Wednesday, 15 May 2024

 Ingrid STITT (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (12:34): I rise to update the house on the investments the 2024–25 budget delivers to support our multicultural communities in Victoria. The Allan Labor government will always back our diverse communities because we know that our diversity is one of our greatest strengths. This year’s budget is investing over $100 million in initiatives that directly support our multicultural communities.

Funding includes $17.2 million into the Victorian African Communities Action Plan to improve education and social outcomes for Victorians of African heritage, including the extremely successful homework clubs program, which keeps our young people engaged. We know the African communities committee undertakes critical work to ensure the community’s voice informs the delivery of policies and programs that impact Victoria’s African communities, and this year’s budget backs it in.

We are also investing over $8 million in health, legal and social supports for our recently arrived migrants, including funding for 41 community hubs right across the state to assist migrant and refugee families, particularly mothers with young children, to connect with schools, each other and social services. There is over $9 million to build on the success of community language schools, $6 million to continue the successful security upgrades of faith-based school grant programs and $4 million to deliver anti-vilification measures to support the work of the Anti-Racism Taskforce. We do not just talk about diversity, we celebrate it, and I am proud that our government is making the investments that support and deliver for Victoria’s multicultural communities.