By Vache Kahramanian – Executive Director
As part of our commitment to advance the concerns of Armenian-Australians, the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC Australia) approached and met with key Members of Parliament and candidates ahead of the 2013 Federal Election, which will be held on Saturday 7 September.
ANC Australia’s Ultimate Armenian Guide to the 2013 Federal Election serves to communicate the messages and promises that our politicians and candidates have conveyed to us regarding issues that specifically concern, and are fundamentally important, to our community. The matters discussed during our meetings relate to both Australian-domestic and Armenian-specific issues.
Among the issues discussed were; the Australian economy, immigration, healthcare, funding for Armenian-Australian community projects, Federal government recognition of the Armenian Genocide, Australian Aid to Armenia including for Syrian-Armenian refugees, and recognition of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh.
As general party policies are readily available to the Australian mainstream through media outlets and party websites (Australian Labor Party [ALP]: www.alp.org.au | Liberal Party of Australia [LIB]: www.liberal.org.au), this guide will focus on the policy positions held by our politicians and candidates on Armenian-specific issues.
Over the 43rd Federal Parliamentary term, ANC Australia held more than 300 meetings with legislators in order to discuss Armenian-Australian issues. Additionally, in the lead up to the 2013 Federal Election, ANC Australia has held meetings with sitting members and key candidates in Armenian-populated electorates in order to secure support on all issues of importance to the Armenian-Australian community.
Similar to the last two Federal Elections, in this 2013 Election, the seat of Bennelong is again an interesting battleground. In 2010, John Alexander (LIB) unseated the former member Maxine McKew with a slender margin of 3.1%.
In 2013, Jason Yet-Sen Li (ALP) is challenging Alexander for one of the most multicultural seats in Australia. Li, a former human rights lawyer has committed to advocating Armenian genocide recognition along with supporting a raft of measures, which are of importance to the Armenian-Australian community.
Alexander has been a vocal advocate in Canberra, having spoken on the Armenian genocide on numerous occasions in Parliament, and having attended numerous Armenian Genocide commemoration events.
Bennelong is the most heavily Armenian-populated electorate in the country with more than 4,000 Armenian-Australian voters, who will be a key factor in deciding the outcome of that seat.
We wish Alexander and Li the very best of success, and we look forward to working with either after the Election.
Western Sydney has emerged as a key battleground for this 2013 Election. The Armenian community has a strong presence in the electorates of Greenway and McMahon.
Michelle Rowland (ALP), the current member of Greenway, has been a strong supporter of Armenian genocide recognition and delivered a powerful message during the 2013 Armenian genocide commemoration in Sydney. She stated: “Adolf Hitler may have said who remembers the Armenians but here this evening we as one remember the Armenians and we will never forget.”
Chris Bowen (ALP), the member for McMahon, has been a loyal friend to the Armenian-Australian community, advising us on the furthering the case of Armenian genocide recognition within Australia’s Parliament on numerous occasions. Through numerous meetings he has been of great assistance, especially in his former capacity as Immigration Minister.
We support Rowland and Bowen in their reelection campaign.
Joe Hockey (LIB), the Shadow Treasurer and Member for North Sydney, has remained the leading voice for Armenian genocide recognition in the Federal Parliament. Having spoken on a number of occasions regarding recognition and other Armenian issues, Hockey continues to enjoy the support of Armenian-Australians in his electorate.
The seat of Bradfield, held by Paul Fletcher (LIB), is another important seat for the Armenian-Australian community. Fletcher was the first Federal Member of Parliament to speak on the rights to self-determination for the Armenian people of Nagorno-Karabakh and has a proven track record, which has earned the support of the Armenian-Australian community.
We support Hockey and Fletcher in their reelection campaign.
Tony Abbott (LIB), the member for Warringah, has demonstrated a clear track record on supporting the Armenian-Australian community during the 43rd sitting of Parliament. Abbott has provided a message at every Armenian genocide commemoration, recognising the historical reality of the Armenian genocide. He stated in April 2013: “I am pleased to send this message of support to the Armenian-Australian community as you commemorate the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.”
We support Abbott in his reelection campaign for the seat of Warringah.
Emanuele Cicchiello (LIB) is a candidate for the state of Victoria’s most Armenian-populated seat of Bruce. Cicchiello is a long-time supporter of the Armenian community and has attended Armenian genocide commemoration events. He is a supporter of Armenian genocide recognition by the Federal government, as well as being a supporter of Armenian issues more broadly.
We support Cicchiello in his election campaign.
The following Members of Parliament have also demonstrated a strong record of support to the Armenian-Australian community and we look forward to working with them post the 2013 Election, and support their reelection:
Malcolm Turnbull, Wentworth (LIB)
Michael Danby, Melbourne Ports (ALP)
Joel Fitzgibbon, Hunter (ALP)
Craig Kelly, Hughes (LIB)
Scott Morission, Cook (LIB)
Nick Xenophon, Senator South Australia (IND)
ANC Australia thanks all candidates for meeting with us and we wish the supporters of Armenian-Australian issues well in their election campaigns.
We call upon all Sydney and Melbourne Armenian community members, who are interested in assisting of our above supported candidates on Election Day, to email us at info@anc.org.au with your name, address and availability this Saturday, 7th September 2013.
