Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Chinese lunar new year has been celebrated in Darwin and Palmerston for many years, and this year is the Year of the Snake. I've been delighted to attend a number of events around Darwin and Palmerston in the last couple of weeks to celebrate the lunar new year. There have been events held by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of the Northern Territory. The NT Timor Chinese Association held a great celebration, and, on Australia Day, the Australia China Friendship Society NT ran an excellent event. I want to give a shout-out to these fantastic organisations for hosting these great events. Still to come are the Chung Wah Society's dinner and the Vietnamese Community in Australia NT Chapter's events. I'm very much looking forward to those.

These events celebrate the diversity and multiculturalism that makes our country stronger. My electorate, Darwin and Palmerston, is very much known for its rich multicultural community, with diasporas from around the world in Darwin—something that I'm very proud of as the member for Solomon. I will always support these organisations. I love the fact that they run events that celebrate Australia but still hold to the traditions of the lunar new year that their families have been marking for generations.