Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Hansard source

Before I call the member for Reid, I'd like to do some acknowledgements for the House. I'm very pleased to inform the House that present in the Special Visitors Gallery today, in the front row of the gallery, are members of the Vietnamese Community in Australia, led by Dr Peter Thang Ha, the president of the Vietnamese Community in Australia New South Wales chapter, and my friends from Queensland Ms Mai Nguyen, the president of the Australian Vietnamese Women's Association, and Mr Bac Lam, representing the Queensland chapter of the Vietnamese Community in Australia. They are all here for a very special event tonight, in recognition of 50 years of Vietnamese settlement in Australia. Welcome to you all.

I'm also pleased to inform the House that today we're joined by members of the Youth Steering Committee, a group of young people between 12 and 25, selected from every state and territory to give advice on government policies and programs, and also a delegation from the Northern Councils Alliance, representing the northern suburbs of Melbourne. We have mayors Councillor Elizabeth Nealy, Councillor John Dumaresq, Councillor Kristine Olaris, Councillor Helen Davidson, Councillor Jarrod Bell, Councillor John Dougall and Councillor Martin Taylor, along with staff and CEOs. Finally, we have the Rt Hon. The Lord Spellar, who currently serves as a member of the United Kingdom's House of Lords and is a great friend of Australia. Welcome to you all.

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