Wednesday, 19 November 2025

 Jacinta ERMACORA (Western Victoria) (09:57): Last Saturday I had the pleasure of attending the Warrnambool Multicultural Festival. It was also my honour to represent the Minister for Multicultural Affairs Ingrid Stitt. In the four years it has been running, the festival has become a fixture in the Warrnambool calendar. We were treated to traditional dancers from Thailand, the Philippines, Nepal and India; African drumming; a Pasifika DJ; Celtic pipe bands; and much, much more. From the days when the Anglo-Celtic heritage was assumed as a default, we now have a hugely popular event that opens with a welcome to country and showcases diverse communities on an equal footing, from East Timor to Ireland, Vietnam to the Netherlands and Zimbabwe to Sri Lanka. I want to congratulate the committee members of the newly formed multicultural association in Warrnambool, and also the members of the festival committee, which is a subentity of that organisation. It is terrific to celebrate the emerging diversity in our community, and it was lovely to see so many in the broader community come along and enjoy the food and music and meet new people.