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- 23 November 2006
Italian-Australian Community Cultural Events
Italian Parliamentary Friendship Group
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Page: 4787
The Hon. AMANDA FAZIO [9.02 p.m.]: On Friday 3 November I represented the Premier, the Hon. Morris Iemma, at the thirty-sixth annual ball in honour of Sant' Antonio Da Padova, the protector of Poggioreale in Sicily, which was held at Le Montage at Leichhardt. I had the honour of attending this event in 2004 and enjoyed the proceedings very much. I congratulate the organisers for their commendable efforts in hosting the event as part of the fundraising activities of the association which are earmarked for providing aged care to benefit the Italian-Australian community in Sydney, especially the frail aged and dementia sufferers. The association has been hosting this annual ball in Sydney for 36 years, which is a remarkable achievement, and continues the ancient religious tradition, dating back to the thirteenth century, to benefit those in need of help.
The New South Wales Government commends the excellent work performed for decades by the Sant' Antonio da Padova Association and is proud to support its efforts to care for ageing Italian people, who form an increasingly large component of the Italian-Australian community. These projects and activities are just a further good example of the significant contribution that the Italian community has made to the social, economic and cultural development of our multicultural New South Wales. On 26 October I attended the opening of the Lavazza Italian Film Festival at the Palace Cinema in Norton Street, Leichhardt. The festival was opened by the Hon. Sandra Nori, MP, who will be retiring at the next State election, and whom I have known and worked with since the days when we were both in Young Labor—when we were fighting against each other for our respective groups. This is the seventh year that the Italian Film Festival has been staged. It goes from strength to strength. Academy Award-winning director Gabriele Salvatores and producer Maurizio Totti were special guests of the 2006 festival. Palace Films managing director, Antonio Zeccola, said:
Each year we look forward to sharing the magical warmth and passion of Italian cinema with Australian audiences, so I am therefore truly honoured that this year's Festival will be enriched by the presence of two of Italy's foremost contemporary filmmakers".
The 2006 Lavazza Italian Film Festival was a resounding success. The great work of Antonio Zeccola in promoting Italian cinema deserves recognition. On Saturday 11 November I represented the Premier at the Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry's twenty-eighth gala ball, which was held at the Hilton Hotel. The Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Australia Inc. was established in 1922 with the stated objective to promote trade and commerce between Italy and New South Wales and, more widely, with Australia. The chamber in Sydney is the oldest and largest Italian chamber of commerce in Australia and is part of a worldwide network of similar organisations that are located both in Italy and internationally. These organisations are supported by the Italian Government to combine local resources and international networks with a view to developing viable and effective commercial contacts of mutual benefit to business communities both locally and in Italy. The chamber achieves its mission by providing services and facilities to its members and the public.
The gala ball is an occasion to celebrate another year in the life of the chamber and is the most important social event that the chamber holds each year. It is also a time for the Italian-Australian community to come together and celebrate the numerous achievements that such integration has fostered in the Italian community of New South Wales. The ball raised funds for phenylketonuria [PKU] research at the Children's Hospital, Westmead. More than $150,000 has been raised in previous years and this has allowed the Children's Hospital to conduct research, employ a post-doctoral researcher and purchase laboratory consumables that are being focused on research into a new therapy. The evening also featured the presentation of the 2006 Italian Awards for Excellence to the leading Italian-Australian companies.
At a function to be held on 8 December, the long-awaited opening of the Cultural Centre of the Italian Forum will come closer to fruition. At this event the directors of the Italian Forum Limited will see the culmination of their efforts materialise and the dream of the Italian community to proceed with the fit-out of the cultural centre become a reality. The fit-out work will commence shortly and is scheduled to be completed in spring 2007. This will mark an exciting and positive time for the Leichhardt area as well as the Italian community. The cultural centre will include an auditorium, a multimedia centre, function-conference rooms and an exhibition gallery. Once completed, this community space will embrace a melange of cultures through fine arts and performing arts.
Italians not only form the third-largest non-English speaking community in New South Wales but also are arguably one of the most influential groups in changing Australia's lifestyle and culture. They are also very active politically. In the New South Wales Parliament we have an Italian-Australian Premier, four Ministers, one shadow Minister and three backbenchers. Integral to one of the most culturally diverse societies in the world, the Italian-Australian community has served the wider community with great distinction and has made an enormous contribution to the social, cultural and economic development of this State. Italian-Australians are represented in all areas of the professions, industry, commerce and the arts in New South Wales where their valuable contributions are strongly felt. Italian-Australians are equally active in philanthropic and voluntary community activities. Links between Australia and Italy have never been stronger.
In March the Premier launched the Italian Parliamentary Friendship Group, which is an acknowledgement of the importance that this State places on the relationship with the great Republic of Italy. As I stated earlier, the Italian community has made many significant contributions to the social, economic and cultural development of New South Wales. For all of these reasons I say to the Leader of the Opposition, the honourable member for Vaucluse, that he should stop denigrating members of the Italian-Australian community and he should stop playing the race card.
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