Visit To Poland

Leader of the Government in the Senate

Minister for Foreign Affairs

Senator the Hon Penny Wong

Attorney-General

Cabinet Secretary

The Hon Mark Dreyfus KC MP

Joint media release

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Penny Wong, and the Attorney-General, the Hon Mark Dreyfus KC MP, will travel to Poland to attend the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp.

The world must never allow the memory of the Holocaust to fade. It is vital that the lessons of the past continue to be learnt to ensure this never happens again.

An estimated 1.1 million people were murdered in Auschwitz, almost a million of whom were Jews, before the camp was liberated on 27 January 1945.

What happened at Auschwitz and during the Holocaust is a reminder of the dangers of hatred, bigotry, racism and prejudice and the need to remain vigilant against a repetition of the atrocities perpetrated there.

The 80th anniversary of the liberation is also an opportunity to acknowledge the remarkable contributions and enduring resilience of the approximately 27,000 Holocaust survivors and their families who made Australia their home after World War II.

The Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism in Australia, Ms Jillian Segal AO, will join the official Australian delegation in Poland.

Australia is a proud member of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, and is committed to Holocaust remembrance, education and research, and ongoing efforts to counter the spread of Holocaust denial and antisemitism.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs will also visit Switzerland and Austria this week, including for meetings with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, His Excellency António Guterres, and the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Mirjana Spoljaric.

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