Page 245 - Week 01 - Thursday, 14 February 2019
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showcase, India in the city and many more. This will allow attendees to experience the rich cultures and diversity of our neighbours and our friends.
The festival will also have an additional 145 embassy and information stalls. Across six stages there will be 150 performances from a range of different multicultural groups, which will further promote the diversity of our city to the world.
Madam Speaker, because of the importance of this festival to building inclusion in our city, the ACT government has committed an additional $1.968 million to secure the future of the National Multicultural Festival over the next three years, including its 25th anniversary in 2021. The funding will also be used to continue the incremental improvements that have been made to the festival’s operations in recent years.
The Multicultural Festival is only one way that we celebrate our multicultural communities throughout the year, but it is one of the most significant symbols of our inclusive city that welcomes people of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds from around the world. I am very much looking forward to the event kicking off tomorrow.
MS CODY: Minister, what will be the highlights of this year’s Multicultural Festival?
MR STEEL: I thank Ms Cody for her supplementary. This year’s Multicultural Festival has an incredibly exciting line-up of performances. We have invested a lot in entertainment infrastructure, for the enjoyment of all those attending this year.
We are very lucky this year to have our headline act of iconic Indigenous Australian singer Christine Anu on Friday night. I have to say that as a big Eurovision fan, I am particularly looking forward to seeing Isaiah Firebrace on Saturday night, who represented Australia at the 2017 Eurovision song contest. This year there will be six stages and 150 acts, featuring 2,000 performers in the city, demonstrating the amazing range of talent we are lucky enough to have in our multicultural community in the city and across Australia, as well as international performers.
Of course, food is at the heart of the festival. This year there will be 140 stalls providing food and drink from around the world. From paella to gozleme to French crepes, there will be something for everybody. I am also looking forward to celebrity chef Mark Olive hosting cooking demonstrations on Saturday, using native ingredients and herbs, and supporting the use of Indigenous food by new generations.
For me, the highlight of the Multicultural Festival is our multicultural communities, who have been there from the beginning. This is a proudly community-based festival, because it is the community groups who organise the food stalls and performances with countless volunteers across the three days, and who use this as an opportunity to support their cultural activities throughout the year.
MS ORR: Minister, what changes will there be for this year’s Multicultural Festival?
MR STEEL: I thank Ms Orr for her supplementary question. Every festival has something different to offer, every year. This year the festival is starting earlier than
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