Thursday, 19 March 2026

 Evan MULHOLLAND (Northern Metropolitan) (12:09): (1279) My question is to the Minister for Multicultural Affairs. Last week the government held its Victorian iftar dinner. Only after all invitations were distributed to community members did the government send single invitations to the leaders of the Greens and opposition, with one week’s notice, the day after I wrote to the current Premier alleging politicisation of multicultural events. Every Labor government MP with a large Muslim population in their electorate attended with their communities and addressed the iftar, and the current Premier also had a fireside chat segment, while no opposition MP was invited to speak. Sheikh Moustapha Sarakibi, a member of the Board of Imams Victoria, said it would have been good to have greater political diversity at the government-hosted event. Will you follow his call and open up invitations to all members of Parliament with advance notice for future celebrations?

 Ingrid STITT (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Prevention of Family Violence) (12:10): I thank Mr Mulholland for asking me a question about one of his shadow portfolio responsibilities. It is good to see he is fronting up. I have said in the house this week already that our government is absolutely proud to stand with our multicultural communities and celebrate not only the amazing contribution they have made to our state’s cultural vibrancy but also the significant contribution of every single person who has a story of migration to this state, whether that is in the current generation or previous generations. That is what has built Victoria to be one of the most successful and wonderful multicultural communities anywhere in the world. Our government will never apologise for bringing together communities to celebrate their contribution. We are not about pitting people against each other, dividing Victorians. We are about making sure that our multicultural communities are not subjected to hate speech and are not subjected to behaviours from those opposite and others who seek to pit people against one another.

Evan Mulholland: On a point of order, President, the question went to whether the minister will follow calls to open up invitations for all members of Parliament at these events.

The PRESIDENT: I think the minister was relevant to the question.

Ingrid STITT: I was about to talk about the importance of not pitting people against one another. I know very well from speaking to multicultural communities and their leaders week in and week out that they are hurt not only by the hateful behaviour of some but by the fact that there are others who do not speak up in their defence. It is all very well to go out on the weekend and say one thing at the gurdwara or one thing at the temple and another thing at the mosque and then come in here and say something completely different. But here is some advice for you: multicultural communities see right through that. And Mr Mulholland –

David Davis: On a point of order, President, question time is an opportunity for ministers to answer questions, not to give advice to people, as the minister has outlined.

Harriet Shing: On the point of order, President, I know that the opposition appears to be hurt by the truth, but the interjections that they are providing are the things which the minister is responding to.

Georgie Crozier: Further to the point of order, President, I am just wondering if the minister is misleading the house, given the member for Albert Park’s speech at the parliamentary iftar dinner last week.

The PRESIDENT: That is not a point of order. I think the minister is responding to the question.

Ingrid STITT: I have gone to these issues before this week, but I think that those opposite should take the advice of those in our community who are calling for an end to division and an end to hate. It is not up to the government to fix your broken relationship with the Muslim community, Mr Mulholland. It is not up to us to fix your broken relationship with the Muslim community.

 Evan MULHOLLAND (Northern Metropolitan) (12:14): Minister, the government held a Shrove Tuesday reception to observe and celebrate Victoria’s Christian communities in 2025, which cost taxpayers $11,400 and was funded by the Department of Premier and Cabinet, where no non-government representatives were invited. Twenty-two Labor MPs were invited that had significant Christian populations in their electorate. Given every other taxpayer-funded event, like Diwali, iftar and Lunar New Year, has turned into a yearly taxpayer-funded event and given it is now Lent, why didn’t the government celebrate Christian communities this year?

 Ingrid STITT (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Prevention of Family Violence) (12:15): Here we are again with the wannabe minister, the opposition spokesperson for multicultural affairs, taking every opportunity to try and pick favourites in the community and pit people against each other. It is petty, petty, divisive politics from those opposite. I will tell you what, I will repeat what I said on Tuesday when I got a similar question from Mr Mulholland, who feels very left out of a whole lot of stuff. But anyway, these events are planned in accordance with longstanding practices that have been occurring for decades under consecutive governments.

Evan Mulholland: On a point of order, President, I have given the minister plenty of goes. Why didn’t the government celebrate Christian communities this year? It is a simple question.

The PRESIDENT: The minister was rejecting the premise of your question from the start, I believe.

Ingrid STITT: I want to make it really, really clear: our government celebrates all the diverse communities in Victoria. We are a state and a government that support people’s right to practise their culture and to celebrate their culture and their faith no matter what their background.