Mr PALLAS (Treasurer) (09:38:39) — I rise to acknowledge to the house the success of the Harmony Festival, which was held at Chirnside Park in my electorate of Werribee on the weekend. I was honoured to be a part of the official opening of the festival organised by the Wyndham City Council and the National Rugby League. It was fabulous to be with the community to celebrate rugby league in Victoria and the importance of inclusion and diversity in our community. Melbourne’s west is truly one of the great places to live in the state, and the Harmony Festival demonstrates how strong our diversity makes us all. I had a good chat with Emily, who is originally from Christchurch and whose home town has gone through so much recently. Emily expressed her appreciation of the acceptance of the multiculturalism we enjoy in Melbourne and Australia more broadly. We all share the responsibility of creating harmony in our community by respecting and accepting each other’s differences. Victoria is the place of the fair go, where the hard work of residents is recognised and appreciated regardless of background, social status or gender. It is also the centre of Australian sport. What better reason to bring people together than a festival of footy? Our diversity is our strength, and the Andrews Labor government will continue supporting all Victorians to celebrate and share their culture and traditions with pride. Thank you to the National Rugby League and Wyndham City Council for putting on the Harmony Festival. It was a fantastic event.