Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am rising today to speak on the 20th anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Slovenia. When France Preseren wrote his poem Zdravljica in 1844, it was considered subversive. The third and fourth verses of his poem, which spoke of Slovenian nationalism and national identity, were considered so dangerous by the Austrians that the poem was banned from publication. The censors said that Preseren could publish his poem without the offending verses; Preseren said that the poem was mutilated without them. Now Zdravljica is the Slovenian national anthem. While mostly only the seventh verse is sung, the whole poem and its history are representative of Slovenia's journey to freedom and independence.

This Saturday, 25 June 2011, the Republic of Slovenia will celebrate the 20th anniversary of its independence. Slovenians at home and abroad are preparing to commemorate this important event. Slovenia is a small country of two million people yet it has a rich history and a mighty heart. It is a land both fiercely independent and peaceful. Its people are spread across the globe, fully integrated into their new homes yet passionately attached to their motherland and mother tongue. Australia has a small but active Slovene community, many of whom migrated here in the 1950s and 1960s. The 2006 census recorded 16,085 people of Slovenian origin living in Australia, mostly in Melbourne and Sydney. Of course, Canberra and Wollongong also have large Slovenian communities. On 16 January 1992, Australia became one of the first nations in the world to acknowledge Slovene independence. Slovene Australians should be proud of the role they played in this official acknowledgment. We have strong representation now of Slovenians from Slovenia—for instance, the charge d'affaires, Dr Zvone Zigon, and the incoming ambassador designate, Dr Milan Balazic. But for a very long time we have had Slovenian Australians like Mr Alfred Breznik AM, the honorary consul-general, former Liberal senator Misha Lajovic and religious leaders such as Father Valerijan and a series of very involved priests and nuns who led the Slovenian-Australian community in supporting independence for Slovenia. I think their work should be acknowledged as critical to Australia being one of the early recognisers of Slovenian independence.

The contributions made by the Slovenian-Australian community to their adopted homeland allowed the Australian government the confidence to support Slovenian independence. I was in Slovenia on that first evening of independence, 25 June 1991, sitting near Tromostovje, listening to speeches over a public-address system and watching the fireworks in the warm evening sky. I remember the following day the way in which the borders were closed and Slovenians drove their cars and trucks onto the roads to block the onslaught of the Yugoslav army. It was a very anxious time for Slovenians around the world. It is wonderful to see that we can now live peacefully as neighbours. (Time expired)