Andrew Charlton (Parramatta, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Today, I'd like to take the opportunity to acknowledge the Tamil community in my electorate. Parramatta is home to one of the largest Tamil communities in the country, with more than 7,500 Tamil speakers and over 5,000 people who identified as having Tamil ancestry in the 2021 census. The postcodes of 2145 and 2146, both of which are in Parramatta, rank the highest in Tamil ancestry out of any postcode in Australia. It's a community I'm proud to represent, and I'd like to thank the local Tamil community for their friendship and their contribution to the wider Parramatta area.

The Tamils are a wonderful people. Like so many other multicultural communities, they enrich Parramatta's identity as one of the most multicultural electorates in the country. They do this by championing a joyous culture. It was my pleasure, for example, to attend the Pongal harvest festival at Parramatta Park earlier this year. This four-day celebration brings families and friends together from right across the community and is an ancient tradition involving spiritual gratitude, celebration and renewal. It was a privilege to attend, and I can't wait for the next Pongal festival in 2024.

I'd like to pay tribute to the community leaders, who contribute so much to our area: Shanji Gunaratnam and those from Kamban Kazhagam Australia; the Tamil Valarchi Manram; the New South Wales Federation of Tamil Schools; Anagan Babu Ramia Janardhanan and the team at the Tamil Arts and Culture Association; Rishi Rishikesan from the Consortium of Tamil Associations NSW; the team at the Australia Tamil Arts and Culture Development Centre; and so many more whose contributions strengthen our community.

More recently, I've had the pleasure of visiting the Sydney Murugan Temple at Mays Hill. If you one day find yourself driving along the Great Western Highway in Mays Hill, keep an eye out for this sacred building. It stands tall for all to see and admire. Not only is the temple an architectural triumph; it's a place to worship, sing and be with family and community.

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