Tuesday, 3 March 2026

 Evan MULHOLLAND (Northern Metropolitan) (20:59): (2354) My adjournment is for the Premier. As Victoria approaches the state election – we are in an election year – I want to raise an important matter regarding multicultural events that are funded by the Victorian government, or the taxpayer, via the Department of Premier and Cabinet. In recent times, several events that have been hosted and funded by the Department of Premier and Cabinet have been conducted in quite a partisan manner. Except for one speech from the Leader of the Opposition at the Premier’s multicultural gala, the opposition has either been excluded from official proceedings of all other events, including speaking opportunities at events, or has received limited to no invitations for opposition members to attend. This stands in direct contrast to Labor government MPs, who routinely receive invitations and then can extend complimentary invitations to community members to events that are funded by the taxpayer. Examples include the Premier’s Diwali event, the Shrove Tuesday celebration for diverse Christian communities, the Premier’s Lunar New Year event and the Premier’s iftar dinner. I can confirm the leaders of the Liberal Party, the National Party and the Victorian Greens have not received a single invitation to the Premier’s Victorian iftar dinner next week, and the Victorian Parliament’s only Vietnamese MP, Mr Trung Luu, was not invited to the Premier’s Lunar New Year event.

We know this government stands accused by our integrity agencies of grey corruption. This kind of activity breaks several rules and conventions regarding the misuse of taxpayer funds for political purposes. I will note that the invitation of multiple Labor candidates to the 2022 Premier’s Diwali event caused controversy, and I encourage the government not to repeat this regretful partisanship regarding multicultural events in the lead-up to the 2026 election. Events that are funded at significant cost to the Victorian taxpayer should remain strictly nonpartisan. These occasions should be aimed at uniting communities and all of their elected representatives, rather than being used as an opportunity to advance the political interests of the Labor Party in an election year. If the Victorian government wants to host Labor Party election rallies in an election year, the Victorian branch of the Labor Party should fund it. The opposition expects to be included in official proceedings at these events, and it urges invitations to all Victorian MPs to attend. I seek the action of the Premier to include all members of Parliament at these events, rather than misusing taxpayer dollars in a partisan way.