Adam Bandt (Melbourne, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

Earlier this month, I was lucky to attend the local Lunar New Year Festival in Victoria Street, Richmond, in my electorate. I try to get down to the Lunar New Year Festival most years, as it's always a spectacular display of dance, music and food, and it shows off the bustling energy and activity of Victoria Street. I think it's fair to say that the Victoria Street Business Association outdid themselves this year as we welcomed in the Vietnamese Year of the Cat. My kids and I spent the day watching mesmerising lion dances, a martial arts performance, and a Vietnamese traditional ao dai fashion show, all whilst enjoying delicious foods, like the xoi gac, a Vietnamese red sticky rice dish, which I'm still thinking about days later.

This event, now in its 23rd year, was a truly inspiring display of Vietnamese culture, and the Victoria Street Business Association should be congratulated for their tireless efforts in putting together yet another memorable day of events. The cat is the fourth of the zodiac signs, and I read that the Year of the Cat is predicted to be a year of hope, something I think most of us could use at the moment. I'm always honoured to share in the celebrations of our vibrant Vietnamese community in Melbourne, and I look forward to attending Tet next year.

I'm extremely lucky, as the member for Melbourne, to represent such a diverse electorate with so many local groups, many of whom have a proud history of working within the community to provide the support and services local people need in culturally safe and accessible places. One such organisation is the Australian Vietnamese Women's Association, which this year celebrates its 40th year. I could not possibly relay all of the services that the AVWA provides to the Vietnamese community in Melbourne in the limited time that I have to make this speech, but let me tell you that the amount of work they do is monumental. To give you just a glimpse into their work, the AVWA provides support to young children, to the elderly, to people doing it tough with substance and gambling addictions, and to people experiencing family violence. They provide social support, NDIS support, and support to Indo-Chinese prisoners.

At the heart of the organisation is the founder, president and previous long-time CEO Ms Cam Nguyen. Cam and her family moved to Australia in 1976, and she became a teacher and then principal at the Adult Migrant Education Services in St Albans. It wasn't long before she decided to set up an organisation which would assist newly arrived refugees, many of whom had experienced significant trauma before arriving in Australia. Cam and those at AVWA have always understood that refugees and asylum seekers add tremendous value to our society and deserve protection and support when they com Australia. It's a privilege to witness the incredible work the AVWA does every day to support our community, and I know that my electorate is much richer and stronger because of the Australian Vietnamese Women's Association. Congratulations on 40 amazing years.

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