‘My company is not involved in any illegal activity’, says Labor candidate

Parvinder Singh Sarwara is a Senate candidate from the Labor Party, who has entered the political fray for the first time during these federal elections. He answered questions about his candidacy as well about allegations made about his construction business, in an interview with SBS Punjabi.

Parvinder Singh Sarwara at SBS studios, Melbourne Source: SBS Punjabi

Parwinder Singh Sarwara’s candidacy as Labor’s Senate candidate was formally announced towards the end of April, just a few weeks before the federal elections. 

He told SBS Punjabi, “I was told in December that I was preselected, but the paperwork and vetting process took very long. All documentation took a while to process since Labor follows a very thorough process. That’s why the formal announcement about my candidacy was delayed.” 

Candidates from all sides of politics have been placed under heavy scrutiny and a record number of candidates have been disendorsed in the lead up to the May 18 federal elections, either due to statements they had made in the past, dual citizenship concerns or personal allegations.

Mr Sarwara clarified that he has never held an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card, so there are no dual citizenship concerns regarding his candidacy. 

He also addressed concerns about his construction business (Singh Homes), of which he is a Director. 

“I’ve been involved in construction work for 10 years now, and as a director I can safely say that my company is not involved in any illegal activity.You can imagine that since we’re in customer service, one or two customers maybe unhappy with us.”

Source: SBS Punjabi

“We still try to do the best for them, but you can’t satisfy everyone 100 percent. We have built over 500 homes over the past 10 years, if one or two customers are unhappy with us, we would still have tried to satisfy them, but sometimes that’s not possible.” 

Mr Sarwara said in some cases, disputes have led to a mediation process at Victorian Builders Association (VBA) or Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT), and added categorically, “There have been no major cases or allegations against us till date.” 

He said he has been formally supporting the Labor Party for five years now and believes that it’s important to be involved in the nation’s political process. 

When asked why he supports Labor even though he is a business owner, because the common perception is that Liberals support businesses not Labor, he responded “Well now that I’m in a business, it’s the last stage of my struggle period.  Otherwise as migrant you work in every sector.” 

“As a student I drove taxis, worked as a courier, as a labourer as well. Having worked in all these sectors I believe Labor policies are fair for both employees and employers. The core value of Labor is equality and I strongly believe it – that’s why I support it.” 

He responded to questions relating to very few policy announcements from Labor specifically for the Indian community in the lead up to the federal elections, the scheme announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison for first home buyers, and long stay parent visas. 

As for his hopes of being elected Senator in the May 18 elections, Mr Sarwara agreed that it is dependent on Labor getting a landslide victory or getting the requisite number of direct votes.

“Senate elections are based on quotas allocated per seat. There are six candidates this time round,” he said.

“Last time we had two Labor Senators  - this time we could have three or four depending on the swing towards Labor. Also, if a candidate gets enough direct votes they can be elected as Senator. So I hope my community supports me and I have the opportunity to be elected.” 

Addressing the community Mr Sarwara said, “I request everyone to become more politically active and align yourself with whichever party’s values appeal to you.” 

“I also humbly request everyone to do volunteer work. There are many jobs that can be done for the community and if you can set aside even half an hour during a month, a lot can be achieved. So please get involved in voluntary work for the community – so much can be achieved.”

PLEASE NOTE: SBS Punjabi does not suggest that Mr Parvinder Singh Sarwara or his company has been involved in any illegal activity. Our line of questioning reflects how candidates in the community on both sides of the campaign have been subject to intense scrutiny / allegations.

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