Page 1929 - Week 06 - Thursday, 5 May 2005
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held at the United Nations—there were also other ceremonies held in London, Berlin and other capitals—with the world commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp and the need never again to let genocidal campaigns go unanswered.
The Holocaust is an important but very sensitive subject. It has the ability to draw out strength and faith from within, but it does carry with it an underlying fear of the unimaginable happening again. When these camps were liberated in 1945, the world was shocked by the horror and intensity of what had occurred—the organised execution of millions of people; a systemised, savage death sentence that had never been witnessed in the history of the world. Two-thirds of European Jewry lay dead. This was an unimaginable, horrible and unbelievable tragedy.
Jewish history is filled with many sorrowful tragedies. Some believe that the pain and sorrow of these terrible events dull with the passing of time. But this tragedy will never be healed by time, for these wounds are the lessons of exile. They are reminders that the Jewish people have a homeland and a destiny.
We must keep the memory of the Holocaust alive in order to prevent such a catastrophe ever happening again. During the past decade, the subject of the Holocaust has been introduced in schools and universities. Films and television programs have been produced, books and magazine articles have been written which portray, in most tragic terms, many people’s experiences of the Holocaust.
In Israel, where I have had the pleasure of visiting—and I know some of the members here have also—Yom HASHOAH is a solemn day. Places of entertainment are closed, and memorial ceremonies are held throughout the country. There are ceremonies recognising some six million murdered Jews, and the country certainly comes to a complete halt whilst this recognition and remembrance take place.
As the years pass, those who are actual survivors of the Nazi brutality grow older and die. Soon there will be no-one left alive who personally lived through the Holocaust. So it becomes even more important to remember those terrible years and how they began and to remember how cruelty, hatred and discrimination led to violence, death and destruction. On this special day, Jews and non-Jews around the world will pause each year to remember. I would ask you also to remember and not to forget.
Just briefly in the time available, I would also like to make mention of another area of activity I have been involved with in my capacity as opposition spokesperson on the arts. I had the privilege recently to see some of the areas of activity that fall under the Cultural Facilities Corporation and was given a very comprehensive tour through the Canberra Museum and Gallery and the Canberra Theatre Centre.
Whilst most members have probably visited aspects of these facilities, to receive such a comprehensive briefing and such a detailed tour of those facilities left me strongly impressed. I know, Mr Speaker, you have special associations with that facility but I found, in my capacity as spokesman on the arts, a keen interest in what they are doing. The dedication of people working in our arts community comes through, and I would love to see even greater utilisation of those facilities.
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