In moving this motion, I want to first acknowledge that in 1977 the United Nations declared 29 November the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. I also want to acknowledge that 2014 has been declared as the United Nations Year of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.I want to remind the House that it has been 67 years since the partition of Palestine and the occupation, which continues until today—an occupation that is devastating, demoralising and damaging for all involved. The time has now come for this to end. Australia, and indeed this parliament, must now recognise the state of Palestine. Australia must vote yes at the UN for Palestinian Statehood. Fifty six per cent of Australians are in favour of this and 135 countries have already done so.In his message for the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon affirmed that:We have passed through another sombre, sad and sorry year for Palestinians, Israelis and all who seek peace. Over the course of 50 brutal days this summer, the world witnessed a ruthless war in Gaza — the third such conflict in six years.

The recent report by the University of Canberra's National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling details the impact of the federal budget on electorates across the country. The report has finally exposed beyond doubt this government's real intentions and twisted priorities and lack of commitment to the overall welfare of the Australian community. Through its budget of broken promises and unfair cuts, this government is hurting my constituents the most, putting families under pressure, pensioners under pressure and young people under pressure. Calwell is the most adversely affected seat in Victoria and in the top 16 most affected nationally.

I begin by associating myself with the contributions made by many of my colleagues on the passing of Gough Whitlam. I offer my

I rise today to speak about my constituent Mrs Dorette Sayegh, an exceptional woman who recently celebrated her 80th birthday. Dorette lives in Greenvale Lakes in my electorate, and I was honoured to have been invited to share this very important milestone with her and her family. Dorette's elegance, her calm and her inspirational zest for life were palpable on that day. She not only has the distinction of being the first woman to qualify as a dentist in her home town of Basra, Iraq, but has also recently overcame breast cancer.Dorette's family is typical of the many Iraqi families that live in my electorate.

It is a privilege to be able to rise and speak today on the motion put forward by the member for Gellibrand. The member and I share a border; the western border of Calwell. The member for Gellibrand is fortunate enough to have a large number of Vietnamese-Australians living in his electorate of Gellibrand, and  I can indeed boast that, of the 220,000 Australians who speak Vietnamese at home today, I have about 1,200 living in the federal seat of Calwell. I have on occasions in this place spoken about them. I would like to take this opportunity to mark the 40th anniversary of the Vietnamese community's presence in Australia.

I want to congratulate the Turkish sub-branch of the Victorian RSL and its President, Ramazan Altintas, for initiating and making a reality the Turkish Friendship Memorial Sculpture. Its official public announcement ceremony took place today in Melbourne.Ramazan Altintas has pursued the idea of a memorial sculpture for many years and, despite earlier setbacks, his efforts and those of the community have now come to fruition. The sculpture will be built on Birdwood Avenue, Kings Domain, Melbourne, in the gardens of the Shrine of Remembrance. It will be an enduring symbol of the friendship between our two countries, Australia and Turkey.

My grievance today is about the government's controversial 2014 federal budget measures and the effect they are going to have on the people in my electorate of Calwell, who will inevitably bear the full brunt of the government's budget cuts.