Cassandra Fernando (Holt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I begin with a remarkable local milestone—the 25th anniversary of Moonlit Sanctuary in Pearcedale. I was pleased to join the community in marking this special occasion and to recognise the extraordinary work of Michael Johnson and the entire team behind Moonlit Sanctuary. Over the past 25 years, their dedication has helped build the sanctuary into one of Victoria's leading wildlife conservation and education centres, playing an important role in protecting native wildlife, supporting breeding programs for threatened species and inspiring visitors of all ages to develop a deeper appreciation for our natural environment. What began as a childhood dream has become a source of pride for Pearcedale and the wider Holt community, attracting visitors from across Victoria and contributing to local jobs and tourism. I congratulate Michael and everyone at Moonlit Sanctuary on this important milestone, and I thank them for everything they have done over the past 25 years.

This strong community spirit brings me to another fantastic local event: the fourth annual Holt Harmony Gala, which I hosted in my electorate last weekend during Harmony Week. It was a wonderful evening and a very strong reflection of the community I represent in this place. Holt is one of the most multicultural electorates in Australia. In our community, people from many cultures, faiths and backgrounds live side-by-side and raise their families, run businesses, volunteer, worship, celebrate and contribute immensely to our nation. The gala was an opportunity to proudly celebrate that diversity. It was a night that brought together culture, connection and community spirit.

I am proud to be a part of a Labor government that sees multiculturalism as one of Australia's greatest strengths, not something to be exploited for political gain. I thank my parliamentary colleagues who made the trip down to join us—Minister Tony Burke, who attended as our special guest, and the member for Deakin, Matt Gregg, who did a fantastic job as emcee for the evening. I also thank Yvette and the entire venue team for their tremendous work behind the scenes, which helped make the evening such a great success.

I want to turn to a policy that is delivering real cost-of-living relief for households in Holt—Labor's Cheaper Home Batteries Program. Home batteries let you store cheap solar energy generated during the day to use at night, when families are home and need it most. At a time when households are doing everything they can to manage rising costs, many families want to bring down their power bills, improve the efficiency of their homes and take part in energy transition. But too often the upfront cost of a battery has been a major barrier.

That is exactly why Labor's 30 per cent discount matters. It is bringing that upfront cost down and making home batteries much more affordable for households. The result is lowering power bills, greater control over household energy use and less pressure on the grid. This policy is already making a real difference across the country, with more than 250,000 households, small businesses and community organisations having installed a battery under Labor's Cheaper Home Batteries Program.

In Holt, I'm incredibly proud of the local uptake. Before this program began, there were just 721 home batteries across our community. By early March, that number had risen to 1,741. That is an increase of more than a thousand installations, and it means Holt now ranks fifth in Victoria for the battery uptake. That is not just a statistic; it means more local families keeping more money in their pockets. This is what Labor governments do. We back Australians with practical policies that ease the pressure on household budgets now while preparing our country for the future.

House adjourned at 20:00

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