Parliament House tribute to Hunger Strikers in Australia
More than 80 people gathered at a luncheon in the Speakers Garden of the New South Wales Parliament on 22 June to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 1981 Hunger Strike and to celebrate Sinn Féin's recent election victories and the defeat of the Treaty of Nice referendum.
Among them were 15 Members of Parliament (another five MPs, including Police Minister Paul Whelan, sent their apologies). They were joined by Irish community leaders, Aboriginal representatives and trade union leaders from the maritime, public service, mining, construction and rural industries.
The celebration was organised by Australian Aid for Ireland and hosted by Labour MPS Jim Anderson and Paul Lynch. Jim Neeson, from Sinn Féin's International Department in Belfast was the invited speaker.
The celebration was booked for a function room in Parliament House but had to be moved to the Speaker's Garden to cater for the large turnout.
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