Wednesday, 19 November 2025

 Richard RIORDAN (Polwarth) (10:29): We are fast approaching the wonderful Christmas food season across the wonderful electorate of Polwarth, and I just want to bring the house’s attention to it. It is really kicking off this coming weekend with Graze the Day down in Timboon. It is an ongoing festival they have down there. Tickets are available online, and it is an opportunity to sample some of the best food, wine, chocolates and all sorts of things produced down in the Timboon region. But wait, there is more. Just in recent weeks we have had the marvellous Hulms Bakery in the main street of Colac voted by this government, in fact – and we do not often agree with the government, but in this case they got it right – as having Victoria’s favourite pie, and it is no wonder. It is a short distance around the corner from my shop, and I have way too many of them in the year. Thank goodness they occasionally have a nice bowl of hearty soup that can go down, instead of yet another pie which builds up around the old belly here.

We also want to bring to your attention, when you are along the Great Ocean Road, Dooley’s Premium Ice Cream in Apollo Bay, who have won the Australian Grand Dairy Awards for the best ice cream with their honey malt flavour. What a treat – not only can you have some of the finest lobster around the world in Apollo Bay, but you can finish off with a nice ice cream. And to finish off, the wonderful Ambe Foods Jiwan product have been nominated as small manufacturer of the year. This is a great new industry in the Colac area, developing and marketing to the world Australian-made Indian-style paneer and yoghurts.