Sada-e-Watan
Sydney ™
sadaewatan@gmail.com
Councillor Raj Datta
Interfaith Conference at Parliament House by the Deepavali Festival Committee of NSW
Deepavali Festival of NSW organised the 3rd interfaith conference at the Parliament House of NSW on 12 Nov 2014 to facilitate promotion of multiculturalism and expunction of racial discrimination for the 3rd consecutive year.
The Hon John Robertson- Leader of the Opposition
Hon. Amanda Ruth Fazio, MLC
Hon. Guy Zangari, MP
It was sponsored by the Hon Amanda Fazio - Opposition whip, Legislative council and the Hon Michael Daley - Shadow Treasurer and Shadow Minister for Roads. Other parliamentarians present at the event were, The Hon John Robertson- Leader of the Opposition, The Hon Paul Lynch - Shadow Attorney General and Shadow Minister for Justice, The Hon Guy Zangari - Shadow Minister for Citizenship and Communities and Shadow Minister for sports and recreation. Highly reputed speakers representing Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism, Muslim religion and Sikhism spoke from respective points of view how all faiths could promote social integration and multiculturalism in NSW and Australia.
Hon. Michael Daley, MP
Community members representing many different faiths presented cultural performances Deepavali Festival Committee, chaired by Raj Datta with the approval of Premier Carr, organised illumination of the exterior of the Parliament House of NSW for the first time in 2003 to celebrate Deepavali for promotion of multiculturalism, social integration and the principles of 'Unity in diversity'.
Dr Tim Soutphommasane
Rev Bill Crews
Ms Jaspreet Kaur
This was the first ever exterior illumination of a Parliament House in the western world to celebrate Deepavali. Based on the success of the event successive governments of NSW adopted this annual event as a model for celebrating other religious /cultural events such as Budh Purnima, Vaisakhi and Eid since, in the Parliament House with other Australian communities.
