Dutton and Albanese spruik China-Australia relations at Lunar New Year celebrations in Melbourne
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton have both attended Lunar New Year celebrations in Melbourne.
Victoria
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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese talked up China-Australia relations during his visit to Melbourne on Saturday, announcing $150,000 for the popular Lunar New Year festival.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton was among about a dozen politicians from across the political spectrum, both state and federal, who attended a Lunar New Year event in Box Hill on Saturday.
His Victorian counterpart Brad Battin, and federal Teal MP Monique Ryan also appeared at the event, while Multicultural Affairs Minister Ingrid Stitt attended on behalf of Premier Jacinta Allan.
Mr Albanese used the event to spruik Australia’s relationship with China, saying it was in the Asian superpower’s “interest for us to be great friends”.
“We are now having Australia China government ministers meeting together,” he said.
“Our economic relationship is so important.
“We’ve restored that trade and rebuilt our dialogue, and I had the honour of being the first Australian Prime Minister to visit China in seven years, and Australia to host a Premier here, the first in seven years as well.
“We cannot afford to turn back … what was there before 2022.”
Mr Albanese said people in Beijing and Shanghai would sitting down for lunch to celebrate Chinese New Year with “Australian beef, Australian lobster washed down with Australian wine”.
He pledged to $150,000 to the popular festival in the heart of Box Hill, which attracted thousands of people on Saturday.
Mr Dutton then tried to one-up the Prime Minister as he took to the stage, pledging $250,000 to the festival under a Coalition government and a new memorial sculpture recognising the service and sacrifice of Chinese Australian soldiers.
Earlier in the day, both leaders were guided through the excited crowd and food stalls by a Chinese dragon parade, with Mr Battin following closely behind his federal counterpart.
Originally published as Dutton and Albanese spruik China-Australia relations at Lunar New Year celebrations in Melbourne
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