Dai Le (Fowler, Independent) | Hansard source

As many in the chamber know, I'm proud of my community in the cities of Fairfield and Liverpool. At every opportunity I bring a focus on the amazing people who share their extraordinary life experiences and challenges, and I shine a spotlight on their talents, skills and achievements.

It was therefore an honour to have the US Ambassador to Australia, Caroline Kennedy, visit the electorate of Fowler and pay a visit to some of our local schools. Her first stop on this visit to south-west Sydney was Cabramatta High School. Its students reflect my multiculturally diverse and inclusive electorate of Fowler, with 96 per cent of the students coming from non-English-speaking backgrounds. During our visit to Cabramatta High School the ambassador enjoyed her first-ever lion dance performance, and at the end of the show we were given a quick lesson in the art of lion dancing. She and I struggled to hold the lion's head and body as we attempted to dance. I think a few more lessons are in order! After catching our breath, we were excited to join a group of school leaders from the SRC, the student wellbeing team, the Red Cross committee, the environment committee and the young women's group for an insightful dialogue on how these student groups have built strong connections with one another.

Our next stop was Governor Philip King Public School in Edensor Park. Governor Philip King Public School is a thriving learning hub for our future leaders, where 90 per cent of our students are from non-English speaking backgrounds. Governor Philip King Public School is one of the few schools in Fowler that runs the parliament session school program, and it has done so for 32 years. It's one of the schools that I hope our Speaker will get to visit this term. We were invited to participate in the school's mock parliament session, and we had the honour of witnessing the great minds of the year 6 students in action. The ambassador was impressed and delighted to see the quick wit, clever questions and understanding of the Australian democratic system on display from the students. Somewhere in between dragon dancing and school parliament, the ambassador and I shared a traditional Vietnamese lunch and a leisurely stroll around Freedom Plaza in Cabramatta. I was able to share a snippet of our community's refugee history, which I am sure she's very well-versed in.

It was a privilege to host a representative of the President of the United States in my humble electorate of Fowler. I also want to thank Lachlan Erskine, Principal of Cabramatta High School, and Jason Corcoran and Glenn Hamilton, Principal and Deputy Principal of Governor Philip King Public School, as well as the students and staff who made the day possible. They managed to ensure the visit went smoothly despite it being the first day back at school. Ambassador Kennedy, I'll welcome you back to Fowler any time.

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