Thursday, 20 September 2018

 Ms HENNESSY (Altona—Minister for Ambulance Services, Minister for Health) (09:41): I rise to pay tribute to some of the fantastic multicultural organisations in my district. I was delighted last week to be able to advise many of my multicultural groups about support of $36 630 through the multicultural festivals and events grants. In speaking to many of my multicultural organisations I was very heartened to hear how sometimes small amounts of funding can make an important difference for community-based organisations in getting cultural organisations to support their festivals as well. It particularly helps them improve their capacity.

When we have got newer community organisations delivering events, it can be quite a challenging and confronting experience for them when they are dealing with all of those issues around insurance matters and trying to ensure that they are supported with their corporate overheads. Congratulations to those organisations, particularly to Myly Nguyen, who runs the Moon Festival Feast and the Hobsons Bay Tet festival. They are two excellent events that our whole community enjoy. An important part of running those events is also trying to build greater inclusion in very diverse communities, so a very big thanks to all those organisations.