Wednesday, 30 October 2019

Australia and New Zealand Buddhist Centre

Ms KAIROUZ (Kororoit—Minister for Consumer Affairs, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, Minister for Suburban Development) (09:42): On 20 October I was delighted to attend the official opening ceremony of the new Australia and New Zealand Buddhist Centre in my electorate of Kororoit. Kororoit is one of Victoria’s most culturally diverse electorates, with over 50 per cent of residents having been born overseas. It is home to a vibrant Buddhist community of whom many are born in Vietnam or have Vietnamese heritage.

The Australia and New Zealand Buddhist Centre is the first of its kind in Victoria and comprises an administration headquarters, a Buddhist education training institute, a Buddhist unity and interreligious dialogue conference, and a life, family and public engagement group. It will be a space for Victorians and other Australians who follow Buddhism to come together, share their beliefs and remain connected to their identity and faith. After many years of hard work the opening of the centre was a great occasion for the Victorian Buddhist community. I would like to thank the united Vietnamese Buddhist congregation in Australia and New Zealand, and particularly president Senior Venerable Thich Thien Tam, vice-president Senior Venerable Thich Phuoc Tan, and chairman of the fundraising committee and my good friend, Dr Phuc Nhan Pham, for their hard work in bringing this project to fruition. The Vietnamese community make a valuable contribution to Kororoit and to Victoria by sharing the Buddhist values of peace, compassion and kindness with the wider community.