I'm very proud that I get to represent the amazing suburb of Thomastown in this place and have the opportunity on many occasions to talk about the great things that are happening there. In particular I'd like to share with the House the Taste of Thomo Festival which I was very pleased to attend together with my kids on Saturday 10 September.
This festival was organised by the amazing Thomastown Neighbourhood House which is so ably led by Justine Sless and a team of committed volunteers, all of whom have a great passion for the place in which they live and the amazing things that happen in Thomastown—in particular, food manufacture. That's been a big feature of life in Melbourne's northern suburbs and it will continue to be. It was amazing to see over 1,100 people come together to celebrate the wonderful manufactured goods produced in Thomastown—small goods, cheeses—and also to see what's being done with these products, to see community members come together to share recipes and ideas.
What most impressed me about the event was, again, the Neighbourhood House showing pride in place, showing a community coming together to celebrate what's great about it and what can be even better about that community. There was a real sense of community, a sense of excitement about the future and a sense of pride and contribution. I'm so pleased to talk about the Taste of Thomo right here in Australia's parliament.