Mr CONNELLY (Stirling) (11:27): I move: That this House: (1) considers the Baha'i community a valued part of Australian society; (2) commends the contribution that Australian Baha'is make to social cohesion, unity and community building in Australia; (3) provides assurance that it holds the Baha'i Faith, its leadership and its practicing members in the highest regard, in light of their focus on serving others with excellence; (4) congratulates the Australian Baha'i community on the celebration of the bicentenary of the birth of their founder, the Bab, in October 2019; (5) condemns the ongoing persecution of Baha'is across the world, which includes arbitrary arrests and imprisonments, economic isolation and denial of access to higher education; (6) acknowledges that 2019 is the bicentenary of the Baha'i Faith; (7) notes that the Baha'i Faith teaches core principles of inclusivity, public service and peacefulness; (8) recognises that in spite of the openness and peacefulness inherent to their beliefs, members of the Baha'i Faith have suffered significant persecution; (9) understands that most, if not all, of the world's major religions have, at various times including the present, suffered persecution in some form; and (10) holds that the importance of freedom of religion is both an individual and a collective right, protected under international and domestic law, whereby all people are free to adopt and hold a belief, as well as manifest that belief in worship, observance, practice or teaching. I have spoken in this place about the ethnic diversity of my electorate of Stirling several times during my first few months as an MP. Stirling is the most ethnically diverse electorate in the nation, after all, and I am immensely proud to say that the evidence shows it's working well. It's cohesive, and it is proof of the benefits of Australia's measured and pragmatic approach to migration. One of the reasons our community is so cohesive is the large numbers of volunteers, members of the community dedicating thousands of hours a week to the social fabric of the local sporting clubs, religious groups, schools and other organisations. Community service is the glue that holds us all together, and this is the central teaching of the Baha'i faith. Thanks to a briefing by local Baha'i leaders in Stirling a few weeks ago, I've now become aware of a new, vibrant and crucial part of our local community. The Baha'i teach that the wellbeing of humankind and its peace and security are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established. It's a religion whose pivotal teaching is the oneness of humanity—that we are all equal members of a single human race who share a common home on this planet. Baha'i teachings provide high standards for personal conduct which, taken collectively, would contribute to a more united, peaceful and prosperous world. I have discovered, as I've researched the religion further, that the Baha'i believe serving the community with excellence in pursuit of this common good is their definition of worship. It's hard for me to imagine a religious belief more compatible with supporting the fabric of a multicultural, democratic and free society. Despite this, the Baha'i have faced decades of persecution. I take comfort in the long history of bipartisan support and solidarity shown by Australians and our parliament in decades gone by for the plight of the Baha'i, and I echo our nation's longstanding support for the Baha'i. In 1983, the Australian government instituted a special humanitarian assistance program for members of the Baha'i faith fleeing religious persecution. In an article dated 9 May 2013, Nina Markovic of the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Security Section wrote a background note for the Parliamentary Library, and this stated: The government discussed the issue of the treatment of the Baha'is … and supported resolutions on behalf of the Baha'is in the UN General Assembly and the International Commission of Human Rights in Geneva. Former Australian Ambassador to the United Nations Gary Quinlan spoke out on their behalf during his tenure, referring to discrimination against minorities such as the Baha'i. At the end of our meeting in my electorate of Stirling, I asked the local representatives of the Baha'i faith—who had taken the time to give me such a clear briefing on who they were and why I should be learning more—what I could do for them. In true peaceful and diplomatic fashion, they clearly articulated that they do not demand anything but that, in the year of the bicentenary of the birth of their Herald, the Bab, it would be a welcome gesture for Australia's parliament to reaffirm our knowledge of their plight and move a motion in solidarity with them. These views are important ingredients in a free, just and noble society. And I express my personal solidarity—that the struggles of the Baha'i soon come to an end, that they are acknowledged for the gift of service they provide to the community and that the Baha'is may long be a part of our prosperous and harmonious community. The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Vamvakinou ): I thank the member for Stirling. Is there a seconder for the member for Stirling's motion? Mr Falinski: I second the motion and reserve my right to speak. The DEPUTY SPEAKER: I thank the member for Mackellar. The question is that the motion be agreed to.