Gabriel Ng (Menzies, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Recently in Menzies we held the Manningham Chinese New Year Festival at Jackson Court to welcome the Year of the Fire Horse. It was a wonderful day filled with rides, delicious food, cultural performances and possibly the best lion dance I've ever seen, as well as a fantastic fireworks celebration at night. I want to thank the Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Anne Aly, for joining me there. She received a warm welcome from members of my community. We chatted to the stallholders, and we were even gifted some beautiful Chinese calligraphy. This is the first of two events we are delivering as part of our election commitment of $200,000 for local multicultural festivals.

Events like this are about more than just having fun and enjoying great food, although there was plenty of that. They are about celebrating culture, building understanding and bringing people together. They are about social cohesion. They reflect the Albanese Labor government's commitment to our multicultural communities and to social cohesion.

I want to thank Bihong Wang, Richard Shi, Tim, Sean, Charlie and everyone from the Asian Business Association of Whitehorse for their leadership, dedication and hard work in bringing this festival to life. It was also an important way of supporting our local small businesses. I want to thank the Jackson Court Traders Association for their engagement with the event. Your collaboration and generosity helped create a welcoming and vibrant atmosphere for everyone who attended.

The second part of our $200,000 commitment will deliver the Box Hill Chinese New Year Festival, to be held on 21 February along Bank Street in Box Hill. On that day, the streets will come alive with colour as lanterns and traditional decorations transform the heart of Box Hill into a vibrant showcase of culture and community. It reflects the many communities that call our area home, including Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean and others, each sharing their traditions, stories and spirit. Some will come for the food, from Korean kimchi pancakes and Japanese takoyaki to Chinese steamed buns and Vietnamese banh mi. Some will come for the music and traditional dances, drawn to the rhythm and sound that carry through the streets. When we gather like this, it strengthens and shapes the modern Australian story. It shows that culture is not distant but lived, shared and experienced together.

Festivals like this are more than just dates on a calendar. They demonstrate that, while we come from different backgrounds and traditions, we can not only respect but celebrate our differences. That is social cohesion in action, built through inclusion, acceptance and a shared sense of belonging. These celebrations across our electorate reflect a broader strength in our community.

This Saturday I attended the United Muslim Migrants Association Mosque Open Day in Doncaster East, which provides an opportunity for the broader community to visit the mosque, learn more about Islam and engage in open and respectful dialogue. It was a welcoming event with generous hospitality and thoughtful conversations. Members of the community were invited to ask any questions that they might have, and the religious leaders answered them with grace, with patience and with expertise. Members of our community came together in a genuine spirit of connection. I was accompanied by Vicki Ward, the member for Eltham, and Sonja Terpstra, a member for the North-Eastern Metropolitan Region.

I want to thank Ahmad and the organising team for their warm welcome and leadership in hosting the day. This has been a difficult time for the Muslim community, and UMMA's dedication to holding this event demonstrates the truth that Islam is a religion of peace, compassion and moral integrity. In a time of increasing misinformation and polarisation, this openness and graciousness is exactly what we need to build deeper understanding and reinforce social cohesion. I want to again thank Ahmad and the organising team from UMMA for being so open to our wider community and for their commitment to building understanding, building bridges and building social cohesion.

House adjourned at 20:00

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