Ms SPENCE (Yuroke) — I recently had the pleasure of attending PAX Australia at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. With over 55 000 attendees, many from interstate or overseas, PAX Australia has rapidly become a major event on the Melbourne calendar. As the gaming industry continues to grow globally and locally, it is important that we encourage, support and celebrate this industry, the jobs it provides, the creative arts it nurtures and the positive impact it has on the local economy. Special thanks to Tony Reed, CEO of the Game Developers Association of Australia; Paul Baker and Laura Blagys from ReedPOP; and Michael Hudson from Creative Victoria for giving me a tour and providing me with a comprehensive briefing on this great event. There was certainly something for everyone interested in gaming culture, the games industry, game development and games education.

With plenty to see and participate in, there were AAA games, table games, upcoming release games, miniatures, handhelds in the comfort of beanbags, consoles, over 200 free-to-play and learn-to-play PC stations, old-school arcade games, panels and workshops with industry professionals, concerts, local area network competitions, and the Omegathon and eSports tournaments with huge prize money. I was particularly impressed with the great number of indie developers promoting their games and getting valuable feedback from fellow gamers and industry professionals. Of course a number of these indies were Victorian, including Melbourne-based SUNSTUDIOS and Yak & co. I hope to see all these indies grow and prosper. The enforcers did a terrific job, making everyone welcome and helping out with directions and information, and the cosplayers were just outstanding. Congratulations to all involved in PAX Australia, and I look forward to seeing it become even bigger next year.