Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I rise to acknowledge the Bendigo community and the local traders who got behind the Eat.Drink.Shop Bendigo campaign that we held last weekend. It was an opportunity for people to get out and eat, drink and shop and buy local. We felt we needed to encourage people back into our CBD because of what had occurred in Bendigo on the previous weekend. The previous weekend our local traders lost a lot of trade. Our local businesses suffered big losses because our town was effectively on shutdown. For safety reasons, the Police and the local council closed major roads around our town hall. They did so because the United Patriots Front, the radical right, and the radical left decided that Bendigo would be the latest backdrop for their running battles about their issues, whether they be about building a mosque or whether they be about racism in this country. Like all people, I condemn in the loudest possible terms violence and hate speech, and what occurred in Bendigo over that weekend was not Australian. Bendigo, like the rest of Australia, is inclusive and welcomes everyone. We do not welcome the violence and we say, 'Do not come back if you continue to wage your battles in our town in this manner.' Whilst the loss of trade hurt, the energy of last weekend cannot go unrecognised. I would like to acknowledge the role of local media in promoting Eat.Drink.Shop Bendigo and the many locals who got behind the campaign.