Tuesday, 18 November 2025

 Gary MAAS (Narre Warren South) (13:02): It was a pleasure to represent the Minister for Multicultural Affairs at Lankan Fest 2025 this past weekend. The rainy weather did not stop many thousands attending the event, which was held at Crown Riverwalk. Now in its 10th year, Lankan Fest brings together the very best of Sri Lankan culture in a large festival to raise funds for children’s education in Sri Lanka and Australia. The event featured cultural performances, food stalls, music and artworks and a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and share Sri Lankan culture with the broader community. It was good to be there with local, state and federal representatives, including the federal member for Holt, Cassandra Fernando MP. As an Australian born with Sri Lankan heritage, it was a personal privilege to attend and to connect with my cultural identity, and as a proud representative of Narre Warren South, home to one of our state’s largest Sri Lankan communities, I know how important events like this are. They help our diverse and dual-identity Victorians to feel empowered to celebrate their cultural heritage and the traditions that form their identity. It is why this government is always very proud to support events like this one and has over the years through funding programs like the multicultural festivals and events program. Our Sri Lankan community makes significant social, cultural and economic contributions to our state each and every day. In fact the Sri Lankan community in Victoria is the largest in Australia. A big thankyou to Dr Damitha de Mel, president of Lankan Fest.