Wednesday, 18 February 2026

 Natalie SULEYMAN (St Albans – Minister for Veterans, Minister for Small Business and Employment, Minister for Youth) (09:55): Happy Lunar New Year to all those that are celebrating. I had the honour of joining the Premier and many of my colleagues to welcome the ringing in of the Year of the Horse at the Quang Minh Temple. Thousands lined up at the temple for this joyous occasion. Lunar New Year is a special time for my electorate of St Albans; every street across Brimbank lights up and families, friends and neighbours come together to celebrate. I want to thank Quang Minh Temple, Thic Phuoc Tan, Hai Pham, Andy Nguyen, Selina Chenh, Phuc Nam Pham, the Vietnamese Community in Australia, the Vietnamese Museum Australia, the Australian Vietnamese Women’s Association and all of the fantastic organisations that work each and every day to support the Vietnamese community. I want to thank all the Vietnamese businesses in St Albans in particular, who are the beating heart of our community and who transformed our streets with marigold flowers. Like the famous Ben Thanh market in Saigon, Alfrieda Street has become the Ben Thanh market of Melbourne, and many people far and wide travel to St Albans to experience the fantastic atmosphere. I am committed to delivering so much more for the St Albans business precinct to ensure that it is safe and vibrant and of course to acknowledging the contribution of our Vietnamese community and continuing to make sure that St Albans is the best in the west.