Mr REPACHOLI (Hunter) (13:38): I've said it before and I'll say it again: the world's best establishments—restaurants, bars and bistros—are located in the Hunter region. And the proof has just been released, with the 2023 Good Food Guide. Once again, the Hunter electorate has shown it punches well above its weight, with five restaurants being awarded hats in this guide.

Congratulations to Sally and Robert and the team at Bistro Molines; to Lisa and Andrew Margan and the team at Margan restaurant; to Frank Fawkner and his team at EXP; to Sam Alexander, Darren Price, Pat Hester and the team at Yellow Billy in Pokolbin and to Megan Rhoades-Brown and Joshua Gregory at Muse Kitchen Hunter Valley.

A special congratulations to Troy Rhoades-Brown, Mitchell, Melinda, Linda, Jake, Curtis, Alexandra, Renee, Andrew, Ben, Gordon, Jacob, Jessica, Lilly, Luke, Nicholas, Samantha, Samuel and Tiffany from Muse Restaurant. Muse has retained its two-hat status for 2023, putting it firmly on the map as one of this country's best regional restaurants.

It has been a couple of incredibly tricky years for the hospitality industry, and it's great to see things getting back to some sense of normality. These world-recognised awards will really help those in the industry get the lift they need and the recognition they deserve. With the hats being awarded, the mighty Hunter Region has firmly secured its position as one of the best culinary destinations in Australia.