House debates

Wednesday, 13 February 2019

Constituency Statements

Fowler Electorate: Lunar New Year

10:06 am

Photo of Chris HayesChris Hayes (Fowler, Australian Labor Party) Share this | | Hansard source

Last week I had the pleasure of attending, along with hundreds of Vietnamese families, the midnight celebration at the Phuoc Hue Temple in Wetherill Park to welcome in the Lunar New Year of the Earth Pig. The following day I also had the opportunity, with many of my Chinese families, to attend the Mingyue Lay Temple for their ceremony welcoming in the Golden Pig. In that respect, I'd particularly like to acknowledge the contributions of James Chan and Vincent Kong of the Australian Chinese Buddhist Society for their service to our community.

Lunar New Year is one of the most important cultural aspects on the multicultural calendar in our community in Western Sydney. It is a time for families and friends to spend time together, a time for personal reflection, a time in which the community can take a moment to remember and pay respects to elders and ancestors. The Year of the Pig also is traditionally associated with good luck, fortune and prosperity. I suppose in my community it is something to do with a healthy appetite, as well! In accordance with Buddhist tradition and as part of our Lunar New Year festivities, I, along with many of my Buddhist colleagues, attended another eight temples in both the Chinese and Vietnamese traditions.

Over the weekend, I attended the annual Vietnamese Tet Festival held at the Fairfield showground. Tet is effectively Lunar New Year. It is one of the most popular festivals in our multicultural calendar, attended by over 40,000 people. I congratulate Vietnamese Community in Australia NSW Chapter for all the hard work they have invested in organising this very much anticipated event. The lion dancing, traditional costumes, fantastic Vietnamese cuisine, the fireworks and the carnival atmosphere are all highlights for local families who come together to experience this marvellous showcase of Vietnamese culture. I would like to thank the President of the VCA, Paul Huy Nguyen, and his executive team for their tireless efforts in preparing for this event.

Tet, or Lunar New Year, is also a time for all Australians to celebrate the success of our multicultural society and also to appreciate the exceptional contribution made by the Chinese and Vietnamese communities to our great nation. I feel most privileged to be part of this colourful, vibrant, diverse community and wish Vietnamese and Chinese Australians a harmonious and prosperous Year of the Pig. To my Vietnamese constituents, chook mung num moi, and to my Chinese constituents, gung hay fat choy.