Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Despite the snow and the chill across my electorate this week, the people of Ballarat continue to refuse to let winter or a very cold spring dampen their spirits. From the Sovereign Hill Winter Wonderlights we had in July to the Ballarat Winter Festival with ice skating in the main street, throughout these colder months we've had a string of community events and celebrations. We've really embraced the winter.

Right now, thanks to the hard work of director Fiona Sweet and her team, residents of my electorate are enjoying the 2017 Ballarat International Foto Biennale. Last week's Canberra Times reported on the biennale hosting the first and only ever exhibition in Australia of works by famed photographer David LaChapelle. What I found particularly special about this biennale is the way in which it has embraced the whole community. This year's biennale features 90 exhibitions across 70 venues, from laneways to cafes and from shopfronts to gallery spaces, across all of the CBD of Ballarat and beyond. In Ballarat, going about the biennale is as simple as going about your daily business—proof that ready access to a rich arts and cultural life is not the preserve of Australia's major capital cities.

Alongside the arts and culture that we've had this winter, our region's love of footy has also been well catered for. In round 22 of the 2017 AFL season, the Western Bulldogs and Port Adelaide played at our redeveloped Mars Stadium. It was the first match for competition points in the AFL in Victoria to be played outside Melbourne or Geelong for more than six decades. Whilst the Doggies unfortunately went down to Port by 17 points, the day itself was testament to the city coming into its own as the capital for western Victoria. Over 10,000 football fans attended. We hope there are many more such days in the future.

Not to be outdone, Ballarat's business sector has also kept itself in focus over the winter months with the Ballarat Business Excellence Awards. After weeks of anticipation and judging, Albins Performance Transmissions was awarded the top honour of Ballarat Business of the Year. It's made a name as a high-performance drive-line manufacturer and global leader in off-road racing transmissions, and more recently it has adapted to supplying military land systems. This is a terrific local manufacturing story.

There is a lot happening in Ballarat at the moment. We're seeing our population grow as new people decide to move in from Melbourne and new businesses are opening up. Not only have we embraced winter but we're certainly embracing the challenges of being a growing regional city. It's a very exciting place to be part of at the moment and I congratulate the arts sector, the sports sector, the business sector and the city of Ballarat for the great work they're doing in growing my fantastic hometown of Ballarat.