Julia Banks (Chisholm, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I too would like to talk about the Greek Lonsdale Street Festival held in Melbourne on Saturday evening. It was an absolute pleasure to be together with my friend and colleague the Hon. Kelly O'Dwyer, members for Higgins and Minister for Finance and Revenue, who was representing our Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, a self-proclaimed philhellene, at the 30th Lonsdale Street Greek Festival.

The Lonsdale Street Festival, also commonly known as the Antipodes Festival, is the largest celebration of Hellenic culture outside Greece. It has been organised by the Greek community of Melbourne since 1987. The vibe and excitement of the event was palpable, with tens of thousands of people embarking on the Greek precinct of Melbourne's CBD to partake in the festival at its milestone 30 year event. We heard the wonderful students of Alphington Grammar sing with pride the national anthems of both Australia and Greece. The longevity of such an amazing event is a testament to the strength, camaraderie and absolute friendship amongst Melbourne's Greek community.

The City of Melbourne is intrinsically linked to the Greek culture and this was on magnificent display last weekend. The event is a celebration of Australia's Greek community, of our immigration heritage and story and enduring love for Greek Australians. Many thanks go to Bill Paperstergiadis, president of the Greek community of Melbourne, and George Menidis, director of the Greek Centre and Lonsdale Street Festival. As we said then: Zito Ellaga Zito Australia Aito Melbourni.

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