Motions

Chinatown Adelaide South Australia

Debate resumed.

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS (20:02): Thank you, Mr President. It is great to see Irene Pnevmatikos here in the gallery today. I welcome this opportunity to speak on the motion from the Hon. Jing Lee celebrating this milestone for Chinatown. I think Chinatown is a really integral part of the City of Adelaide. It has, as other members have acknowledged, a very proud history. Indeed, it is my understanding that Chinatown really began to grow in Adelaide in the 1970s and the 1980s.

One of the key landmarks is the entrance on Moonta Street, which is the Chinese lion statues that were donated by the Adelaide City Council and by the Chinese government. It has often been a landmark for me over the years, as I have met friends who say, 'Go and meet over at the lions.' For many years, I have visited Gouger Street with friends and family. Ying Chow—or 'Yingers', as my friends call it—is one of my favourite restaurants in that part of town. I lived near Gouger Street for many years. I think it is an excellent celebration of the diversity of the South Australian community. It is an excellent demonstration of what makes South Australia such a great place to live, and that is, of course, our multicultural society.

On behalf of the Greens, I congratulate Chinatown on this milestone and thank the honourable member for putting this motion forward. I look forward to joining in the celebrations for many other significant birthdays for Chinatown in the years ahead. Congratulations to everybody in that part of the city who has worked hard to make that such a successful precinct. As a former city councillor, obviously I have had an interest in that area, and I know that it really is the jewel in the crown for Adelaide in many ways because it is such a celebration of multiculturalism and a much-loved part of our city.

The Hon. J.S. LEE (Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (20:05): I would like to thank honourable members for their wonderful contributions, particularly the Hon. Mira El Dannawi and the Hon. Robert Simms for their heartfelt congratulations to Chinatown on their 20^th anniversary. This Chinese Lunar New Year being the Year of the Dragon, Chinatown Adelaide put together a dragon dance to accompany the Christmas Pageant this year, so I think the Chinatown Association not only contributes to the prosperity and the vibrancy of Chinatown itself but does inject a lot of energy into a broader South Australian multicultural society. I thank honourable members for their heartfelt congratulations, and with those remarks I commend the motion.

Motion carried.