Thirty years ago, on 11 July 1995, 8,372 men and boys were killed. A further 25,000 women, children and old people were displaced. On 23 May 2024 the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution designating 11 July as the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica. Werriwa is home to many who came to Australia to find peace and safety. It was a privilege to join members of the Bosnian-Herzegovinian community, including my friend the member for Chifley, and other members of parliament for the observation on 11 July this year.

Many in the audience were survivors of the events in 1995, and they and their families still bear the scars and strains of what happened then. Today, out of the approximately 8,000 people who are missing, 7,017 have been identified, mostly using DNA. Each year, on 11 July, newly identified victims are laid to rest in the Srebrenica-Potocari Genocide Memorial and Cemetery. There are still 1,200 who are missing and unidentified.

I'm wearing a flower painstakingly crocheted by members of our community and gifted to me by a survivor. Its message is white for innocence, green for hope, with 11 petals for 11 July. It's time for the world to learn the lessons of this horror so that it doesn't continue to happen. Thank you to the community for sharing the commemoration with me.

Link to Hansard: Full Speech