While the final Melbourne public housing tower has been released from strict coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions, our work continues to support residents in the Fitzroy, Collingwood and North Richmond estates, encouraging testing and reinforcing public health messaging.
Message from the Chairperson
The Victorian Ombudsman has announced an investigation into the restriction of residents at 33 Alfred Street, North Melbourne and the Commission will assist in their investigation. We fully support all efforts to ensure that the learnings from this situation inform the response to future public health emergencies.
Term 3 kicks off for a large number of Victorian students this week, with remote and flexible learning arrangements in place. Good luck to all students, parents and educators, and thank you!
Your efforts are significantly reducing the movement of more than 700,000 school students, as well as their parents and guardians, across metropolitan Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire and helping to slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).
Another key transmission reduction measure announced on the weekend is that face masks or coverings will become mandatory from 11.59pm on Wednesday 22 July. Residents of Melbourne and Mitchell Shire must wear a mask or face covering (such as a scarf) when leaving home, or face a $200 fine.
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has translated the Victorian Chief Health Officer’s video about face masks into 14 different languages. There are also useful pictographs on the World Health Organisation website, showing how to wear a mask safely.
We've also included information about a grant that may be of interest to community groups — the Let’s Stay Connected Fund for community-led initiatives that help Victorian communities to stay connected during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and beyond.
We're also sharing an update from Health Translations and Dental Health Services of Victoria and information about a new program to address racism and discrimination in schools.
Take care of each other,
Viv Nguyen, Chairperson
Translated videos about face masks
The Victorian Department of Health and Human Services have translated the Victorian Chief Health Officer’s video about face masks into 14 different languages. From 11.59pm on Wednesday 22 July, if you live in metropolitan Melbourne or Mitchell Shire and you need to leave home for one of the four essential reasons, you must have a covering over your mouth and nose.
Support for Victorians to stay connected
The Victorian Government is helping communities to stay connected during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and beyond with the Let’s Stay Connected Fund. The fund provides grants between $5,000 and $200,000 to support community-led initiatives that build connection, reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation that can be implemented quickly – providing much-needed support across the state.
Dental Health Services of Victoria telehealth
DHSV (Dental Health Services of Victoria) is now offering free telehealth appointments. This means you can speak to them via internet video call about your oral health needs. You don't need to travel to DHSV for an appointment. You can use telehealth on most laptops, desktop computers, tablets, or smartphones. The telehealth video call service is available from Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. All Victorians are eligible for this service and it is bulk billed.
Schools standing up to racism
Schools Standing Up to Racism is a collaboration between the Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY) and the Victorian Department of Education and Training (DET), offering a range of resources to support schools to address racism and discrimination in their school environment. The resources include e-learning modules, factsheets, lesson plans, case studies, action plans, podcasts and a video.
Health Translations latest newsletter
Need translated information about coronavirus (COVID-19) in audio or video format?
Health Translations has more than 22,000 resources in over 100 languages including Auslan and Easy English. It brings together translated resources produced by government & community agencies Australia-wide. The July newsletter includes multilingual resources on coronavirus (COVID-19), JobKeeper, tax essentials, Centrelink, parenting, meaningful ageing and elder abuse, discrimination, interpreters, family violence and more.
MY Education Awards
Nominations are now open for the Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY) 2020 MY Education Awards. Nominations will close Monday 10 August. The MY Education Awards recognise excellence and showcase the outstanding contributions made by Out-of-School-Hours Learning Support Programs (OSHLSPs) to support primary and secondary students from migrant and refugee backgrounds in Victoria. This year, many OSHLSPs have faced challenges and changes due to coronavirus (COVID-19). This event will be an opportunity to celebrate and showcase the resilience and innovation of the OSHLSP sector.
Coronavirus hotline
- Coronavirus hotline: If you are concerned, call the coronavirus hotline on 1800 675 398 (24 Hours).
- Interpreting service: If you need an interpreter, call TIS National on 131 450.
- Testing locations: Find a testing location near you.
- Triple Zero: Please keep Triple Zero (000) for emergencies only.
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Victorian Multicultural Commission (VMC)
Address: Level 3, 1 Macarthur Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Tel: (03) 9651 5901
Email: