Hansard debates

Ms SULEYMAN (St Albans) (10:00:35) — I was proud to represent the Premier of Victoria and the Minister for Multicultural Affairs at the Cyprus Turkish Festival on Sunday, 3 March, at Ardeer. Over 6000 people attended the festival to celebrate 70 years of Turkish Cypriot settlement in Australia. In 1947 many Turkish Cypriots were fortunate enough to migrate to Australia. My parents, Hakki and Ilkay, also arrived in Australia from Cyprus looking for a better future, with nothing more than the suitcase they were carrying. After decades of hard work, Australian Cypriots can see the fruits of their labour in many forms, as community leaders, in banking, as entrepreneurs, professionals and academics, in sport, in politics and so much more.

As the first woman of Turkish Cypriot heritage to be elected to the Victorian Parliament, I am incredibly proud of the contribution the Turkish Cypriot community has made to multicultural Australia. I would like to thank the committee members for their hard work and the major sponsors for making this a very successful event. Most importantly I would like to note the integral part Turkish Cypriots have played in Victorian communities. The festival, as I have indicated, was attended by over 6000 people. It was an opportunity to celebrate and mark 70 years of migration to Australia. I congratulate the Turkish Cypriot community on their 70 years of migration.