Chris Hayes (Fowler, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Over the weekend I had the pleasure of attending, with the Vietnamese members in my community, the VCA cultural centre to welcome in the Lunar New Year. While these festivals are certainly a little different from our annual Tet celebration, due to the pandemic, I would nevertheless still like to congratulate VCA president Paul Nguyen and his executive team, and all the volunteers who work so hard to make this event possible.

Earlier in the day I joined many from the Chinese community at the Mingyue Lay temple for their Lunar New Year celebration. The Chinese community is certainly very big and very vibrant in my community. I would particularly like to acknowledge James Chan and Vincent Kong of the Australian Chinese Buddhist Society for their continued service not only to the Chinese community, but to our wider community as well.

Lunar new year is one of the most important cultural events celebrated in my electorate. It's a time to spend with family and friends, a time for personal reflection and a time to share their proud heritage and culture with our broader community. Lunar new year this year is the Year of the Ox, which represents hard work, commitment, loyalty and honesty. They are very fitting qualities as we seek to emerge and rebuild from the challenging times faced by many people throughout our communities and, indeed, around the globe.

Lunar new year is also the time for all Australians to reflect on the success of our multicultural society and the exceptional contributions that our Asian communities have made to our great nation. I'm always proud of their kindness and their generous spirit, particularly in directing a helping hand to fellow Australians in need. And in that, I certainly reference our recent bushfires of last year. It is through their passionate belief in freedom and democracy, their propensity for hard work, and their proud and vibrant culture that the spirit of our nation has been enriched. It has made us a better country, creating a brighter future for all. Once again, it is a privilege to be a part of this colourful, vibrant and diverse community, and I wish all our Vietnamese and Chinese Australians a harmonious and prosperous new year. I say to my Vietnamese constituents 'chuc mung nam moi' and to my Chinese constituents 'gung hei fat choy'.

Mike Freelander (Macarthur, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member, particularly for getting through the speech without interruption.

Chris Hayes (Fowler, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

And in the short time I have available I do thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker Freelander, for your urgent medical assistance the last time I appeared in your chamber.