Keith Wolahan (Menzies, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Happy new year to you, Deputy Speaker, and all of the members, officers and staff who help me in this place, too.

Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you.

Keith Wolahan (Menzies, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The census from 2021 told us many things about our nation and who we are. We are now a majority migrant nation, and by that I mean that each person was either themselves or had one parent who was born overseas. In my seat, that figure is just about at 70 per cent, with 27 per cent of my electorate identifying as being of Chinese heritage, making it the third-largest in the House of Representatives.

So I rise to speak about lunar new year, this being the Year of the Rabbit. Lunar new year is celebrated by billions of people throughout the world, including here in Australia and in my electorate. For them, it is one of the most important social and economic holidays in the calendar year. These past few weeks we have seen some wonderful festivals, many of which had been on hold since 2019. If you come to Box Hill or Doncaster, you will see lanterns, dragon races and red pockets, but more than that—you will see families and friends celebrate their love for each other and their community and the new beginnings that come with the calendar year.

Lunar new year says so much about our migrant nation—migrants who've sought to make this country home, who have each brought traditions of ancestral lands and made us stronger for it. For example, last night I met with chambers of commerce representing, variously, the province of Hubei, Wuxi and Henan province. Our commercial and cultural connections are sincere and mutually beneficial. Can I thank Mr Ji and all of the leaders and committee members who made that event happen.

Just over one week ago, the Asian Business Association of Whitehorse organised and ran their Lunar New Year Festival, which was held in Box Hill. Over 100,000 people attended, including the Prime Minister and many members of cabinet, and there was bipartisan commitment to that event. Can I thank Bihong Wang and her committee for hosting this formidable demonstration of all of the traditions of the Lunar New Year Festival.

It was also a chance for me to speak to my electorate—which includes Warrandyte, where some of the earliest contributions from Chinese-Australians were made; the schools in Doncaster, where some of the top students are Chinese Australians; and small business owners and senior citizens' groups headed by people like Selena Leung and her committee. I also want to thank the Chinese community society of Victoria, headed by Vincent Liu and his committee.

Then, finally, we all rely on our staff, but can I say that I'm really proud to have one of my new staff members, Maggie, who speaks fluent Chinese. She is there to help anyone in the community in their home language, because often language can be a barrier for representation and communication.

So can I thank everyone for putting on some wonderful festivals in the electorate. Happy lunar new year.