Lunar New Year
Mr DIMOPOULOS (Oakleigh) (10:01): I had the pleasure of attending a number of local events last week to celebrate Lunar New Year. This included the global Chinese New Year online gala organised by the Australia & China Music Communication & Promotion Association. The event was remarkable for a number of reasons but in particular because the organisation and performances were done by a group of 11- to 14-year-olds. Most of us in this place will have experienced the challenges of organising virtual meetings. It is tough enough just to master the technology for a meeting, let alone having to cater for hundreds of attendees and balance music and dance performances and speeches, but this event was brilliantly coordinated. It was an amazing presentation of Chinese culture, and I want to express my gratitude to the organisers for including me in their celebrations.
I was also very excited to host, along with my colleague and friend the member for Clarinda, as he just stated in his members statement, local community leaders for a virtual gathering to welcome the new year. It was a sensational event. We had people from a number of backgrounds: Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and China. It was a fitting platform to acknowledge the contributions that they have made not only during the pandemic but to our country, bringing thousands of years of heritage and culture to our beautiful way of life here in Victoria. Thank you to those who attended, and I want to wish a very happy Year of the Tiger to everyone celebrating.