Tuesday, 17 February 2026

 Meng Heang TAK (Clarinda) (19:23): (1528) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Small Business and Employment – she happens to be at the table – and the action I seek is for the minister to outline what programs the Allan Labor government is delivering to support local multicultural shopping hubs like Westall shopping centre in Clayton South in my electorate. The Westall shopping centre is a great local hub in our community. There are some fantastic local businesses operating there, and there is a great need to revitalise the shopping centre. I know local businesses and the local community more broadly want to see signage and amenity improvement and the revitalisation of the spaces connecting our community to the Westall precinct.

Minister, our community in the Clarinda district is a thriving multicultural community, and our small businesses are a huge part of that. We have worked to support our small businesses in the spaces where they operate. We saw that with the Springvale Boulevard revitalisation project, with the improved streetscapes and public artwork, improved pedestrian experience and safety, upgrading of paving and seating, improved lighting, better greenery with more shade trees and streetscape public art reflecting our diverse cultural community. I was very proud of the government investing $900,000 into that important project, helping to create new opportunities for people to connect and relax and for community celebration. The Allan Labor government’s $17 million investment to support our multicultural traders and precincts shows how much our government values this community and the small businesses that provide important services to our community.

I thank the minister for her engagement with and support of the Springvale Asian Business Association, particularly around night trading at the Springvale shopping precinct in the next electorate but of course also Springvale’s Lunar New Year celebrations, which were a huge success again this year. These are just a few examples of how the Allan Labor government is supporting multicultural small businesses in the Clarinda district and across the south-east. I look forward to working with the minister to extend that support to Westall shopping centre and the local business community around the Westall precinct. I thank the minister, and I am looking forward to her response.