Wednesday, 1 April 2026

 David LIMBRICK (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (18:49): (2472) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Creative Industries. Cheng Lei is a journalist and a remarkable woman who endured more than three years of torture and confinement in China on trumped-up charges. Despite growing up in this state and having family here, she received no advocacy from the Victorian government during their visits to China. On her return Lei wrote a harrowing account of her experience, Cheng Lei: A Memoir of Freedom. She also co-created a play, 1154 Days, which is based on her book. The play was in development for many months and was to be shown at the Rising festival, which is funded and supported by the Victorian government, but a few months out 1154 Days was dropped from the program.

However, another display that was supported by the Chinese government in Beijing has been included. According to a spokesperson for Rising quoted in the Australian newspaper, the decision was not an artistic one but came after a risk and audit review for budget reasons. Can the minister please provide any data to reassure us this was about the budget and was not a political decision?