Thursday, 6 February 2025

 Enver ERDOGAN (Northern Metropolitan – Minister for Casino, Gaming and Liquor Regulation, Minister for Corrections, Minister for Youth Justice) (09:42): Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending the annual Lunar New Year festival hosted by the Victoria Street Business Association. The event brings together the Vietnamese community across our state in Victoria Street, Richmond. The vibrant celebration, as it is, was particularly special this year as we reflected on and marked the 50-year anniversary of the first arrival of Vietnamese refugees on our shores. I also want to acknowledge the brave moves by the elderly and honour the ancestors of the Vietnamese community who made that journey to Australia, fleeing war and devastation. As a member of the Allan government, I am very proud of our contributions and support for our multicultural communities, because we do not just talk about multiculturalism, we actually deliver it through actions. This festival was also one of the festivals that we supported around our state, with over $400,000 worth of support over four years. Developing and growing this festival is what I would like to see, and that is what the community is doing. This builds on the work we have done also together with the Vietnamese Museum Australia with millions of dollars of investment, and I look forward to the opening of the Vietnamese museum in the heart of the western suburbs in the coming years. I understand they are close to starting the project. It is a big project that is eagerly awaited by the Vietnamese community not only in the west but across our state. I want to take this opportunity to thank the leadership of the Vietnamese community, particularly the members of the Victoria Street Business Association, the Vietnamese Museum Australia and also the Australian Vietnamese Women’s Association, a group that is close to my heart that does a lot of work in the corrections facilities. Happy new year in the Year of the Snake.