The Ambassador of Ukraine to Australia, Mykola Kulinich, together with Bruce Atkinson, Chairman of the Legislative Council of Victoria Parliament, Robin Scott, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, and Stefan Romaniw, Chairman of the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations, took part in the wonderful event of the Ukrainian community in Victoria, the start of the Australian-Ukrainian Friendship Group in the state parliament.

"We all know about Victoria's significance for Australian Ukrainians and we know about the role of the Ukrainian community in Victoria for the state. I congratulate this wonderful initiative of the Ukrainian community on establishing an effective platform for interaction with state parliamentarians and I wish successful cooperation in the interests of both sides", said Ambassador of Ukraine to Australia Mykola Kulinich.

It is important that the new parliamentary formation includes both representatives of the ruling party and the opposition, whose electorate is Ukrainian. The co-chairs are Natalie Suleyman (Liberal Party) and Tim Smith (Labor Party).

According to Yaroslav Kogut, the head of Ukrainians in Viktoria, the new platform will allow the community to directly inform its parliamentarians about the needs of the community, and the deputies - to respond in a timely manner to the demands of voters from among the Ukrainians in the state.

In particular, Ukrainians from Victoria expect support from their parliamentarians in discussing and endorsing the application on the occasion of the 85th anniversary of the Holodomor of 1932-33 in Ukraine by Victoria Parliament.

The Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organizations congratulated the formation of the Friendship Group in Victoria Parliament and called on Ukrainians from other states of Australia to make use of such a model of interaction with their deputies.