Thursday, 23 March 2023

 Mary-Anne THOMAS (Macedon – Leader of the House, Minister for Health, Minister for Health Infrastructure, Minister for Medical Research) (09:37): I rise to celebrate Australia’s largest and longest running queer country pride event, ChillOut, held each year in Daylesford in my electorate. On 12 March together with the Minister for Equality and the member for Wendouree I marched in the annual ChillOut parade. I am proud to march in the parade every year and let the LGBTIQ community know that the Andrews Labor government stands with them at all times. Marching in the parade were elders from the community as well as many trans and gender-diverse young people, some stepping out for the very first time. The parade also boasted representatives from Victorian Rainbow Labor, the Victorian Ambulance Union, V/Line, the Victorian Pride Centre, Victoria Police, the Ballarat Frolic Festival and Central Highlands Rural Health. Daylesford bursts with colour and pride throughout the festival, and this is the inclusion and visibility that I am so proud to be a part of. Support provided to ChillOut and other LGBTIQ+ events through the Pride Events and Festivals Fund represents the Andrews Labor government’s commitment to creating safe, strong LGBTIQ+ communities across Victoria. Big thanks to our festival director Emma Ireland on another wonderful festival, committee president Matt Clarke, all the community members and the many hundreds of volunteers from right across my region who make ChillOut one of the great highlights of Victoria’s diverse festival calendar.