Thursday, 5 February 2026

 Ann-Marie HERMANS (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (10:09): The Sri Lankan community celebrated the 78th anniversary of independence last night with the consul general – a wonderful event. Evan Mulholland, deputy leader in the Legislative Council, represented the Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Liberal Party at this event. I am so thrilled to have Sri Lankan heritage, and it was a great honour to celebrate the 78th anniversary of independence with my community. I will say that my family has always spoken so highly of Sri Lanka. I grew up hearing so many stories about it, and I have enjoyed travelling with my family and learning the history of our family throughout Sri Lanka. We lived in many parts of it. Our family intermarried with many different Sri Lankan communities and cultures, and it is a great privilege to still have family in Sri Lanka, working and living there and loving the nation. It is a beautiful place to live, and I congratulate everyone as they celebrate.