CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS

Ms FERNANDO (Holt) (16:21): On 15 August, we commemorated the fifth anniversary of the fall of Kabul, a moment of profound significance and trauma for thousands of families across my community. Holt is home to one of Australia's largest Afghan communities. For many families, Afghanistan is not simply a distant country; it is home.

It is where parents, siblings, children and loved ones remain. Over more than 20 years, 39,000 Australian Defence Force personnel and civilians contributed to Australia's mission in Afghanistan in the pursuit of a safer, freer and more democratic Afghanistan. Forty-one Australian service personnel made the ultimate sacrifice.

Their commitment, sacrifice and service to our nation deserve our enduring respect and gratitude. Their mission would not have been possible without the brave Afghans who stood alongside them—local interpreters, guides, drivers and other locally engaged personnel who risked their lives and placed their families at risk in the hope of building a better future for their country.

Five years on, that hope has been brutally tested. Under the Taliban, women and girls have been systematically erased from public life. They have been denied access to education, restricted from movement and subjected to rules that deny them the most basic freedoms.

Religious and ethnic minorities, including Afghanistan's five million Shia Muslims, continue to face discrimination, persecution and violence. Since the fall of Kabul, our government has proudly resettled more than 34,000 people from Afghanistan through Australia's humanitarian programs. We have also removed the previous restrictions that prevented Afghan Australians from sponsoring their wives and children, helping more than 12,000 people reunite with their families.

But there is more to do. Every day I hear from families in Holt whose loved ones remain in danger or in uncertainty in Pakistan and Iran. Australia cannot resettle everyone, but we must continue to do our part to support those who stood with Australia and to reunite families that have been separated for far too long.

We thank every ADF member who served in Afghanistan, and we remember the Afghan people, who continue to endure the harsh reality of Taliban rule. Inshallah, I really hope and pray that one day we will see peace and prosperity in Afghanistan.