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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-10-18 Daily Xml
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OzAsia Festival

Mr BATTY (Bragg) (12:45): I move:

That this house—

(a) notes that OzAsia Festival will return in 2023 from 19 October to 5 November 2023;

(b) celebrates OzAsia Festival as Australia's leading arts festival engaging with Asia; and

(c) commends the artists and those involved in organising the OzAsia Festival.

With OzAsia, Australia's leading arts festival engaging with Asia, kicking off tomorrow, it is an opportune time for this parliament to commend all those involved with organising the festival and wish them all the very best of luck for the next couple of weeks but, more importantly, to encourage all South Australians to make the most of all that this wonderful OzAsia Festival has to offer over the coming couple of weeks because there really is something for everyone.

It very much showcases Asian culture in all its forms, whether it is music, dance, theatre, visual arts, literature or delicious food. It is a feast of culture from various artists from right across Asia and indeed the world, masters of their craft who we are very lucky to have in South Australia on our doorstep. I would love to stand here and spruik every event that is on offer at the OzAsia Festival over the coming couple of weeks, but I have agreed to speak for just a short time only. The truth is, there are far too many to mention. Indeed, there are too many Adelaide premieres to even mention.

I for one am particularly looking forward to attending the official opening of the OzAsia Festival tomorrow night, where we will enjoy a performance of tiaen tiamen by the Bulareyaung Dance Company, which promises to be a great show. There are many other community events that are taking place throughout the next couple of weeks, including the Moon Lantern Trail, which is a brilliant and free event and very enjoyed every year. The Lucky Dumpling Market is always a very enjoyable time. I think I ate my own body weight in dumplings last year. The final few days of the festival will see In Other Words, which is OzAsia's landmark weekend of everything literary.

I encourage all South Australians to enjoy all these different aspects of OzAsia. It is going to be a lot of fun over the next couple of weeks. I think more importantly it is an important opportunity for us to continue our engagement with Asia, for us to celebrate rich and diverse multicultural communities, particularly those with Asian backgrounds, whether they be Indian, Indonesian or, in my own electorate increasingly, Chinese. One in 10 of my residents in Bragg speaks Mandarin or Cantonese at home. It is a great opportunity for us to celebrate this rich and diverse multicultural society we live in.

In closing, I want to acknowledge some of the people who have put the festival together, including Annette Shun Wah, the artistic director; Douglas Gautier AM, the CEO and Artistic Director of the Adelaide Festival Centre; and Joon-Yee Kwok, the executive producer. I want to acknowledge and thank all the contributors from across the state and across the world. We are so lucky to have this talent in South Australia, and I cannot wait for the next couple of weeks.

The Hon. A. MICHAELS (Enfield—Minister for Small and Family Business, Minister for Consumer and Business Affairs, Minister for Arts) (12:49): I also rise to speak in support of the member for Bragg's motion and thank him for bringing it to the house. Of course, OzAsia is one of South Australia's most iconic cultural festivals and tomorrow night I have the pleasure of officially opening 2023 OzAsia.

It truly is a festival for a modern Australia. It celebrates, obviously, our Asian communities and artists here in Australia, and also our deep connections with our Asian neighbours. It reflects our contemporary culturally diverse country. OzAsia really is one of Australia's pioneering cultural events. The Adelaide Festival Centre's commitment to the festival is a testament to its leadership in both cultural innovation and in delivering its core mission, which is arts for all—something that I frequently speak to the chair, Hieu van Le, and Douglas Gautier about.

This year's festival is extra special. It is in the Adelaide Festival Centre's 50th anniversary year and it will see 300 artists from 13 countries over 2½ weeks. We have the spectacular Moon Lantern Trail which returns and, in particular, I am looking forward to seeing a new lantern by South Australia's Jaydenlee Tong which reflects his Aboriginal and Chinese heritage.

As well as providing fabulous experiences for festivalgoers, OzAsia does very important work in supporting South Australian Asian artists. It really does provide an invaluable opportunity for them to appear in the program and work with and learn from some incredible visiting international artists. The Malinauskas government is a very proud supporter of this key event in Australia's cultural calendar. A big congratulations goes to OzAsia's creative director, Annette Shun Wah, and her team of dedicated staff who have put together an incredible program for this year's OzAsia Festival.

Like the member for Bragg, I am particularly looking forward to opening night tomorrow night. tiaen tiamen Episode 1 by the Bulareyaung Dance Company is a work that reflects the Paiwan people's culture, who are the indigenous peoples of Taiwan. It has been described as avant-garde, creative and futuristic. The dance company has a stellar track record in creating works for Taiwan's Cloud Gate Dance Theatre and New York's Martha Graham Dance Company. It is a story rooted in tradition about the survival of Paiwan culture and looking to the future to ensure that the culture continues to flourish. It is a particularly apt piece for our time right now to have that open the OzAsia Festival this year.

What is so great about this festival is the continued collaboration with our multicultural groups in South Australia. OzAsia really gives these important groups a platform to share their culture with the wider South Australian community. In 2022, we welcomed 175,000 attendees through the OzAsia Festival, and we are very proud to continue the funding to support the festival running again this year.

Our multicultural community has always been one of our state's richest and best assets, and we want to make sure that it is showcased to the wider community. Hopefully, with some good weather, we are expecting up to 200,000 visitors to OzAsia 2023. I look forward to South Australians immersing themselves in Asian and Asian-Australian culture. I look forward to again enjoying all the great experiences that the OzAsia Festival has to offer. I commend this motion to the house and again thank the member for Bragg for bringing it to us.

Motion carried.

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