Carina Garland (Chisholm, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am so delighted to be collaborating with the Glen Waverley Traders Association to encourage people in Chisholm and right across Victoria to shop local, love local and visit the incredible local businesses in Glen Waverley. Glen Waverley is a buzzing multicultural hub of spectacular local businesses. With world-class restaurants, cosy cafes, unique retailers and passionate professionals, there is something for everyone in Glen Waverley. It was great to connect with local business owners that are part of the Glen Waverley Traders Association in and around Kingsway in Glen Waverley recently. Walking around Glen Waverley brings up lovely memories of visiting restaurants and cafes in Glen Waverley when I was growing up. I still regularly visit Glen Waverley cafes and restaurants and when I'm catching up with friends and family. It was terrific to hear from the businesses about their very deep connections to the community and their real love of Glen Waverley. I encourage everyone to visit Glen Waverley, shop local and love local.

Nunawading Basketball, in Burwood East, is one of Australia's largest and most successful basketball programs. They are the home of the Melbourne East Basketball Association, its representative teams and the legendary Nunawading Spectres. They facilitate basketball competitions and programs for nearly 12,000 players, coaches and officials on a weekly basis. Over the recent King's Birthday weekend, Nunawading Basketball hosted Australia's largest community basketball event organised by a single association. The annual Nunawading Spectres Tournament continues to grow each year, and this year an incredible 11,158 participants were involved in the tournament. They represented 1,031 teams, including 408 interstate teams. This was the biggest ever tournament in the event's history, which is quite amazing. The record-breaking tournament spread across 20 venues and 74 courts in Melbourne's eastern suburbs. It was also great to see that the number of young women involved in community basketball continues to grow; 43 per cent of participants in this year's tournament were female.

I want to congratulate Nunawading Basketball and Melbourne East Basketball Association on the runaway success of the Nunawading Spectres Tournament. To organise so many players and teams is an incredible feat, and I thank everyone involved in the tournament for their hard work and look forward to seeing what next year's tournament delivers.