That the Parliament commemorates the importance to Greeks of the 2,500th anniversary of the Battle of Thermopylae, which took place in central Greece at the mountain pass of that name during the Persian invasion of 480 BC in late August/early September of that year; understands that Greek forces led by King Leonidas of Sparta sought to delay Persian King Xerxes and his vast southward-advancing army; recognises that the Greeks had only around 7,000 men, while Xerxes had anywhere from 70,000 to 300,000, but that despite the disparity in numbers, the Greeks were able hold a line only a few dozen yards long between a steep hillside and the sea; is aware that, for two days, the Greeks survived against numerous Persian attacks and suffered few casualties as they imposed heavy losses on their foes, and that it was only when the Greeks were betrayed by Ephialtes, a Greek desiring reward, who informed Xerxes of a path around Thermopylae, that the battle was lost; acknowledges that, following this betrayal, Leonidas, aware that his force was being outflanked, dismissed the bulk of his forces and remained to protect their retreat with 300 Spartans and 700 Thespians, who fought to the death against Xerxes army; acknowledges that the Persian victory at Thermopylae enabled Xerxes’ passage into southern Greece, where he was subsequently defeated on sea and land at Salamis and Plataea by united Greek forces inspired by the sacrifice of their compatriots at Thermopylae; notes that, on 24-25 April 1941, Australian and New Zealand troops under generals MacKay and Freyberg fought a strong rear-guard action at Thermopylae against invading German forces, destroying 15 tanks and inflicting numerous casualties before being forced to withdraw; appreciates that today Thermopylae is celebrated as an example of heroic resistance against seemingly impossible odds, and appreciates that, soon after the battle, the Greeks built a stone lion to honour those who had died and, specifically, the fallen king Leonidas, before in 1955 a statue of Leonidas was erected by King Paul of Greece in commemoration of his and his troops’ bravery and the battle’s role in ultimately helping to forge and sustain a strong Greek national identity, which continues to this day.