Statement from SZCV President, Dr Danny Lamm
On behalf of the State Zionist Council and the 51 organisations we represent in Victoria, I express my surprise and sadness at the resignation of Premier Steve Bracks.
In his eight years as Premier of Victoria, Steve Bracks has demonstrated an outstanding and genuine commitment to his community – the people of Victoria. In my dealings with him over the years, I have been impressed by his interest and awareness of the issues affecting Melbourne’s Jewish community, and his willingness to commit to assisting us resolve those issues. Bracks has established and maintained an excellent relationship with the Jewish community and has been available and accessible for consultation throughout his term as leader.
Premier Bracks visited Israel, and his government became committed to forging strategic partnerships which have and will continue to be of economic, intellectual and educational benefit to both Israel and to the State of Victoria. Relationships have been established in areas as diverse as water conservation and management, mass trauma management and nanotechnology.
Premier Bracks has insight into the complex and difficult security issues facing the Jewish community, and the support of the Victorian government under his leadership in the area of securing our current community centre and providing a $2.25 million grant to enable us to develop a new community centre will be a long lasting legacy he will always have with our community.
I respect and admire Bracks’ decision to resign, given that it is borne from his desire to commit himself to family and his self-awareness that anything less that 100% is not enough in this position. Again, this further underscores his integrity, dignity and responsibility to the State of Victoria and to his own family.
I have been privileged to have developed a warm personal relationship with Steve Bracks. I wish him well in his future choices, and hope that his path will cross with our community in the future in some way.
For more information contact:
SZCV President, Dr. Danny Lamm: 0408 408 929