I was deeply saddened to hear the news of the passing of ‘Mr Football’ Les Murray not only as the co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of SBS, the co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Multiculturalism but mostly as an avid fan of his work and his legacy.

I spoke in Parliament about the wonderful event that was held in my electorate of Calwell - the launch of the 2017 Writers’ Festival held at Coolaroo South Primary School.

Established in 2001, the Hume Interfaith Network identified an urgent need for all of Hume’s faith leaders to come together to help foster understanding across the many faiths and cultures represented in my electorate.

Maria Vamvakinou MP, Federal Member for Calwell, delivered a scathing speech on the Turnbull Government’s proposed changes to Australian citizenship requirements. 

In her speech, she rejected calls that these changes were snobbery or elitism by the Government, and instead said they were a form of “blatant racism by a government that stands to do one thing and that is to divide the Australian community”.

Read press release here. 

I was honoured to attend the official announcement of the naming of Lemnos Square at Albert Park, as well as the second anniversary of the unveiling of the Lemnos Gallipoli Memorial.

As the co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Heart and Stroke Foundations, I am very pleased to work in parliament to raise awareness of heart disease generally and in this week in particular, to raise awareness of Australian women’s heart health by promoting the Heart Foundation’s campaign Making the Invisible Visible for the months of June. 

I wish to congratulate the Assyrian Community for the official consecration of the Bishop for the newly created Diocese of Victoria and New Zealand for the Assyrian Christians - His Grace Mar Benyamin Elya -Assyrian Church of the East.

In 1969, a group of Northern suburb parents were looking to establish a facility and services for their children with a disability - that journey resulted in the creation of Brite Services.