One of the great privileges of my role is being invited to community events. Over the weekend, for the first time, I attended the Vietnamese Tet festival at Fairfield Showground. The Tet festival coincides with the Vietnamese festival of the new year, which this year is the Year of the Snake. The festival was a huge success, with dozens of stallholders, rides and food stalls. The crowd was terrific and a perfect blend of old and young, traditional dress with modern.

The feel of the event was one of celebration and joy, even though it was very warm in the morning and got wet later. This was especially evident on the stage, which was full of singing and colourful, beautiful costumes. In the evening, I was pleased to join my parliamentary colleagues: the member for McMahon, Chris Bowen; the member for Cabramatta, Tri Vo; the member for Liverpool, Charishma Kaliyanda; and the member for Prospect, Hugh McDermott. The Prime Minister—no stranger to our part of Sydney—was also present for the evening and was warmly received by the crowd. I congratulate the organisers of the event, especially Peter Ha. While it may have been my first Tet festival, it certainly won't be my last. I wish all the constituents from the Vietnamese community a happy and prosperous Year of the Snake.

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