STATEMENTS ON INDULGENCE
Mr LEESER (Berowra) (18:28): It's an honour to follow the very heartfelt comments of the member for Petrie, who obviously has a very deep, personal connection with the people of Nepal from her time travelling there and from her own Nepalese community. I wanted to start by announcing some good news to the Federation Chamber tonight. A short time before this debate commenced, media reports indicated that another Australian has been found, which is a great cause for celebration, and those reports have been confirmed to me by government officials.
It is very good that there are now only 35 Australians missing, and I'm very hopeful that more will be returned. I want to begin by acknowledging all those suffering as a result of the devastating flash floods in the Trishuli valley. The floods have caused untold suffering for the people of Nepal and Tibet.
Lives have been lost, communities have been devastated, and many families are still waiting for news of loved ones who are missing. We know at least 1,339 people have been killed, and more than 5,400 people are missing in Nepal and Tibet. For people in my electorate, these floods are not just an incident on the other side of the world.
They've affected our community personally. The Berowra electorate is home to a 2,000-strong Nepalese community and a 12,000-strong Hindu community, and 11 of the now 35 Australians who remain unaccounted for live in my community. I want to acknowledge the Nepalese community first and the extraordinary way it's responded.
Two weeks ago, I met with the North Shore Nepalese community leadership, including its president, Hira Giri; Prem Sapakota; Ganesh KC; Udah Bhatta; and others. I've been struck by their resilience, their concern for those affected and their determination to support families here in Australia while also helping the communities in Nepal. Last week in Hornsby, members of the community gathered at the fountain for a vigil to remember those who've died and pray for those who are missing.
On the weekend, Harris Farm Markets at Pennant Hills supported its Nepalese staff with a special barbecue, giving colleagues and members of the community an opportunity to come together and raise funds for Nepal. Many of the Australians caught up in this disaster were in the region making a Hindu pilgrimage to Mount Kailash, the resting place of Lord Shiva, one of the most sacred places in Hinduism.
My friend Councillor Sreeni Pillamarri and his family, including his wife, Lakshmi, his son, Parin, and his daughter, Samyuta, were among the pilgrims and got out 36 hours before the floods. They're very close to many of the people who are missing now, and I know he's been giving comfort to many people across Cherrybrook and Epping. I want to talk about those people from my community who are missing.
Among the missing are the Muralitharan family from Cherrybrook: Chandrasekaran, or Murali, as he's known; Shylaja; Aarush, who's aged 11; and Ashwin, who's aged 15. Murali is an engineer. Shylaja is a senior data scientist and manager at the Commonwealth Bank.
Their boys attend John Purchase Public School, where they are very much missed, and Cherrybrook Technology High School, and they're active in sport. Their neighbours have described them as the kindest people they've ever met and the best neighbours anyone could ask for. Also missing are their friends the Iyer family from Cherrybrook: Sreedharan, Lakshmi, Rishab and Rudhra.
Sreedharan and Lakshmi are well known in our community. Lakshmi has previously worked for a school for students with special needs, and Sreedharan has worked in early childhood care. One of their neighbours, Ms Young, has spoken about Sreedharan and how he helped actually save her life by calling an ambulance when she was having a stroke.
Their two sons are two outstanding young men. Both are medical students at the University of Newcastle. Rudhra is in his third year.
He's a keen cricketer with the West Pennant Hills Cherrybrook Cricket Club. Rishab is in his final year of medicine at Newcastle and has a place at Gosford Hospital next year. He too is an avid cricketer.
I want to say something about Rishab's amazing partner, Sarada. Sarada has been a tireless advocate for the family, pressing the Nepalese and Australian authorities to continue the search for the family, including using mobile phone technology to look into their whereabouts. I know what a difficult time this is for Sarada, as it is for everyone who knows and loves the people who are missing from my community.
Also missing is Rajeswari Sharma, a 64-year-old from Cherrybrook. Her family is still waiting for news. From Epping, Uday and Kripa Shivamurthy are missing too.
Uday has worked for more than two decades as a technology professional and has volunteered as a cricket coach with the wonderful Epping Bulls Cricket Club, a place that is such a tight-knit community in my electorate. Kripa has worked as an accountant for more than 25 years. The 11 people missing from my community are not just names on a list.
They are families, they're neighbours, and they're almost a third of the total number of Australians missing. They're people who have contributed to our schools, to our workplaces, to our sporting clubs and to our community. This is why the tragedy has been felt so deeply across the electorate of Berowra, because in some respects we have three connections to it: the strong Nepalese community, the strong Hindu community and the very strong personal connection that people have to the 11 people who are missing—11 people that we want to see return home safe.
We all hope that the person who was found just a short while ago is one of those 11. It's fair to say that there are few people in this parliament who have been more critical of the Albanese government's foreign policy than I have, but I want to give a bouquet to the government in relation to the way in which they've handled this incident. I particularly want to acknowledge Assistant Minister Matt Thistlethwaite and his chief of staff and Kath Cummins from the Prime Minister's office.
I also want to acknowledge the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for their assistance with all the consular matters I and my community have been raising, particularly the matters that I've raised on behalf of the families of my electorate. Thank you to Eleesa and Kath and Minister Thistlethwaite. Australia has played an important role here in the humanitarian assistance, as well.
We've offered personnel and specialist capability to support the response, including search and rescue and mapping assistance. We've also responded generously through donations to humanitarian organisations supporting people with water, sanitation, shelter and other essential supplies. One of the great benefits of the event put on by Harris Farm Markets at Pennant Hills was that it gave people, including myself, an opportunity to make donations to ensure that humanitarian aid gets through to the good people of Nepal and Tibet.
But for the families waiting here in Australia, the most important thing that they're waiting for is news. They want to know where their loved ones are. They want to know that we are pursuing every possible avenue.
They want the search to continue. As the discussion turns, in the weeks ahead, to the causes of this disaster and the recovery, we mustn't lose sight of the people at the centre of it. There are still Australians missing.
There are still families waiting. There are still communities holding out hope. I join my community in holding out hope, waiting for news.
To the Nepalese and Hindu communities in Berowra, particularly to the families and friends of those who remain missing, I want you to know that our community stands with you. We pray for the safe return of your loved ones. Our thoughts and prayers remain with everyone who has been impacted by this terrible tragedy.