Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment and Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Sydney is dressed up and ready to celebrate the arrival of WorldPride this weekend. WorldPride is the largest LGBTQIA+ festival on earth, and this year, for the very first time, it's leaving the Northern Hemisphere and travelling down under. Over half a million people are tipped to visit Sydney, bringing with them $100 million of spending money. After a few very difficult years for local tourism, this is great news. Visitors will be staying in our fantastic hotels, eating at our wonderful restaurants and visiting our sites all over Sydney.

Held over three weeks, WorldPride offers something for everybody: an opening night concert with Kylie Minogue and Charli XCX; the world's largest-ever human rights conference on LGBTQIA+ issues; 17 different competitions, including the World Gay Boxing Championships; the Pride March over Sydney Harbour Bridge; the opening of the Qtopia museum in Darlinghurst—and I really want to give a shout-out to the people who are behind Qtopia because they're doing an amazing job in getting this museum project up and running; Fair Day in Victoria Park this Sunday; and, of course, the 45th annual Mardi Gras Parade down Oxford Street. I've had the real pleasure of attending well over 20 Mardi Gras parades, and I can say it's a fantastic night every time.

It's been a really wonderful thing to watch the Mardi Gras Parade grow over time and watch people embrace it in larger and larger numbers over the years, to the point where it's now the second-largest event in the Sydney calendar—after the New Year's Eve fireworks. These festivals and parades are a lot of fun, but they're more than just a party. They grew out of struggle and a continuing campaign for equality. In particular, they tell young Australians—in particular, those who might be worried about their sexuality—that there is a place for them in modern Australia. So just by existing, these events save lives. It doesn't matter who you love and it doesn't matter what your family looks like, how you dress or how you run your private life, as long as you are kind and respectful to other people. In the end, we're all human beings equally worthy of love and happiness. If you are part of the celebration, please look after yourselves and look after your friends. As WorldPride comes to town, there is something for all of us to celebrate.

I want to send a special message out to a young lady called Abbie Kelly, who's from Broken Hill. She'll be there with her Rainbow Shoelace Project, and she's a great example of a young person growing up in regional Australia who has decided to engage in activism to support other young people in her local community and around Australia. I know that Abbie will have a great time visiting Sydney and promoting the Rainbow Shoelace Project.