liberals visit Blackburn Gurudwara

The party’s view on student and visa issues are propounded during a visit to the Sikh community temple, writes SIMMI

Indian students are very, very welcome to Australia,” claimed Scott Morrison, Shadow Immigration Minister who visited the Gurudwara Sahib (Sikh Temple) in Blackburn recently, along with other leaders of the Liberal Party. “Not only are the students welcome, but under our Government, Australia will look after them when they are here. This can be done by working through community organisations like this temple to ensure that people who come here to study, whether they are here on a temporary or permanent visa, can be successful,” he continued.

Speaking about the current Governments stand on 457 visas, Minister Morrison alleged that Kevin Rudd and the Labor Government have attempted to choke this visa category. “The answer does not lie in over-regulating the visas, but in better enforcement of the process,” said Minister Morrison while addressing invited media representatives.

The Minister was accompanied by Senator Scott Ryan, Shadow

Parliamentary Secretary for Small Business and Fair Competition; Emanuele Cicchiello, Liberal for Bruce; and Michael Sukkar, Liberal For Deakin. Vasan Srinivasan, President of FIAV; Perminder Rayat, Liberal party supporter; and Goldy Brar, Liberal Party Member from Bundoora, were also present. Several members of the Gurudwara Management Committee welcomed the guests and led them on a tour of the temple premises. The Gurudwara officials included Devinder Singh Bedi, Anterpreet Singh Arneja, Manohar Singh Sidhu, Inderjit Singh Jasal, Luckee Kohli and Paramjeet Jaswal.

“The Liberal Party has always been an advocate of skilled migration,” said Minister Morrison. “Under the Liberal government you will never hear that Indian migrants will take Australian jobs. We will always welcome migrants as we know that they build the community, not take away from it”. He urged the Sikh community to support Liberal candidates like Emanuelle Cicchiello and Michael Sukkar to enable them to make changes at the local level.

The leaders continued to make similar appeals, while addressing

BAKSHI

the hundreds of devotees who came to pray at the temple. The dignitaries were also shown the Gurudwara library, communal kitchen and the newly built Khalsa Punjabi School where they met with school staff and students. The guests observed protocol by accepting the sweet offering (kada parsad); however they did not stay back for the temple food (langar).