Thursday, 9 June 2022

Thai Australian Chamber

Mr ONDARCHIE (Northern Metropolitan) (10:21): Sawatdee Kah. It was my pleasure last Sunday evening to join my friend and colleague the Honourable Bruce Atkinson to attend the launch of the Thai Australian Chamber. I congratulate president Tessa Sullivan and her board for their vision and their determination to strengthen the ties between Victoria and Thailand. The Thai community is very strong here in Victoria. They are in business, they are in finance, they are in IT, they are in property, they are in academia, they are all over Victorian business and of course they are also in small business. There are Thai restaurants everywhere, and there are not too many streets in Melbourne that you would drive up without seeing a Thai massage place either. So they are everywhere. I want to pay tribute to them for the generosity and determination they have to help Victorians in many aspects of life. At this time I would also like to pay tribute to Dr Simon Wallace, who was the previous Honorary Consul General for Thailand to Victoria and did an enormous amount of work in building the relationship between Victorian business, Victorian communities and the Thai community. Simon is now retired in Thailand, and I wish him well.