Anne Aly (Cowan, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Early Childhood Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'd like to provide an update on the commitments that the Labor government made in the beautiful electorate of Cowan in the previous election campaign. I'm pleased to report that the Albanese Labor government is delivering on those commitments.

To begin with, there is a very vibrant Vietnamese community in Cowan. Actually, Cowan is home to WA's largest Vietnamese community. And they are now one step closer to having their very own Vietnamese community cultural centre right in the heart of the electorate, in the suburb of Girrawheen. Last month I had the pleasure of attending the official contract-signing ceremony with the president of the Vietnamese community, Dr Anh. The Vietnamese Community Cultural Centre will provide a dedicated hub for this thriving community that has existed for more than four decades in Cowan without a permanent home. To think that they're finally going to have a cultural centre and a home where they can have their senior citizens events and their events for the younger generation of the Vietnamese community is just such a special thing. I'm really honoured and pleased to be part of a government that has been able to support this project through a $1.5 million election commitment made by the Albanese Labor government.

Cowan's diversity is also reflected in the religious and faith communities, and we recognise the importance of faith based institutions in the community as well. When the boundaries of Cowan changed I finally got to say that I have a mosque in my electorate, and that mosque is Mirrabooka Mosque, one of the facilities right in the heartland of Cowan, in Mirrabooka. It's a place for worship, community engagement and cultural harmony. It is the mosque that performed my father's burial rites when he passed away in 2015, so it is a mosque that occupies an incredibly special place in my heart and the heart of my family. I'm proud to be delivering for the mosque a funding of $280,000 for much-needed disability access upgrades that will allow for a lift to take people to the second floor so they don't have to climb the stairs.

Finally, I would like to give a huge shout-out to my dear friend Helen Cocks and the fabulous work she does at the Hepburn Centre in Marangaroo. We've delivered $20,000 in funding for their new kitchen, and Helen tells me that's well underway and she's very excited for that as well.