Congratulations to Ballarat International Foto Biennale artistic director and CEO, Fiona Sweet, the board and BIFB team for the amazing 2021 biennale, which opens exclusively to regional Victorians this week.

During past Ballarat International Foto Biennales, Ballarat has become a sea of visitors and locals carrying distinctive yellow bags as the streets and venues of our city are taken over by photography exhibitions and installations.

The 2019 biennale was a huge success, drawing more than 37 000 visitors, with an economic impact of $7.8 million to the Ballarat economy.

I was lucky enough to have a sneak peak of the headline exhibition, Linda McCartney: Retrospective, this week and it is extraordinary.

This exhibition of more than 200 photographs was curated by Paul McCartney and daughters Mary and Stella and is being exclusively presented for the first time in Australia in Ballarat.

The exhibition explores Linda McCartney’s life and work over 30 years and offers an intimate glimpse into the rare love story of Linda and Paul McCartney.

The Ballarat International Foto Biennale is a world of photographic art. It includes public art and projections and features 120 exhibitions and 260 artists.

I would particularly like to acknowledge the army of 200 local volunteers who make this event a reality.

We thank the Victorian government, the Premier and the Minister for Creative Industries for their support for this important event for Ballarat.

Originally the biennale was scheduled to run until the end of October; however, the BIFB has now been extended to 9 January 2022. We look forward to welcoming visitors from Melbourne to experience the biennale and our city.

Click here to read more of my contributions in Parliament. To access further Hansard transcripts, head to the Parliament of Victoria website.