As Victoria prepares for the state election this weekend, it is important to remember that multiculturalism is more than just a talking point.
Migrant and refugee communities have attracted our fair share of headlines this election campaign, and we've seen a range of promises across the political spectrum focused on strengthening multicultural Victoria. Read more about these promises in our election summary here.In particular, we welcome commitments made by both the Labor and Liberal parties to increase ECCV's core funding. While we are delighted with this investment in our work advocating on behalf of Victorian multicultural communities, we will continue to campaign for the embedding of a multicultural lens across all aspects of government policies and services.
Meeting the unique needs of our diverse communities requires a multicultural sector that is sustainably funded and resourced, and adept at developing policy with long-term vision. That's why the call for a Victorian Multicultural Strategy is at the heart of our State Election Platform. What's needed is a Strategy that takes a collaborative, whole-of-government approach to multicultural policymaking that engages with community every step of the way.
Whatever the results of this upcoming election, we look forward to working with the next government to continue our work advocating for multicultural Victoria.
Our Annual General Meeting will take place next Wednesday, 30 November at the Greek Centre. We are delighted to have VicHealth CEO, Dr Sandro Demaio, as our guest speaker. The AGM will be a great opportunity for our members, stakeholders and supporters to not only learn more about our work over the past year, share thoughts on what our advocacy priorities should be for the year to come, but also to debrief after Saturday's election.
Eddie Micallef, Chairperson
Eddie Micallef, Chairperson
GATHERING | Register for our Annual General Meeting | Wednesday 30 November 2022 | 6pm
ECCV members and friends are invited to our Annual General Meeting – an opportunity to learn more about our work this year and hear from guest speaker, VicHealth CEO, Dr Sandro Demaio. Sandro is a medical doctor, author and a globally-renowned public health expert and advocate, as well as host of ABC's Big National Health Check.REPORTING | Our submission on Disability Inclusion Bill
ECCV welcomes the exposure draft of the recent Disability Inclusion Bill, and was pleased to make a submission on it last month. While our submission supports a new principal Act for promoting disability inclusion in Victoria, it also puts forward a number of recommendations for how the Bill can better support cultural safety for people from migrant and refugee backgrounds.PRESENTING | at Ageing & Living Well Forum
ECCV presented at Saturday 19 November 2022 Ageing and Living Well Forum, hosted by Multicultural Women Victoria and United Sri Lankan Muslim Association of Australia, with the support of City of Monash and Victorian Multicultural Commission. Ageing Well Lead, Tonina Gucciardo-Masci, spoke about the importance of safeguarding the rights and dignity of older people, and shared multicultural resources.PRESENTING | Keynote at Tasmanian carers forum
It was great to take part in last month's Tasmanian HACC & CHSP Forum where Hayat Doughan, our Carers Capacity Building Coordinator, was keynote speaker alongside Robin Banks, a distinguished human rights lawyer. Hayat talked about the importance of culturally inclusive practice and how she has implemented this through the Recognising and Respecting Carers project.ADVANCING | Dialogue with VMC
Our Chairperson, Eddie Micallef, along with members of the ECCV board and CEO Emiliano Zucchi were delighted to host the Victorian Multicultural Commission at our Coburg offices last week. They met with Commissioner Viv Nguyen, Deputy Commissioner Bwe Thay and Executive Senior Advisor Hakan Akyol to discuss how we can continue to work together to support migrant and refugee communities.ENGAGING | With Community over festival weekend
We were pleased to be part of the African Music & Cultural Festival and the Anatolian Alevi Festival last weekend. Our team distributed free RATs, masks and hand sanitiser, and spoke with festival-goers about the latest advice on how to stay COVIDsafe, and how ECCV can help them access the state government's Power Saving Bonus (to find out more, see the Opportunities & Resources section below).HEARING | Your say: anti-racism research project
ECCV is partnering with the Islamic Council of Victoria and Victoria University to conduct a VicHealth-funded research project on the support available to people who experience racism. This data will inform recommendations on how to improve anti-racism support reporting pathways.- As part of this project, people aged 18 or older who have experienced racism are invited to take a short, anonymous survey.
WEBINAR | Tune in to our multicultural COVID-19 forum | Tuesday 8 December 2022 | 6.30-8pm
We are hosting an online COVID-19 forum for multicultural communities. Presenting at the forum will be Dr Steven Lu, a specialist GP and a Clinical Champion for the Victorian Department of Health’s COVID Response Program. Dr Lu will share the latest public health advice on how to stay COVIDsafe during the current surge and take part in an audience Q&A.SUPPORTING | Power Saving Bonus program
Bicultural workers in ECCV's Outreach team are assisting Victorians from migrant and refugee communities to apply for the state government's Power Saving Bonus program. The Bonus is a one-off payment of $250 available to all Victorian households, including concession cardholders who claimed the Bonus in an earlier phase of the program.MORE:
Ethnic Communities' Council of Victoria (ECCV)
Address: Suite 101, 398 Sydney Road, Coburg Vic 3058
Tel: (03) 9354 9555
Email: eccv@eccv.org.au
Website: https://eccv.org.au