Hollie Hughes (NSW, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Hansard source

As many of you know, last Friday was St Patrick's Day. I had the pleasure of attending a St Paddy's day lunch hosted by the Lansdowne Club. The Lansdowne Club was founded in 1986 by a group of Irish-born businesspeople, and today many of its members hold senior positions in Australia's largest corporations across a wide range of industries. While St Patrick's Day is a tradition that marks the passing of Ireland's foremost saint it is also the most celebrated holiday in the world. Ireland has influenced so many other countries with its history, its celebrations and, of course, its wonderful, gregarious, world-travelling people. Our close relationship with the Irish goes right back to modern Australia's beginnings. Many Irish men and women were among the first European settlers in Australia—many of them below deck when they arrived—and today a staggering 11 per cent, or 2.4 million, of Australians have identified their Irish heritage.