What a wonderful fortnight it has been! Staging our first Victorian Multicultural Festival at Grazeland from 21–23 March to mark the end of Cultural Diversity Week 2025, after a long hiatus.
We were so excited to welcome and celebrate with community members, alongside guests from the west and beyond. The whole week was a fitting celebration of the great contributions that our culturally and linguistically diverse communities make to our state each day – and a reminder of the ongoing work still needed to eliminate racism in all its forms.
Multifaith leaders to gather at Parliament House
In that spirit of positivity and optimism, multifaith leaders will gather at Parliament House on 11 April to cultivate peace-building through contemplation, compassion and common humanity: essential elements to healing and progress, both individually and collectively. The forum is a collaborative effort between the VMC Multifaith Advisory Group and key institutions that support our ongoing commitment to nurturing understanding across diverse communities.
Victoria's Multicultural Review
Late last year, the Premier of Victoria announced a suite of measures to address social cohesion challenges and strengthen community harmony. These measures include a review to be led by former VMC Commissioner George Lekakis AO, comprising consultation with select stakeholders and a series of public, statewide community consultations. The VMC will share details of the public sessions, once known. Written submissions may be made via multicultural.review@dpc.vic.gov.au
VMC Commissioners' engagement with Special Envoys
VMC Commissioners continue to engage with Special Envoys, who work to strengthen and promote social cohesion across Victoria. Recently, the VMC heard from the Special Envoy on Social Cohesion, Peter Khalil MP. Later this month, we are scheduled to hear from the Special Envoy for Antisemitism and the Special Envoy to combat Islamophobia. These discussions are important for the Commissioners in our collective effort to combat racism in all its forms.
Multicultural Film Festival and events update
Finally, a huge thank you to all the artists and filmmakers who have put forward their submissions for the 2025 Multicultural Film Festival (MFF). Submissions are now closed. I’m excited to reveal that the VMC received 1,275 entries worldwide! The premiere will be held at ACMI Cinemas on Thursday 19 June 2025, with general ticket sales opening to the public in May.
Don’t forget to check out the Multicultural Festivals and Events grants, which are currently open for events to be held in the second half of this year.
It’s been tremendous to see so many new and familiar faces at community events, this past fortnight. I’m buoyed by the collective commitment and passion for celebrating together the many joys and benefits of multiculturalism.
Warm regards,
Viv Nguyen, Chairperson
News and Events
REPORTING | Victorian Multicultural Festival – a huge success!
We're thrilled share this recap of our first-ever Victorian Multicultural Festival held at Grazeland. A heartfelt thanks to our incredible sponsors, partners and members for making this event and the Cultural Diversity Week campaign truly extraordinary! Your support brought Victorians together, strengthened communities and created lifelong memories.
Cultural Diversity Week was sponsored by Commonwealth Bank, Grazeland, SBS, Think HQ, CultureVerse, Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care, the Victorian Electoral Commission, LanguageLoop, LouvreElite Foot Solutions, John Stonemart, My Holistic Care, S&J Media Group and Leba Ethnic Media.
ANNOUNCING | Cultural Diversity Week competition winners!
We're pleased to announce the winners of our Cultural Diversity Week 2025 digital and event campaign:
- Best digital campaign by an organisation awarded to Melbourne City Football Club, for their creative and linguistically diverse video.
- Best digital campaign by an individual awarded to Shashi Kochhar who shared his migrant story of coming to Australia spreading an insightful message.
- Best event by an organisation awarded to The Charity Projects for staging PRINTS Runway: A Celebration of Fashion, Culture and Identity supported development across Africa.
- Best event listed by an individual awarded to Steph Sanchez for producing a Latin Entrepreneurs Market with a Dance & Roll performance and workshop.
Thank you to everyone who spread the word about Cultural Diversity Week 2025. We look forward to reconnecting with you next year.
VIC | GOV | GRANTING | Multicultural Festivals and Events Program | applications close at 3pm Tuesday 17 April 2025
The Victorian Government has announced that applications for Round 1 of the 2025-26 Multicultural Festivals and Events grants Program are now open!
Grants are available for multicultural and multifaith community groups across the state to host festivals and events that celebrate Victoria’s vibrant cultural diversity.
The Regional Multicultural Festivals and Events Fund is also open and will support regional and rural multicultural communities.
Funding for this round will support multicultural and multifaith celebrations to be delivered between 1 July 2025 to 31 December 2025.
For more information and to apply, visit: vic.gov.au/multicultural-festivals-and-events-program
AUST | PMW | HEARING | Insights from female migrant professionals
Are you a migrant woman who has started your professional career in Australia but found it difficult to progress? We want to hear from you!
Professional Migrant Women (PMW) is conducting this anonymous survey to better understand the experiences, challenges and aspirations of migrant women who have been working professionally in Australia for at least one year. If you feel stuck in your career, overlooked despite your efforts or unsure about your next steps, your insights will help PMW develop initiatives and support programs tailored to your needs.
This survey is completely anonymous, and personal details will not be collected. Your responses will remain confidential, and the survey should take no more than 5 minutes to complete.
Share your experience and help PMW create real change!
VIC | GOV | HIRING | Members for the Post Sentence Authority | applications close 11.59pm Tuesday 17 April 2025
The Department of Justice and Community Safety is currently supporting the recruitment for a Sessional Member and Full Time Member for the Post Sentence Authority.
The Victorian Government is committed to ensuring that government boards reflect the rich diversity of the Victorian community.
SCREENING | MFF Premiere at ACMI - Save the date | Thursday 19 June 2025
The 2025 Multicultural Film Festival (MFF) will premiere during the evening, in Refugee Week, on Thursday 19 June 2025. Our expert judges are currently reviewing the shortlist to finalise the Official Selection of short films.
Those selected films will also screen on SBS On Demand in November, for a 12-month period. Winning films will each receive prize money of AUD$2000, courtesy of our generous sponsors.
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The VMC acknowledges the Traditional Owners of country throughout Victoria and recognises their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders, past and present.