Indian Independence Day
Ms RICHARDS (Cranbourne) (09:47): I would like to take the opportunity to send the many people in the community and across Victoria my best wishes on the auspicious occasion of the 75th anniversary of India’s independence. The Premier likes to remind people that Victoria is home to not just the largest Indian diaspora but also the best, and I will take that a step further and say that Melbourne’s south-east is in fact also home to the best. With over 270 000 Indian community members in Victoria and over 15 000 in Cranbourne, we benefit from the generosity, altruism, aspiration and focus on education of our Indian Victorians. We have seen that in so many ways in the past years. With floods and fires and the food relief provided by many, I could not be prouder to represent our wonderful community.
Last night I attended a terrific reception with the member for Footscray in her capacity as Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs at the invitation of the Consul General, and last weekend I was fortunate to be in the company of the Premier and colleagues at Federation Square for the flag-raising ceremony at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. To be in the company of Kapil Dev and superstar Abhishek Bachchan was a great honour and left me buzzing, with thanks to the powerhouse Mitu for all the work that she does in bringing that off.