The SIEV X Memorial. Ft: Rebecca Vassarotti скачать в хорошем качестве

The SIEV X Memorial. Ft: Rebecca Vassarotti

Yesterday I rose to speak about the 353 people who drowned at sea in 2001 on route to Australia in a boat known as SIEV X. The 19th of October marked the 20th anniversary of this desperate day, the worst asylum seeker boat tragedy to date. The boat departed from Indonesia with over 400 people on board, most from Afghanistan and Iraq. When the boat’s engine failed in heavy seas, it capsized and sank. 353 people drowned – 146 children, 142 women and 65 men. S I E V, pronounced SEIV, stands for Suspected Illegal Entry Vessel. It is the acronym used for a boat or vessel that has entered Australian waters without prior permission. X is a designation used where a tracking number has not yet been assigned. The boat sank 70km south of Java. This area is in international waters but also fell within both Indonesia’s internationally designated zone of search and rescue responsibility as well as the border protection surveillance area temporarily designated by Australia. Over 20 hours after the SIEV X sank, 45 survivors were rescued by Indonesian fishing boats. Twenty years after it happened, questions surrounding the sinking of the SIEV X still remain and I hope these will be answered. We cannot change what happened that day but we can and must remember those who died. A temporary memorial was established here in Canberra at Weston Park in 2006, with a permanent memorial dedicated in 2007. Former Chief Minister of the ACT, Jon Stanhope opened the temporary memorial in 2006, and support from the ACT Government for the memorial was in stark contrast to the opposition from the Federal Government at that time. For those who are not familiar with it, the Memorial consists of 353 white wooden posts, each one inscribed with the name of a person who died and decorated by schools, churches and community groups across Australia. The memorial is well known to me Madam Speaker, as it will be to many others. Stretching across several hundred metres by the lake in Weston Park, it is beautiful, moving and powerful. I was fortunate to meet recently with Sue Packer AO and other members of the SIEV X Subcommittee of the ACT Refugee Action Campaign. The Committee have worked for many years to maintain the memorial. I would like to thank Paul Meyer, Charles Body, Lauren Honcope, Soph Singh, Patricia Wilkinson, Penelope Ramsay, Mainul Haque, and Sue Packer for their ongoing work in maintaining this memorial. A group of committed volunteers have recently undertaken some much-needed preservation and restoration work but ongoing work will be required to conserve this precious wooden structure. The Committee are calling out for younger people to become involved and to become stewards for the future. Thinking about this, I realise that there is a new generation emerging who are unaware of the sinking of the SIEV X. In this 20th anniversary year, it is an important time to share and reflect on what happened. We must not forget those who died that day. For those who have not been to the memorial, I strongly encourage you to do so. It is not something you will forget. To find out more, or to join the volunteers, visit → https://www.sievxmemorial.com/