Happy New Year greetings for the Year of the Rat
Joint Media Release with Laurie Ferguson MP
Wednesday, 6 February 2008
On the eve of Lunar New Year, Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans, and Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs and Settlement Services, Laurie Ferguson, expressed their best wishes to all Australians celebrating the beginning of the Year of the Rat.
'In our multicultural society today, Chinese New Year has become a major celebration, which now encompasses the wider Australian community,' Senator Evans said. 'Indeed, many Chinese New Year celebrations are organised by local city or town councils and supported by their state governments.
'Chinese New Year is about Australians sharing in other cultures and celebrations. This is one of the ways in which Australians, whatever their background, connect to one another.'
Mr Ferguson said he has been privileged to have shared in many of these celebrations in the past. As the Federal Member for Reid, he represents one of the most diverse electorates in New South Wales.
'I’m very pleased to say that the seat of Reid is among the top two seats in Australia with the highest levels of residents with Chinese ancestry,' Mr Ferguson said.
'Traditional celebrations by Australians of Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean and other Asian backgrounds may have seemed strange and exotic as recently as one generation ago.
'Today in many local areas, including Parramatta where I live, these are annual celebrations and are very much a part of the Australian cultural landscape – no longer just shared between families and friends, but with the whole community.'
Mr Ferguson said he was also looking forward to actively participating in the celebrations, attending both the Federation of Chinese Associations’ New Year Festival in Melbourne and events held by the Australian Chinese Charity Foundation and the Vietnamese Community Association in Sydney on February 10.
Chinese New Year has been celebrated in Australia since the 1850s, when early Chinese settlers came during the gold rush. More recently, Lunar New Year celebrations have grown with celebrations such as the Vietnamese Tết and Korean Seollal (설날).
'I understand that the Year of the Rat brings opportunities and good prospects and I wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year,' Senator Evans said.
URL: http://www.minister.immi.gov.au
/media/media-releases/2008/ce08012.htm
Last update: 13 August 2008 at 17:14 AEST