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VMC | UPDATING | Multicultural Awards for Excellence recipients revealed, Join VMC's End of Year celebration | Wednesday 8 December 2021

[Edited extract from public address]

Message from the Chairperson

I hope you had a good week with lots of catching up, connecting and reconnecting.

It was a week full of connecting with old friends and making new connections. I celebrated some important events, like Chanukah with our Jewish community, and witnessed special moments, such as a citizenship ceremony.

I also had the pleasure of speaking with many friends of the VMC at the Multicultural Awards for Excellence, which was held at Government House. Read about the inspiring work of the recipients here.

I look forward to continue making connections through the coming weeks.

Take care and stay safe.
Viv Nguyen AM, Chairperson

Join VMC for our End of Year Wrap-Up | Monday 13 December 2021 | 12-1 pm

The Victorian Multicultural Commission (VMC) invites you to join us online for our VMC End Year Wrap-Up event.

Please join us to reflect on a mammoth 2021 and celebrate the resilience of our multicultural communities over the year.

Our guest speakers include the Hon. Ros Spence MP, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, and Department of Families Fairness and Housing Secretary, Sandy Pitcher.

Vaccination support grants open

Applications for the Local Communities Access Grants Program (LCAGP) are now open.

LCAGP is a $2 million grant program to deliver tailored support to Victorians who face additional barriers to getting vaccinated.

Eligible community organisations and neighbourhood houses can apply for up to $20,000 to deliver activities that:
  • reduce COVID-19 vaccine misinformation and hesitancy
  • remove practical barriers to accessing vaccines
  • support increased uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine among priority groups.
Applications will be assessed on a rolling basis until funding is exhausted. Early applications are strongly encouraged.

Panel to discuss social cohesion

Cultural diversity is a strength of Melbourne’s suburbs, but what’s diversity without inclusion?

The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us the importance of ensuring all Melburnians are included in the conversation. During this time our diverse communities also demonstrated strength and resilience in their support of each other. What lessons can we take forward to ensure Melbourne’s recovery is inclusive of everyone?

From 10 am Friday 10 December, Metropolitan Partnerships are holding a 2-hour online event to explore Melbourne’s inclusive and diverse communities: learning and supporting social cohesion.

This is a great opportunity for community members to share stories of how locals have supported each other and to also hear from other regions of Melbourne.

Changes to Temporary Graduate visa

The Australian Government announced measures to support the return of international students and graduates by:
  • Allowing Temporary Graduate visa holders, who have been unable to travel to Australia as a result of COVID-19 international border restrictions, to apply for a replacement visa;
  • Increasing the length of stay on Temporary Graduate visas in the Masters by Coursework and Vocation Education and Training (VET) streams;
  • Simplifying the requirements for Temporary Graduate visa applicants for VET sector graduates; and
  • Extending the existing measure for student and temporary graduates to recognise time spent offshore studying online to count towards qualifying for a Temporary Graduate visa application.

Contribute to the Victorian Government's Anti-Racism Strategy

Together with Victoria's Anti-Racism Taskforce, Engage Victoria are developing Victoria's first ever Anti-Racism Strategy.

Due to be released in mid-2022, the strategy will seek to proactively prevent and address racism in Victoria and improve the lives of the state's multicultural and multifaith communities, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Over the next few months, the Anti-Racism Taskforce will be holding targeted consultations with communities, organisations, academics and subject matter experts.

It is vital that a wide cross section of the Victorian community provides input into the strategy development. Engage Victoria and the Anti-Racism Taskforce are now inviting Victorians to anonymously share their experiences of racism, as well as their ideas for reducing racism in our state. Your input will inform the focus and strategic direction of the strategy.

The Premier of Victoria has announced some position and portfolio changes.

Of interest to multicultural communities may be the announcement that Katie Hall will become the new Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs and Parliamentary Secretary for Youth.

She takes over the positions from Josh Bull, who will become the Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Parliamentary Secretary for Carers and Volunteers.

Coronavirus hotline


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Victorian Multicultural Commission (VMC)
Address: Level 3, 1 Macarthur Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Tel: (03) 9651 5901