Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This weekend in Bendigo CBD we close our roads and the street becomes alive. It becomes alive with the Bendigo Easter Festival. It's been running for over 150 years in our town and finishes with the grand finale, the grand parade that we have on Easter Saturday, and the main event, led by the Bendigo Chinese Association, which draws so many people to our town, our imperial dragons that take to the streets.

The entire festival runs for three days in our town, but across the region there are many reasons why people should come to Bendigo this Easter. On Thursday night we also celebrate 100 years of the Bendigo Easter Fair Society, the organisation that's been charged with running the festival now for over 100 years. It is a great opportunity. We always encourage people to come to Bendigo over the Easter Festival.

Now, with free public transport available to people in Victoria, people in Melbourne can come for the day to be part of the fun. Our cuts to the fuel excise announced today are even more reason for people to travel to Bendigo this Easter. It is a fun time to be out, with lots of free activities on offer for families. It's a great time to be in central Victoria and a great time to celebrate our culture and our heritage. And we're always looking for extra legs to help carry our dragons through the streets of Bendigo.