His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj
Pauline RICHARDS (Cranbourne) (09:41): I was honoured to join with the terrific community in Cranbourne and across Victoria to welcome the spiritual leader of BAPS, His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj. I have been particularly blessed to have participated in these festivities three times, including the most extraordinary event when His Holiness was first introduced to devotees. Together with the member for Narre Warren North and of course the member for Greenvale, who did a terrific job representing the Premier beautifully, we were also joined by Mr Tarlamis and Ms Shing in the other place at this most extraordinary event. I attended a separate event with the Deputy Premier and again the member for Narre Warren North where His Holiness sanctified soil and blessed the event, and so many of the devotees are excited about their aspirations for the future. Finally, I was fortunate to attend, with the Minister for Energy and Resources and Minister for Climate Action, the federal member for Holt and the member for Yan Yean and her brand new baby Raf, the women’s conference. This has been an extraordinary undertaking, and I am so proud of my community for welcoming thousands of volunteers to Cranbourne as part of this peace symposium.