Matt Thistlethwaite (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On Saturday evening I joined representatives from Botany Bay City Council, the University of New South Wales, the Kingsford Chamber of Commerce and the Confucius Institute to host the inaugural Kingsford Smith Lunar New Year Festival at Dacey Gardens in Kingsford. Locals came together to usher in the year of the sheep, or yang de yi nian, in the heart of one of Sydney's best Asian food precincts.

Thousands of locals enjoyed musical performances, cultural dances, songs, lion dances, paper-cutting classes and Asian food from the best local restaurants in the area. It was great to see families, the elderly, the young and the old come together to celebrate multiculturalism in our community, to learn Chinese traditions and customs and to generally have a good time.

One thing that I noticed on the occasion was that all Australians, no matter their background, appreciate the arts. Accessibility of the arts is very important. It was wonderful to see members of our community come together to appreciate Asian arts during this important period for the Asian community.

I thank and congratulate the councillors and staff of Botany Bay City Council. I thank the University of New South Wales for the wonderful work they do in supporting new Asian students in our community. I thank Zhu Minshen, a top educator; Laurie Percy and the staff of the Confucius Institute; Peter Schick and the staff of the Kingston Chamber of Commerce; and my staff—in particular, Trent Murray. Xin nian kuai le to all in the Chinese community.