Maria Vamvakinou (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I recently attended the Sicilian Association of Australia's 2015 annual gala evening held in my electorate at the Melrose reception centre in Tullamarine. It was a great pleasure to be there and also to represent the Leader of the Opposition at what has now become an annual celebration of Sicilian heritage and culture.

I begin by thanking the Sicilian Association's president, Mr Massimo 'Max' Petterlin, who was a very gracious host and made the evening very enjoyable and insightful. The aim of the association is to promote Sicilian heritage and culture in Australia, and there were some 250 members of the wider Australian Sicilian community present at this gala dinner. Many of them, of course, live in my electorate of Calwell in the suburbs of Greenvale, Keilor, Taylors Lakes, Mickleham and Campbellfield, making the Australian-Italian Sicilian community one of the largest in the federal seat of Calwell. Italians and, indeed, Sicilians were one of the first groups of migrants from southern Europe to settle in Australia in the post-World War II period. Many settled in Melbourne's northern suburbs and have remained there through the first and second generations, and many third generation children have too.

The Sicilian Association of Australia was officially inaugurated on 24 October 2010. The inaugural president was Supreme Court judge the Hon. Justice Tony Pagone, who is now a patron of the association. Justice Pagone is a great example of a successful Italian Sicilian migrant who has made an impressive and outstanding contribution to the wider Australian community. Initially, a large number of Italian Sicilian migrants went into the fruit and vegetable business when they first arrived in Australia. They used their flair and their love for agriculture and gardening, combined it with their infamous entrepreneurial acumen and created employment and a livelihood for themselves and their families. Later, they created jobs for many others as they began to expand their small businesses into what are today some iconic food and beverage outlets.

Whilst the second and third generations, such as Justice Pagone, have gone on to become lawyers, judges, doctors and a whole range of other professionals, there are still many members of the community who choose to progress and develop their original family businesses. Melbourne's northern suburbs are awash with Italian food and drink products: products that have enriched Australian food culture and products that are now eclectic, niche markets for export and significant additions to the growth and development of Australia's food manufacturing industry.

I note and welcome the opening of the Melbourne wholesale market which has finally opened in Whittlesea in the federal seat of Scullin. Five thousand new jobs will be created. It boasts 40 per cent greenhouse savings and 80 per cent waste recycling and is a wonderful addition to Melbourne's northern suburbs.

This and many other exciting developments in the Australian economy are powered by the Sicilian Association's key objectives, which include a focus on the promotion of Sicilian food products and business activity, and there will be many Italian products available at Melbourne's wholesale markets. Some of these eclectic Sicilian food producers were also the proud sponsors of the gala dinner, and I was lucky enough to take home some of their products in my show bag. The products included Diavoletti's smoked mozzarella with olive and chilli scented cheese, the romanello cherry tomato sauce and the Antico slowly roasted coffee; those are familiar brands to many of us. These products are authentically Sicilian and are available on our supermarket and delicatessen shelves. They form a part of our great, uniquely Australian, multicultural food palette.

I would like to note one particular example of an Australian-Sicilian family that has had great success in the food industry: the iconic Piedimonte's Supermarkets. The Piedimonte family, originally from Sicily, own two large supermarkets in Melbourne's north. They have developed a successful business that is known for its great food and great service. And whilst many first generation Italians have moved to the outer northern and eastern suburbs of Melbourne, many still return to Piedimonte's to do their grocery shopping. Piedimonte's Supermarket is also the preferred place to shop for members of Melbourne's wider multicultural community who enjoy the many European delicacies. Sharing culture through food is one of the most effective ways for migrants to engage in our community. In addition to their business and intellectual acumen, Australian Sicilians are also highly creative and artistic, and on display that evening was the artwork of 81-year-old Maria Agricola, a first generation Italian migrant; she is also a breast cancer survivor, and was able to go on and complete a university degree and pursue her gift of painting, while simultaneously adjusting to and bringing up a family in a new and foreign country.