Michael Sukkar (Deakin, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

One of the most exciting aspects of my electorate in Deakin is that it is such an ethnically diverse part of Melbourne, with people of so many cultural backgrounds. This of course means there are so many different cultural celebrations that we have in our community. One of the largest of these is the thriving Indian community, which celebrates its annual Deepavali festival at this time of year. Deepavali, also known as the festival of light, is a highly popular Hindu festival celebrated by placing lights around the home and inviting friends and family to exchange gifts.

Across the Deakin electorate a number of celebrations have taken place to mark the festival. Last month, members of the Indian community marked the occasion through a local drama, and 60 local children took part in that. Hundreds of attendees were there. This weekend more than 500 members of the Australian Bharatha Brahman Samaj, led by Mr Vasan Srinivasan from the Australian Multicultural Council, gathered for a Deepavali festival and dinner. The dinner was a huge success. Additionally, the Punjabi club of Victoria and Tandoori Junction, based near my electorate, led by Param Jaswal, held their own festival celebrating Deepavali, which was also supported by over 700 local community members. I would like to thank Vasan, Param and all those involved in Deepavali celebrations in Melbourne's east and wish them a very happy Deepavali for 2015.