Sam Rae (Hawke, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I recently attended the opening of the brand new prayer hall at Khalsa Shaouni Sikh temple in Plumpton. I was joined by thousands of people on the day. It was an exciting event for the whole local Sikh community and for our community more broadly to celebrate this important new facility as it provides rich opportunities for us. Khalsa Shaouni is such an important community space. For an electorate as multicultural as Hawke, it's amazing to see it continuing to grow, to develop and to engage with the community more broadly.

I was very honoured to be invited to attend the opening of the prayer space, alongside local state member for Melton, Steve McGhie, and special guests who had travelled from India to be there on the day. It was a very memorable occasion. This event was testament to what we can achieve when communities and governments work together to build important local infrastructure. I want to acknowledge my very good friend Gurdarshan and his exceptional team of volunteers for their hard work not just on this day but all the time in our community—supporting vulnerable families and supporting our community every day and every week throughout the year. Without them, this facility and the fantastic opening event would not have been possible.

I recently visited Tripod Farmers in Bacchus Marsh. This is a great family business. Tripod Farmers started in 1989 on just 15 acres. Now, 35 years later, they farm over a thousand acres across multiple sites, growing some of the freshest produce sold right across Australia. I was delighted to be invited along to discuss—over some very, very decent scones and a delicious cup of tea—the opportunities and challenges that their business is facing. I was particularly interested to see their state-of-the-art laser weeding machine, affectionately nicknamed 'Rocky', in action. It was like watching Star Wars race across the paddocks. This machine is the first of its kind in Australia, and it was fantastic to see a local family business able to invest in such advanced machinery to continue growing and expanding the productivity of their business. It was very clear that this is the future of family farming as these businesses grow and technology becomes a greater part of them. My very dear thanks to Angela, Carmel, Joseph, Frankie, Simon and the team for welcoming me to their farm and for their warm hospitality. I look forward to coming back again very soon.

Last week I visited the Dingo Discovery Sanctuary and Research Centre in Toolern Vale to see the valuable work that they do for these great animals. Completely run by volunteers, the Dingo Discovery Sanctuary and Research Centre's mission is to preserve and conserve the original dingo gene pool while educating the public on the ecological significance of dingoes. It was a wonderful opportunity to learn about these beautiful creatures and have a pat and a cuddle with Pumbah the dingo, a beautiful little animal. Thank you very much to Mel, Lyn, Kevin and the team for inviting me out to visit and for their dedication and effort in running this impressive facility.