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

On Saturday I had the honour of representing the Prime Minister at the opening ceremony of the Buddha's Day and Multicultural Festival, now in its 22nd year. The festival is a major annual attraction held in Federation Square in Melbourne, which commemorates Buddha's birthday and celebrates Melbourne's multicultural and multifaith society. The event was superbly organised by the community, as led by Mr David Yu, President of Buddha's Light International Association of Victoria, and Fo Guang Shan Melbourne, and was attended by tens of thousands of people.

Buddha's birthday is traditionally known as Vesak day, which is rich in symbolism and spiritual symbolism to welcome peace and happiness and to affirm the commitment to the precepts of self-serenity, family, tranquillity, peer respect and social harmony. Traditional Buddhist ceremonies were showcased, including Bathing the Buddha, Tea Meditation and a Twilight Light Offering Ceremony.

The festival is a wonderful example of why the Turnbull government is proud of its non-discriminatory immigration policy and the fact that Australia is the most successful multicultural national on this earth. This position is exemplified in my electorate of Chisholm, the third-most culturally diverse electorate in Australia. The diversity in Chisholm is reflected in its blend of religious faiths. In the words of the Prime Minister:

Our nation has been vastly enriched by faiths of every tradition, each contributing its own unique and special thread to the multicultural fabric of our society.