic students, migrant households and working families. In my electorate, young people are not just focused on their degrees; they are focused on survival.”
“I'd like to thank the member for Sturt for bringing this motion forward, but I will say that this motion once again shines a spotlight on the government's remarkable ability to generate headlines rather than deliver real structural change for the Australians who need it most. This motion praises the 20 per cent HECS-HELP debt reduction, a measure I fully supported. Any immediate relief for students is welcome. In my first term, I called for reduction of the HECS indexation from 7.1 per cent to 3.2 per cent, and I'm glad the government did it. As we heard, the member for Kooyong led a petition on this issue as well. However, we must ask: what is the government's long-term plan? What we have before us today is not a solution. It is a sugar hit, a political pat on the back that masks a fundamentally broken system.”
“My question is to the Prime Minister. Prime Minister, I welcome your record Medicare spend, having long called for expanded bulk-billing access. But with mental health the No. 1 reason people visit a GP in Fowler, doctors tell me that cutting items 2712 and 2713 removes the flexibility to provide longer, meaningful consultations for complex mental health cases. Can you guarantee that cutting items 2712 and 2713 won't deter GPs from offering the mental health care that families in Western Sydney depend on?”
“Modernise tariffs for the solar era: create ultralow daytime tariffs to soak up majority of midday solar glut so that households can charge hot water systems, EVs and batteries between 10 am and 3 pm. Retire legacy off-peak, night-only thinking. That is no longer much how the grid actually operates.”
“They want actions that cut bills and restore stability. Here are some practical agenda in parliament that we should adopt: make east coast gas work for Australians and put in place a durable domestic reservation and transparent wholesale benchmarks so gas cannot be exported at the expense of households and industry. When gas sets the marginal price, the whole marketplace brings that marginal price down. Mandate retail transparency and passthrough. Require automatic passthrough of wholesale falls, including negative price events, onto standing and market offers. Publish on a single page the breakdowns of every bill—energy, networks, schemes, retail costs and profit. If a retailer can't explain a bill plainly, they shouldn't be selling it.”
“Because the highest cost generator of electricity sets the price for everyone, because gas, now getting more expensive, often sets the price even when the market goes negative, meaning electricity is running for free through the network. Households don't see the benefit. The system is not built to deliver the lowest cost to consumers; it's built to preserve margins in the middle. Third, high energy costs are hollowing our industry. Cheap, reliable power once offset high labour costs—not anymore. Electricity and gas input costs have risen dramatically since 2000. When glass furnaces go cold, when fertiliser production winds back and when local plastics and chemicals shut, those are not isolated headlines; they are markets heading for deindustrialisation, fewer skilled jobs and weaker supply chains. Australians are tired of finger-pointing.”
“For most of our history, electricity was treated as essential public infrastructure. Communities like Tamworth led in the 1880s with first electric lighting system. Later, states built integrated systems that were boring, reliable and cheap. In the 1990s, we split those utilities into dozens of generators, a handful of network monopolies and a thicket of retailers. We were promised competition and lower prices. What we got was complexity, marketing overheads and bills that outpace inflation year after year. Productivity fell even as managers and sales teams multiplied, and every new cost found its way onto the bill. Second, the rules reward margin over merit. Wholesale prices have fallen sharply from the 2022 peak, yet retail bills barely budged. Why?”
“The price of milk, the price of bread and the price of fresh vegetables—these are all now inflated by the soaring price of keeping the lights on. It's unacceptable that, in a country blessed with abundant resources, we are forcing low-to-middle-income families to choose between heating their homes and feeding their children. Right now, energy pricing feels like a lottery. On Monday, the spot price is low; by Wednesday afternoon, it's sky-high. On Thursday at lunchtime, it can even go negative. Businesses can't budget like this. Small business can't plan like this. The manufacturers certainly can't invest like this. The volatility and opacity of the market are costing Australians dearly. How did we get there? There are three hard truths. First, we broke a working system and replaced it with an expensive one.”
“The data confirms that households are spending a devastating 33.9 per cent more on electricity than they were just a year ago. A 33.9 per cent price hike on an essential service is not inflation. It's economic sabotage, inflicted by a chaotic market and poor planning. But the pain doesn't stop at the power meter. The energy shock travels straight down the supply chain and lands with crushing weight in the shopping trolley. Food manufacturers are telling us that their gas and energy costs have soared by more than 50 per cent over the last three years. Do you know who pays for the costs when the manufacturer, the truck driver and the local supermarket pass it on? It's the battlers of Western Sydney and the families of Fowler.”
“The issue at hand is energy or, rather, the lack of affordable, stable energy and its brutal role in driving our cost-of-living crisis. The kitchen table debate in Fowler is no longer about saving $5 on a power bill. It's about paying for the power bill or putting food on the table. It's about a government whose energy policy has become less about practical engineering and economic stability and more about ideological virtue signalling. When the Reserve Bank released its most recent figures, warning signs were flashing red. Annual headline inflation has jumped to 3.2 per cent. This is not abstract economics; this is a tax on every working family. And what is the single biggest contributing factor to this fight? It's the energy sector.”
“In Fowler people don't need more announcements; they need a system that delivers. The dignity of our elders is not negotiable. It's time the Albanese Labor government matched its words of reform with real action for the families of Fowler and those in western and south-western Sydney to ensure that no-one will be worse off or left behind under the new-aged care system.”
“While the aged-care changes provide some positive relief, such as the $25,000 payment to help recipients spend their final three months at home and a new 12-week program to help when recovering from an illness or injury, what measures are in place to ensure a change such as capping admin fees to 27 per cent, which is designed to leave more funds to spend on care, doesn't drive perverse behaviours from providers who may increase their prices to recoup their costs? I call on the government to ensure this new system works with people, not against them. That means investing in frontline advocacy, frameworks that ensure provider accountability, accessible translations and face-to-face support that is culturally appropriate—not just digital portals, fragmented service delivery and policy papers.”
“The government says the new aged-care system will fix these issues, promising transparency and better access, but for families like Jenny's and Anna's those promises mean nothing unless they're delivered in practice. This massive transition introduces new contribution structures and new rules. But, if we're not careful, we'll simply replace one bureaucratic maze with another. The ones who will suffer most are our most vulnerable—our elders from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, those least able to navigate complexity or advocate for themselves. The dignity of our elders must never depend on their ability to decode government bureaucracy.”
“Take Jenny—that's not her real name—who came to my office desperate for help. Her brother had been waiting for a year for his home-care package. She'd called My Aged Care again and again, but no-one could tell her where he was on the list. She told me she feared he would pass away before receiving the care he was entitled to. Or take Anna, who works a full-time corporate job and came in to see me to share her frustration at not being able to find a provider to deliver the services her father had been approved for while waiting for his home-care package. Multiple days off work to secure care services for her father left her disheartened when faced with being turned away due to lack of provider capacity and long wait times. Instead of dignity and support, the system delivered months of silence and confusion.”
“Every week I meet families and older Australians who tell me the same thing: the system is too complicated. There are too many forms, too many departments and too many long waits. Even for those with urgent needs, those waiting for level 4 packages, the delays can stretch out for more than 15 months. In that time people's health declines, families burn out and their faith in the system disappears. For many in my electorate, one of the most multicultural in the country, the problem is even worse. Carers who don't speak English fluently are often left struggling to navigate a system written in complex language. They face forms they can't understand and call centres they can't communicate with. Even when language isn't a barrier, navigating the system proves to be complex and time consuming.”
“I'd like to thank the member for Boothby for bringing this important issue to the chamber. This week we enter a new era in aged care with the commencement of the New Aged Care Act and the replacement of the Home Care Packages Program with the Support at Home program. It's understandable that, when a new government comes in, they want to leave their mark on existing policies, but the real questions for my community are these: Will these changes actually make life easier for the people who need care? Will it shorten the waiting time? Will it simplify the system? And, most importantly, will it make sure that older Australians get the support they need when they need it? Because, right now, that's not what's happening. In Fowler aged-care issues cut right to the heart of our community.”
“I want to sincerely thank President Jhun Salazar and organisers of this beautiful evening for their leadership and commitment to keeping history alive. As we prepare to mark Remembrance Day, let us carry forward the lessons of Leyte: unity in purpose, strength in diversity and service to others. May we always honour those who fought for freedom by building stronger, more connected communities here at home. Lest we forget.”
“Through cultural programs, community service and the unbreakable spirit of bayanihan, Filipino Australians ensure that their legacy of the Leyte, of courage, perseverance and freedom, continues to inspire future generations. Across Fowler in south-west Sydney, Filipino Australians are an integral part of our community, working in our hospitals, schools, small businesses and churches. Their compassion and dedication strengthen the very fabric of our society and remind us of the best of what it means to be Australian. Events like this also remind us of the power of heritage and the importance of coming together. Whether through celebrating cultural milestones or supporting one another in everyday life, the Visayan community enriches our local story and contributes to the vibrant multicultural heart of our region.”
“The Royal Australian Navy, including heavy cruisers and landing ships, fought in the naval battles, and Australian personnel also supported the invasion by providing communication and intelligence capabilities. Their courage, unity and sacrifice restored hope to millions and reignited the light of freedom after years of hardship. I joined the Filipino Australian community in October as it came together at the Visayan Association of Australia's Liberation Day Ball at the Liverpool All Saints Catholic hall to commemorate that historic day. It was a moving reminder of how faith, resilience and solidarity can prevail even in the darkest of times. It was an honour to join so many proud members of the Visayan community—people who continue to live out those same values here in Australia.”
“As we approach Remembrance Day, it is a time for all of us to pause and reflect on the many stories of courage that have shaped our shared history. One such story is that of the Leyte Gulf landing, a defining moment that changed the course of the Indo-Pacific War and marked the beginning of the liberation of the Philippines. Eighty-one years ago, in October 1944, Filipino, American and Australian allied forces, fighting side by side, launched one of the largest naval operations of the Second World War. Australia played an integral role in the Leyte Gulf landing as part of the combined allied forces, providing a significant portion of the naval firepower for the close support group and landing troops and conducting vital reconnaissance.”
“Muay Thai—known as the 'art of eight limbs'—is more than just a sport. It's a family-style, community-centred culture that builds strength, respect and resilience. We saw this spirit recently when Cabra Muay Thai trainer and member Ik Kyu defeated Spanish contender Kevin Martinez to claim the prestigious 1774 Muay Thai competition at the William Inglis Hotel. The entire Cabra crowd was proudly behind him. That community spirit is spreading across Fowler at places like White Lotus Muay Thai, where I recently had a go at a Muay Thai class, and other local gyms. More and more young women, particularly, are taking up the sport. This proves that Muay Thai in Fowler is about empowerment as much as it is about competition. Congratulations to the team at Cabra Muay Thai and their families.”
“I rise to celebrate one of Fowler's great local success stories: Cabra Muay Thai, founded by local resident Peter Chau and a few neighbours, in January 2021, just after the COVID pandemic. What began as a group of young men training in a Cabramatta backyard, to keep fit and stay connected, is now a thriving community. Today, Cabra Muay Thai has nearly 400 members and employs a team of 11, training everyone—from young people to families to professionals—from all walks of life. Peter's vision was simple, yet powerful: to bring Muay Thai home. For years, he shared with me, he had to travel across Sydney and even to Thailand just to find proper training. He was determined to make this incredible sport accessible right here, in the heart of one of Australia's most culturally-diverse South-East Asian communities.”
“In June, I also had the opportunity to be part of the Vietnamese Museum Australia fundraising event in Melbourne to raise funds to build this museum that will preserve the enduring legacy of Vietnamese-Australians, their boat journey and settlement here, for generations to come. The shared history of displacement and new beginnings makes Fowler so special. Every face tells a story of perseverance, and my role is to continue to advocate for and champion our community that is built on hard work, sacrifice and opportunity. There are many others migrants and refugees who have come to call Fowler home, and I want to pay tribute to them as well.”