Tuesday, 16 August 2022

 Ms SHING (Eastern Victoria—Minister for Water, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Equality) (12:08): I rise today to talk about a number of equality initiatives which are bringing pride, inclusion and celebration to Victorian communities over the next four years. We have, just last Friday, confirmed $6.8 million in funding as part of the Victoria’s Pride initiative. This will ensure that rural and regional communities have opportunities to showcase the stories, the creativity and the events that are part of LGBTIQ+ communities. There was no better place than the Ballarat Mechanics Institute to celebrate this work alongside mayor Daniel Moloney; the head of work for Midsumma Festival partnering with the Victorian government, Felicity McIntosh; and the extraordinary local member for Buninyong, Michaela Settle—a great local member who has done a power of work to include LGBTIQ+ community members in all that the government does.

We want to make sure that, building on the success of the wonderful street party which saw, along with rural and regional events, a total of 67 000 people turn out to celebrate and get involved in events that showcase LGBTIQ+ identities, this work continues. This is where Victoria’s Pride is an extraordinarily important part of the landscape of inclusion. Equality is not negotiable. We have said this ever since we were returned to government in 2014. When we go to the Pride Centre and when we see what we have done in the legislative agenda for reform, we have banned conversion and suppression practices, we have apologised for historical convictions for homosexuality and we have amended the Equal Opportunity Act and births, deaths and marriages legislation, and we have done all of that not because we have had a united piece of work from those in this Parliament but despite not having it, because the opposition continues, and as long as it continues we will keep going to make sure that equality gets the attention it deserves.