Wednesday, 1 May 2024

Broadmeadows electorate multicultural communities

Kathleen MATTHEWS-WARD (Broadmeadows) (10:47): The last five weeks have been a great time of celebrations in the electorate. Along with Easter we have had Passover, Holi, Akitu, Newroz and the Nepali, Sinhalese, Tamil and Malayalam new years as well as Ramadan and Eid. I loved going along to the Easter, Ramadan and Akitu celebration hosted by the Broadmeadows Stars soccer club in Coolaroo, and I thank Hani Pito and the team for the important work they do promoting social cohesion. It was incredible to be celebrating the start of Babylonian Chaldean new year 7324 with the Australian Chaldean federation one day and new year 2081 with the Nepalese Association of Victoria and the Far Western Nepalese Society of Victoria the next.

I would also like to thank all the individuals and organisations for the many wonderful iftar and Eid celebrations I have had the pleasure of attending, including Glenroy College, Ilim College, Glenroy Private, Muslim Welfare Trust of Victoria, Hararian Organization, Darulfatwa, Australian Intercultural Society, Victorian Afghan Youth Association, Victorian Arabic Social Services and MUSIAD Melbourne. Knowing how it feels to spend Christmas as a young person traveling in foreign countries I give a big thank you to Sajid Toori and his team from Voice of Australians for bringing 300 international students to break fast together this Ramadan.