Prime Minister Julia Gillard visited the Melbourne Holocaust Museum in Melbourne last week at which she announced that Australia is donating half a million to a fund established to preserve the death camps of Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland.
Speaking at the Melbourne Holocaust Museum in Melbourne, the Prime Minister said the ongoing preservation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau memorial site was an important way for future generations to remember the horrific events of the Holocaust.
The Gillard Government is committed to supporting efforts that encourage education and understanding to ensure such atrocities are never repeated again.
Many Holocaust survivors, including from Germany, Austria, Poland and the then Czechoslovakia, found refuge in Australia and made it their home following the Second World War.
The resilience and courage of these survivors has contributed to Australia’s vibrant multicultural society.
The Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation was established in 2009 by former Polish minister Władysław Bartoszewski, a former prisoner of the Auschwitz Concentration Camp, to secure the preservation and conservation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Site.
To see the full transcript of the Prime Minister’s speech go to:
