Maria Vamvakinou (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have a very large Indian community that has been settling in Calwell over the past number of years. It's a very vibrant community and it has chosen to settle in Melbourne's northern suburbs, bringing with it its skills, in particular its entrepreneurial skills, and aspirations. The Indian community are hard-working migrants with young families beginning new lives here in their new homeland. Like other migrants and refugees before them they are making their mark, especially in the expanding suburbs Craigieburn, Merrifield, Mickleham and Kalkallo.

I always look forward to joining them in all of their celebrations. Their most significant celebration is coming up this weekend, as my local community prepares to celebrate the annual festival of Diwali, which is a festival that marks the victory of good over evil. Diwali is a festival of lights, love and happiness, and it brings hope and lots of excitement into people's home and to their lives. It's a time when people decorate their homes with lights and flowers. It's a time for sharing and spending time with family, friends and neighbours.

This year it will be a celebration that will be very different, given the COVID pandemic and the restrictions that the pandemic has forced upon us all. Like all other events during this COVID period we be will celebrating Diwali in a COVID-safe manner this year. Our festivities will move to online platforms, enabling family and friends to meet online. Thankfully, however, homes will still be decorated with lights. The newly instituted online Diwali lighting competition will give everyone the opportunity to showcase the cultural traditions of Diwali, making for a visually spectacular neighbourhood show. The Diwali lights competition has been organised by the local Hume Diwali Mela, which is run by residents Raj Mann and Nikki Jain, and it's supported by the Hume City Council.

This has been a difficult year for everyone because of the COVID pandemic, and it has been especially hard for my local community with the restrictions and lockdowns placing lots of pressure on people's lives and their livelihoods. Many in my community have lost their jobs, their businesses have suffered, and we all, young and old, have felt the anguish and the strain on our mental health and wellbeing. It has been a devastating time. So to my local community, and in fact to everyone here as well, I say this Diwali let us give thanks for all we hold dear: our health, our family, our friends and the grace of God, which never ends. Happy Diwali 2020 to everyone.