If we are to thrive as a state, every Victorian must feel respected and protected by our police, courts and corrections services.
Message from the Chairperson
We were excited to bring you the third instalment of our Curious Conversations series Tuesday 18 May 2021. A lively discussion between three thought leaders who care deeply about making sure our justice system is fair and representative. Our panel of experts again mapped the future of multicultural Victoria, this time focusing on the justice system.We have some other important news in this week's update. The Victorian Government has announced that many new jobs are being created for migrant and refugee women as part of the Working for Victoria scheme. In addition, children of refugee and asylum seekers can now access free or low cost kinder.
Moving Pictures is calling out to people of Italian backgrounds, asking them to provide feedback on some new short films, And applications have now opened for Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation’s gambling harm prevention grants.
I'd like to share that I have been appointed as an advisory member of the GenV project. This is the largest childhood research project ever undertaken In Australia. The parents of more than 170,000 babies will be invited to participate in the study by the end of 2022. Information gathered will develop a complete picture of the health and wellbeing of an entire generation of Victorians. It is hoped that this data can then be used to prevent, predict and treat issues facing children and parents today, with a focus on problems like preterm birth, allergies and mental illness. I will be doing my best to make sure our multicultural communities have a voice in this important project.
Finally, a reminder that from 28 May, businesses, venues and facilities with electronic record keeping requirements must use the free Victorian Government QR Code Service. You can sign up here.
Take care and stay safe.
Viv Nguyen, Chairperson
Curious Conversations: Justice
Tuesday 18 May 2021, we continued our Curious Conversations series of public lectures to explore the Cultural Diversity Week theme, 'What does multicultural Victoria look like in 2030?'The series covers topics ranging from the benefits and opportunities that our cultural, linguistic and religious diversity provides, as well as issues identified by communities.
Nevena Spirovska facilitated a panel of justice experts who will consider the future of the justice system in Victoria. We encourage you to stream the presentation and join the discussion in the comments section.
Tonight's panellists:
- Dr Stephane Shepherd, Associate Professor, Centre for Forensic Behavioural Science, Swinburne University of Technology. Recipient of the 2020 Multicultural Award for Excellence in Justice.
- Fotini Kypraios, Principal Lawyer, Prisma
- Bill Kyriakopoulos, Deputy Secretary, Police, Community Safety and Communications, Department of Justice and Community Safety
Multilingual women keeping communities safe
Working for Victoria is partnering with the Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health and nine other women’s health organisations to create jobs for migrant and refugee women.Employees will work directly with CALD communities across Victoria, helping people access the latest public health information about coronavirus and other women’s health issues in a range of languages.
Roles will be based in metropolitan and regional Victoria and will involve both face-to-face and online platforms, including video conferencing and social media.
The multilingual educators will be matched to each community based on the languages spoken and health needs of participants.
Helping refugee and asylum seeker children get the best start
Children of refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds can now access two years of free or low-cost kindergarten to give them the best educational start to life.Early Start Kindergarten provides access to a program delivered by a qualified teacher which supports children’s language and social development. The grant is available to children who turn three-years-old before 30 April in the year they are enrolled to attend kindergarten.
From 2021, the grant has been expanded to include children of refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds. Early Start Kindergarten continues to be available to children from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, as well as families and children who have had contact with Child Protection.
Parents and carers can enrol their child by contacting their local kindergarten and asking to access the Early Start Kindergarten grant.
Gambling harm prevention grants now open
Applications are now open for the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation’s gambling harm prevention grants. They’re offering a total of $400,000 (ex GST) for new projects to prevent and reduce harm from gambling among Vietnamese women.Moving Pictures seeking people of Italian background to give film feedback | evaluation closes 7 June 2021
In Australia, limited awareness of dementia in people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds often results in delayed diagnosis, poorer prognosis, and a higher burden of care on families and health systems.Moving Pictures, an innovative multimedia project, aims to change this through the production of short films co-produced with people from CALD backgrounds. They have now opened the online evaluation of short films for people from an Italian background.
Moving Pictures are looking for survey participants who are over the age of 18, are from an Italian background, and live in Australia to help evaluate and provide feedback on the films for final refinement
The evaluation is available in English and Italian, and each survey will take 20-25 minutes to complete. Participants can enter a draw to win one of four $50 gift cards.
Coronavirus hotline
- Coronavirus hotline: 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.
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- Coronavirus in-language information
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Victorian Multicultural CommissionAddress: Level 3, 1 Macarthur Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Tel: (03) 9651 5901
Email: contact@vmc.vic.gov.au