Issue 27 (PDF 3.8 mb)

mvmuLTIcuLTuraL VIcTOrIa

issue 27 • suMMeR 2009

Interfaith Annual GatheringUN media peace awards Cultural Diversity Week

2009 previewAwards for Excellence

a publication of the Victorian multicultural commission

cultuRal displayPolish community shares its heritage with Victoria

Multicultural Victoria magazine

VMC CHAIRPERSON George Lekakis

EDITOR Megan Breen

DESIGN Midnightsky

PUBLISHED BY The Victorian Multicultural Commission, 1 Spring Street, Melbourne VIC 3000. February 2009.

ISSN 13219340

PRINTED BY Metro Printing, Roberts Road, Airport West, VIC 3042, on Monza Satin recyclable stock using environmentally friendly inks.

DISCLAIMER Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this document was accurate at the time of publication, the State of Victoria, through the Victorian Multicultural Commission, accepts no responsibility for any errors, omissions, mistakes or misstatements contained in this document. The State of Victoria expressly disclaims any responsibility for any total or partial reliance on this document or for anything undertaken or omitted to be undertaken in consequence of reliance on this document. The State of Victoria excludes liability for any loss or damage suffered by any person resulting in any way from the use of, or reliance upon, this document.

Copies of this magazine can be obtained from the Victorian Multicultural Commission:

TELEPHONE (03) 9208 3154 FACSIMILE (03) 9208 3179EMAIL [email protected]

View the magazine online at: multicultural.vic.gov.au

mvMULTICULTURAL VICTORIA

ISSUE 27 SUMMER 2009

A publication of the Victorian Multicultural Commission

CULTURAL DISPLAY

4 Mix it Up: a great line-up of musical acts for 2009

4 The Youth Junction: Visy Hub Cares is on hand to help newly arrived youth

4 Hub for rent: opportunities for communities to access information

4 Online voice for youth: A new website provides an alternative voice

5 Black Harmony Gathering: a day at the river celebrating Indigenous

and African music

5 The art of youth: a program to help people through art

5 Cultural Diversity Week 2009: get ready for an action-packed week

of celebrations

6 Take 5: Craig Spicer – meet a policeman who makes it his duty to

promote harmony and diversity

7 Viva Victoria: come along to Federation Square for a fun-filled festival

8 Grants update: what's happening at the VMC grants department

8 Amendments to Multicultural Victoria Act: VMC moving forward

9 Diversity@Work awards: VMC Commissioner a champion at awards night

10 Tax talk: information about the tax system

10 Overseas student taskforce: looking after our international students

11 Polished performances on stage: the Polish community celebrates

at Federation Square

12 All star line-up: Cuban singing legend Feliz Baloy hits Melbourne

12 Chinese collection on world stage: Bendigo museum collects accolades

13 Lygon St Festa: Italian culture takes to the streets

14 Year of the Ox: Vietnamese community celebrates the Lunar New Year

14 Women's drama experience: a theatre program to help women

tell their stories

14 Gordon TAFE art exhibition: photos document many backgrounds

15 The Whirling Dervishes: the Mevlevi Order display Sufi spiritualism

16 A night of Gypsy music: the best Gypsy music on offer comes to Melbourne

contentsnews

vmc update

Mix it upMix It Up program includes Tinariwen – guitar-poets from the Sahara desert.4

Viva VictoriaJoin us to celebrate our cultural diversity on 21 March at Federation Square.7

Gypsy musicEurope's best Gypsy musicians took to the stage in Melbourne.16

arts & culture

contents17 Lost Boys say thanks: a gesture of thanks for Australia's support

18 A bright future: Shaheen Hasmat's inspiring story

18 Outworkers graduate: initiative to help retrain workers

19 Kabaddi World Cup: find out about an exciting new sport to Australia

20 Young Muslim leaders: training program to empower young Muslims

20 Discovering Buddha in the classroom: new resource kit to explore Buddhism

20 Women's group going strong: VIRWC celebrates 10 years

21 Interfaith Gathering: faith leaders come together for an annual gathering

22 AFL Multicultural challenge: Africa, Asia and Tonga battle it out

22 Education centre turns 20: marking the contribution to educators

23 Dancers blossom in Bendigo: troupe entertains the elderly in Bendigo

23 White Ribbon lunch: women come together to take a stance against violence

24 Awards for Excellence: Victorians congratulated for their hard work

28 Celebrating human rights: 2008 marked 60 years since the Universal Declaration

of Human Rights was signed

30 Promoting peace: the UN Media Peace Awards recognise outstanding journalism

32 Preventing discrimination: program to foster better health

33 Targeting sensitive subjects: encouraging discussion of taboo topics

33 Chinese school agreement: teacher training centre to be established

34 Improving housing outcomes: help for refugees to negotiate renting

34 The future of language services: making interpreting a great career choice

35 Smart Shopping: a credit education program to help the Sudanese community

35 Ambulance Victoria CPR program: promoting the understanding of basic CPR

36 Helping hand: a free kit to educate about living with Alzheimer's disease

36 Help with visas: brochure to help with Victoria's Legal Aid system

36 Ecoliving grants: grants targeting climate change

government initiatives

in focus

our community

Kabaddi World CupA mix of tag, wrestling and speed, Kabaddi is becoming a popular sport.19

Promoting Peace African Royal Dancers at the UN Media Peace Awards.30

Ambulance VictoriaAn innovative CPR program teaches resuscitation via DVD.35

chairperson’s welcome

George LekakisCHAIRPERSON

Welcome to the Summer edition of Multicultural Victoria. Once again our communities have been hard at work over the past few months celebrating and fostering cultural diversity across the state and I encourage you to read all about it.

In December we held the annual Multicultural Awards for Excellence ceremony at Government House, where almost 200 hard working individuals and organisations were rewarded for their efforts in working to create a harmonious society. Federation Square was awarded the Premier’s Award for Community Harmony, in recognition of its outstanding achievements in providing space and support where Victorians of all religions, cultures and ethnicities can come together to celebrate our diversity. I would also like to congratulate the recipients of the awards who play such an important role in maintaining our community programs and organisations. I thank you for your dedication and passion.

The United Nations Media Peace Awards also took place last year, showing that Victoria is brimming with passionate and dedicated people working to promote our human rights and our cultural diversity.

Now, as 2009 gets into full swing it is exciting to see what lies ahead on the multicultural calendar. With Cultural Diversity Week nearly upon us, it is time to start planning how you will help celebrate our wonderful diversity and come along to some of the many events

we have planned. This year sees Viva Victoria take its place as Victoria’s premier celebration of multicultural diversity during the Week. Federation Square will come alive on Saturday 21 March with a dazzling display of food, arts and crafts, dance, music and more. Come down with the family for a wonderful day in the heart of Melbourne. A handy pocket-sized program of events is contained in this edition of Multicultural Victoria.

Another significant event on the calendar for 2009 is the Parliament of the World’s Religions, which will convene in Melbourne in December. We are fortunate to have been chosen as the host city for this important occasion and look forward to hearing what comes from the event.

Other news for 2009 is the launch of Victoria’s Multicultural Policy. After hearing submissions from the public last year and working hard to meet the needs of the community, the 2009 Multicultural Policy will steer Victoria’s direction with regards to multicultural affairs.

The Multicultural Victoria Amendment Bill was also passed in December 2008 and formalises the structural and administrative changes that have been made to the VMC. Turn to page 7 to find out more about this matter. I hope you enjoy the read, and please keep sending us news of your hard work and celebrations.

above Premier of Victoria John Brumby with Awards for Excellence recipients Kiemi Lai and Melaku Ali. riGht Italian theatrical troupe Arti Per Via at the Lygon St Festa.

The Melbourne Multicultural Hub is designed to provide opportunities for communities from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds to access information and resources, and to come together and work in a safe and supportive environment. Rooms are available for hire for community gatherings, meetings, training programs, art and craft activities, music and dance, or internet access. Staff are available during business hours to help with bookings. The Hub is located at 506 Elizabeth Street. Phone (03) 9092 1500.

FOR MORE INFORMATION visit www.melbourne.vic.gov.au

our pick of who, where and what’s on

news

Mix it Up is a program of performances

by artists that reflect the cultural diversity

of Victoria. It aims to increase individual

and community access and participation

in the vibrant artistic and cultural life

of Victoria.

Some of the highlights of the 2009

Mix It Up program will include guitar-poets

from the southern Sahara desert, Tinariwen,

who will be performing in April.

Cafe Rebetika on 20 April to 8 May 2009

will be held in the Fairfax Studio and in May,

the amazing Eleftheria Arvanitaki, the voice

of contemporary Greece will be performing

in Hamer Hall.

FOR MORE INFORMATION visit www.multiculturalarts.com.au or www.theartscentre.com.au

HUB FOR RENT

ONLINE VOICE FOR YOUTHThe Minister Assisting the Premier on

Multicultural Affairs, James Merlino launched

a groundbreaking online multicultural news

website at the State Library of Victoria on

12 December 2008. Mr Merlino said the

website, www.newaustralia.media.org

was a valuable resource and gives a voice

to members of Victoria’s culturally and

linguistically diverse (CALD) communities as

well as providing the mainstream media with

a resource for stories and information about

THE YOUTH jUNCTIONThe Youth Junction Inc. are the managers

of the Visy Cares Hub which is located in

Sunshine. The Visy Cares Hub is a one-stop

shop for young people with nine youth

services in the one location.

Services provided include health, legal,

education, housing, counselling, generic

youth programs, assistance for newly arrived

young people and assistance for those

accessing welfare payments.

The Visy Cares Hub aims to increase the

efficiency of youth services delivered in the

western region.

The Hub also delivers a range of free

programs for young people aged 12-25

years including soccer, hip hop, art, drama

and leadership, and in 2009 will be taking a

greater focus on multi-media art, expanding

the sports program and establishing

homework assistance for young people.

The Visy Cares Hub has contact with

approximately 16,800 young people each year.

FOR MORE INFORMATION please contact the Visy Cares Hub on (03) 9091 8200 or email [email protected]

4 Summer 2009

refugee and migrant communities.

“This provides valuable information

firsthand from journalists from CALD

backgrounds,” said Mr Merlino.

The Victorian Government has provided

$20,000 to New Australia Media (NAM)

through the Victorian Multicultural

Commission’s Community Grants Program.

The founder of NAM, Ms Agnes Cusack,

says the organisation aims to give a voice

to those in our community who are either

missing or misrepresented.

Mix it up

news

BLACK HARMONY GATHERING

Held in the heart of Aboriginal land on the banks of the tranquil Yarra River at the Fairfield Amphitheatre, the Black Harmony Gathering is a unique event that promotes the message “Say no to racism!”

It is strongly supported by Indigenous and non-indigenous artists and communities alike. Black Harmony Gathering is a showcase for premium professional and talented emerging Indigenous, African and refugee artists. People come together for a positive community celebration that is very special and important for the community wellbeing.

This year, the day will be opened with a traditional welcome to country performed by Aunty Joy Murphy and a smoking ceremony by Robbie Thorpe.

The event features Indigenous artists, The Koori Youth Will Shake Spears, the Grenadines, Skye and Amy, Robert and Brett, Meriki Hood, Johnny Mac and Birri-on Lakidjeka, as well as friends from Sudan, Burundi, Côte d'Ivoire, Jamaica, Ethiopia, West Papua and East Timor.

The Tabura and Laloran Choirs, Ajak Kwai and Friends, Afro Habesha Band and the incredible African Band Blak Roots will dance us into the autumn twighlight. There is a Koori BBQ, African food stalls and a market place of Indigenous and African wares plus more performers…MC’s Kutcha Edwards, Little G and Stick Mareebo.

DETAILS The Black Harmony Gathering 2009, Sunday 15th March, 2pm – 6pm @ The Fairfield Amphitheatre.

FOR MORE INFORMATION please contact Multicultural Arts Victoria on (03) 9417 6777 or www.multiculturalarts.com.au

CULTURAL DIVERSITY WEEK 2009It’s nearly that time of the year when Victoria

bursts into a flurry of multicultural activity

as individuals and groups across the state

celebrate Cultural Diversity Week.

Held from 15 -21 March, the Week is a

much anticipated date on the calendar and

sees more than 200 events taking place.

This year, the highlight is Viva Victoria, a

multicultural festival at Federation Square,

turn the page to find out more about this

wonderful event.

FOR MORE INFORMATION visit www.culturaldiversity.vic.gov.au

The art of youthArts Immersion is a contemporary arts access program for newly arrived young people to

Australia. The program is targeted at refugee and migrant people aged 16 -25 who have been

living in Australia for 5 years or less. Young people with the support of project workers attend

a workshop program introducing them to contemporary visual, performing and dance arts

disciplines. Participants are now being encouraged to come on board for 2009.

DETAILS The program is free and takes place at the Australian Centre of Contemporary Art (ACCA), Malthouse Theatre and Chunky Move. Food and transport provided.

FOR MORE INFORMATION contact Rob Ball, Coordinator Youth Participation at CMY on (03) 9340 3726 or email [email protected]

mv MULTICULTURAL VICTORIA 5

MAIN Newly arrived young people enjoy art workshops at Arts Immersion.

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MY ROLE IS Community/Multicultural

Liaison Officer for Footscray Police. My area

encompasses all parts of Maribyrnong. I

support Regional Police Multicultural Officers

and work very close with various external

agencies, mainly from the Western Suburbs.

THE FAVOURITE PART OF MY jOB IS

meeting and working with newly arrived

migrants from countries from all over the

world and gaining cultural understanding

and helping build a mutual trust with Victoria

Police. I also enjoy attending various festivals

and citizenship ceremonies and taking

migrant groups on excursions.

MY FIRST jOB was as a storeman at Hunter

Products in Yarraville. I was a storeman for

one year until accepted by Victoria Police.

I AM INSPIRED BY PEOPLE WHO HAVE

only been in the country for a short time and

willing to work hard to achieve their goal.

THREE THINGS I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT

ARE my family, good food and health.

I'd also like to see world peace achieved.

I’VE REALLY ENjOYED READING I don’t

really read books but enjoy reading the

various multicultural publications that are

available, such as the VMC magazine!

MY FAVOURITE MEAL IS roasts, seafood,

vegetables. With my role I get the opportunity

to taste various multicultural cuisines and am

developing a taste for a number of dishes.

MY REWARDING MOMENT WAS

1. Graduating from the Victoria Police

Academy in 1976. I wish to encourage

persons from diverse backgrounds to

consider applying for Victoria Police

or any other Emergency Service.

2. Being offered the fulltime role as

Multicultural Officer.

3. Walking through the streets of Footscray

in uniform and being greeted by persons

of various backgrounds with a hello, high

five or a smile.

CULTURAL DIVERSITY IS the community

working together to make Australia the best

place in the world.

take 5Get to know some of the hardworking individuals in Victoria's multicultural sector.

Craig Spicer

6 Summer 2009

Craig Spicer has worked as a policemen for 33 years,

mainly in the western suburbs of Melbourne.

He has spent the past six years as a Multicultural/

Community Liaison Officer with Victoria Police in

Footscray, home of his beloved Western Bulldogs.

Leading Senior Constable Craig Spicer enjoys getting out and about with residents of the western suburbs.

Join us to celebrate our state’s cultural diversity on 21 March at Fed Square, 11am-6pm.

Viva VictoriaOne of the best things about living in Victoria is that each of us is able to express our love of our heritage, ancestors and lands of family origin as much as our love of Australia.

Our diversity is well established and is something most Victorians recognise, appreciate and regularly celebrate. During this year’s Cultural Diversity Week you can experience first hand some of the many cultures in Victoria.

The Victorian Multicultural Commission is planning a week of lively events which culminates with the Viva Victoria festival – a truly inclusive celebratory event featuring music, dance, food, art, craft and design from more than 60 cultures. The program line-up has been put together by Multicultural Arts Victoria, Victoria's peak arts organisation.

The Festival falls on 21 March, which is recognised by the United Nations as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. On this day Victorians are encouraged to wear an orange ribbon as a personal pledge not to commit, condone or remain silent about any form of racial or religious discrimination.For a full festival program visit www.culturaldiversity.vic.gov.au or call the VMC on (03) 9208 3362.

FOODWith 20 cuisines from around the world there will be an array of traditional delicacies to excite your tastebuds. Experience a New Zealand hangi, gourmet German sausages, Japanese Yakitori, Sicilian swordfish pies, Turkish Gozleme or Mauritian chilli cakes. Finish off with Polish cherry crumble or French sweet crepes.

INTERACTIVEContribute to the creation of an amazing rangoli – an ancient Indian artform – using foods from around the world. Or, add your ‘wishes of enlightenment for you, your family and friends and the world’ to The BodhiTree which, in Buddhist tradition, symbolises the undying peace and kindness in each of us.

MUSICVibrant beats from around the world will dominate Fed Square’s main stage and Singha beer garden stage on the Yarra River Terrace. See Cuban singing sensation Felix Baloy, Kenny López & Havana Connection. See the famous Ukrainian Verchovnya dancers, hear African rhythms with Sudanese soloist Ajak Kwai and feel the energy of the dancing Singh Sisters.

WORLD MARKETUnique traditional crafts will be on offer alongside contemporary designs incorporating aspects of cultural diversity. Beautifully handcrafted wooden children's toys from India, Baltic amber jewellery, Japanese inspired clothing and accessories, handpainted Dutch ceramics and homewares created from original Indonesian materials.


vmc updateprojects • awards • consultations • grants update

8 Summer 2009

Multicultural Victoria ActThe Multicultural Victoria Act 2004 (MVA) was enacted to formally recognise and support the principles of cultural, racial, religious and linguistic diversity in Victoria. It introduced principles of multiculturalism, reporting requirements for Government departments, and re-established the Victorian Multicultural Commission.

In 2006, the Victorian Government made the commitment to merge the Victorian Office of Multicultural Affairs into the Victorian Multicultural Commission and to amend the MVA to better reflect the changes.

The merger came into effect administratively in May 2007, with $1m in savings being redirected towards the Commission’s community grants program.

The MVA amendments, which were passed through Parliament in December 2008, enhanced the whole-of-Government approach to multicultural affairs; augmented the functions of the Commission; improved the reporting requirements of departments; and ensured compatibility with the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities.

The additional reporting requirements for departments cover four areas:• reporting on initiatives to meet

the identified needs of youth, older persons and women within Victoria’s culturally and linguistically diverse communities;

• reporting on departments’ progress under their cultural diversity plans to address provision for culturally sensitive service delivery to Victoria’s communities;

• reporting on initiatives in rural and regional Victoria; and

• reporting on the measures taken by Departments to promote human rights in accordance with the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities for multicultural communities.

In order to formalise the structural and administrative changes, the Commission became an Administrative Office aligned to the Department of Premier and Cabinet.

Many important government funded celebrations and projects are underway across Victoria.

Grants update

As we enter the new year, the grants team at the Victorian Multicultural Commission (VMC) continues to be impressed by the vast number of local cultural events which are held each week across our wonderful multicultural state of Victoria.

The Victorian Government, through the VMC, provides financial support to more than 1,000 events held across Victoria each year. The recently announced Festival and Events grants include many important celebrations for communities, from national days to religious celebrations.

This year, the VMC is funding around 140 Cultural Diversity Week events, including 50 events being held by schools and colleges. The commitment of schools communities educate students about the benefits of diversity is terrific. The upcoming Viva Victoria Festival will be one of the highlights of the Week.

In the past few weeks 650 multicultural senior citizens groups will have

received the first payment under the new three-year funding agreement. The VMC is committed to supporting these volunteer-run senior citizens organisations which bring such important social benefits to the community.

The 2009 major round is currently being assessed and the decisions will be made known in the following months. We are still overwhelmed by the number of applications we get each year. The huge demand points to the magnitude of the needs of the community, which are currently unfulfilled.

The grants team would like to thank everyone for returning the recent grants evaluation form. We will use the results of the survey to look at ways in which we can provide a better service to grant seekers.

Finally, the grants team would like to wish a Happy and Prosperous New Year to everyone celebrating the Year of the Ox.

ABOVE Minister Assisting the Premier on Multicultural Affairs, James Merlino, Erminia Del Papa and Domenico Biviano from the Associazione Figli D'Italia.

vmc update


TOP AND RIGHT VMC Commissioner Ellenie Bereded-Samuel at the Diversity@Work Awards. CENTRE With her husband Terefe Aborete (far left), VMC Director Hakan Akyol, VMC Chairperson George Lekakis and Horn Of African Communities Network representative Sisay Dinku.

VMC Commissioner awarded for work in diversity.

Last November, Victorian Multicultural Commissioner and Victoria University’s Community Engagement Coordinator Elleni Bereded-Samuel won the 2008 Diversity@Work Individual Champion award for her hard work in helping make Victorian University an inclusive workplace.

The 8th annual awards recognise employers and individuals who create a business that is inclusive for all workers, clients and the broader community. Mrs Bereded-Samuel received the award at a gala dinner attended by Sir Bob Geldof, World Vision Australia Chief Executive Reverend Tim Costello and Minister for Employment Participation Brendan O'Connor.

In 2005, Mrs Bereded-Samuel was appointed as a Commissioner for the Victorian Multicultural Commission and also on the Board of Directors of Royal Women’s Hospital. Mrs Bereded-Samuel has been included on the Victorian Honour Roll of Women and she is also on the 2006/07 ‘Who is Who Australian Women’, among 6000 remarkable women in Australia. She also has been selected among 13 significant Victorian women who contributed to civic and community life over the past 100 years.

Diversity@Work CEO Mark Heaysman said Elleni has a long background in improving conditions for people from diverse backgrounds.

“Elleni shows dynamic leadership in creating new solutions for community members to access and participate in the university community and society in general.

“I congratulate Elleni on setting such a fine example,” Mr Heaysman said.

Elleni shows dynamic leadership in creating solutions

for community members.

‘‘

vmc update

Diversity at work awards

‘‘

10 Summer 2009

A special report has been developed looking at ways to improve the experience of students.

OVERSEAS STUDENT TASKFORCE

Forums are helping people understand tax.

Tax talk

community is the backbone of a good society.” He also highlighted some new Tax Office initiatives for the coming year, including an online audio-visual product that was produced on the basis of community feedback.

William Daw – who represented the Melbourne Sudanese community – told Mr D’Ascenzo that “if people don’t know the tax system, they become a victim of it” and echoed the enthusiasm of others in the room to work with the Tax Office to assist his community.

Other participants spoke openly about the difficulties they face as new migrants or with limited English skills in getting tax information from the internet or over the phone and who may be “scared to ask for advice”.

In closing the forum, Loc Trinh (Director of the Tax Office’s Access and Diversity Unit) thanked the participants for their time and encouraged them to continue working together with the Tax Office to achieve more.

If you wish to express your interest in attending the 2009 forum in Melbourne or if you have any feedback about the Tax Office’s services for people from a non-English speaking background please email [email protected]

Each year, the Australian Taxation Office’s Access and Diversity Unit holds community forums in Melbourne and Sydney to listen to feedback about its products and services from the non-English speaking background community.

Held at Armagh House in Toorak, the 2008 Melbourne forum on Friday 28 November was co-hosted by the Victorian Multicultural Commission (VMC) and the Tax Office. VMC Chairperson George Lekakis opened the forum and introduced the Commissioner of Taxation Michael D’Ascenzo. The forum attracted almost sixty participants including representatives from new and established communities, government agencies and settlement service providers.

Mr D’Ascenzo fielded questions from the audience, listening to their comments and took the opportunity to speak personally with participants. In welcoming participants, Mr D’Ascenzo emphasised that “a good, fair tax system that respects people’s rights and serves the

that’s why we established a taskforce to examine ways that we can enhance that experience,” Ms Allan said.

The Taskforce met from October to December 2008, receiving more than 70 submissions. First-hand experiences were captured through student roundtable discussions. Chaired by Marsha Thompson, Parliamentary Secretary for Industry and Trade, the taskforce released the report on 22 December 2008. It can be viewed at www.diird.vic.gov.au

Victorian Multicultural Chairperson, George Lekakis was a member of the Taskforce and said identifying the

Last year, the Victorian Overseas Student Experience Taskforce was established to examine key issues facing the state’s international student sector and ways to improve their experiences living and studying in Victoria.

The Minister for Skills and Workforce Participation, Jacinta Allan said the taskforce was a positive move to ensure overseas students enjoyed their time in Victoria.

“The Victorian Government is taking action to ensure overseas students continue to enjoy their experience studying in Victoria and

particular needs of overseas students was a positive step.

“Students come to Victoria to access our fine educational institutions here and it is vital that we make their stay welcoming and allow them to pursue their study without difficulty,” Mr Lekakis said.

The Taskforce investigated five key issues of concern to Victorian overseas students. These included: accommodation, safety, employment, social inclusion within the local community and access to reliable information on support services.

MAIN Participants engage in the forum.BELOW Commissioner of Taxation, Michael D'Ascenzo and Director of the Access and Diversity Unit of the Tax Office, Loc Trinh.

vmc update


The Polish community showcased their culture at an all-day event at Federation Square.

As the sound of a solitary bugle interrupted the bustle of Federation Square at the opening of the Polish festival on 16 November 2008, the crowds gathered were reminded Poland’s history. When the five note tune abruptly stops, it symbolises the death of the bugler by invading armies. It is a reminder to all Poles of their turbulent history and why many of them and their descendants are here in Victoria today.

The festivities then took over and the stage was filled with children representing various Polish language schools and young people from three dance troops showcasing Poland’s colourful culture of song and dance.

The fourth annual Polish Festival was officially opened by the Minister Assisting the Premier on Multicultural Affairs, James Merlino. The Polish Festival is organised by a committee of 10 volunteers, which is supported by an additional 400 people who give their time freely to contribute to the success of this event.FOR MORE INFORMATION visit www.polishfestival.com.au

arts & culturemusic • theatre • dance • visual arts

ABOVE Dancing was the order of the day at the Polish Festival at Federation Square.

Polished performances on stage

12 Summer 2009

ABOVE A Chinese artefact from the Golden Dragon Museum in Bendigo.

Local collection, global significanceThe Golden Dragon Museum in Bendigo has been recognised on the world stage for their collection of Chinese costumes and regalia.

The Golden Dragon Museum in Bendigo has an extensive display of Chinese artefacts and relics chronicling the history of Chinese migration in the community. A recent official assessment of the collection has now catapulted it on the world-stage and placed it as one of the most important collections of Chinese regalia in the world.

The criteria used in the study involved a comparison with other notable collections around the world, including the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the San Diego Museum in California and many more.

The collection includes garments, head-dresses, accessories such as weapons, storage trunks, makeup and hair accessories, shoes, ceremonial objects, musical instruments, a drum cart, banners and a ceremonial dragon and lion.

The recent significance assessment was conducted as part the Victorian Government’s Victoria’s Heritage Grants: Strengthening our Communities. FOR MORE INFORMATION visit www.goldendragonmuseum.org or

email [email protected]

Cuban singing legend, Félix Baloy, will be the headline act at this year’s Viva Victoria Festival at Federation Square.

All star line-up

Felix Baloy, last seen in Australia with Afro-Cuban All-Stars, is one of the most thrilling soneros in contemporary Cuban music and is an original founder of the Buena Vista Social Club. He returns to Australia to perform with the Melbourne-based 11 piece Cuban Salsa band, Kenny López & Havana Connection.

Heading for Ten Days on the Island in Tasmania, this international legend promises to deliver an exceptional performance on centre stage at Viva Victoria on Saturday 21 March. Baloy honed his skills with the likes of Ibrahim Ferrer, Ruben Gonzales, Omara Portuondo and Raul Planas, all familiar names to fans of the Buena Vista Social Club, and is highly regarded among salsa singers the world over.

Baloy will be performing material from his recent album Un Poquito de Fé, as well as some big band arrangements with local favourites Kenny López and Havana Connection. Promising a high-

energy, dance-friendly performance incorporating “son”, “timba”, “cha-cha-cha” and “changui”, the audience will be treated to some of the world’s best Cuban music right here in Melbourne.

Viva Victoria is a day of celebration for all Victorians. Featuring arts, crafts, dance, food and music from around the world, it showcases the wonderful multicultural diversity of this state.

With two stages and an array of food and arts stalls, there is something for everyone. Try a German sausage while listening to the Klezmeritis “Hallelujah” band, or enjoy a Sicilian swordfish pie and see how a traditional New Zealand hangi is created.

On stage prior to Felix Baloy, the audience will experience the talents of performers from Turkey, Sudan, El Savador, Vietnam and more. FOR MORE INFORMATION visit www.culturaldiversity.vic.gov.au

arts & culture


The always popular Lygon Street Festa returned on 15-16 November 2008 after a three year absence. The event attracted in excess of 35,000 people who once again wandered the street and enjoyed some fine displays of Italian culture.

The highlight was the spectacular street theatre show, Arti Per Via, direct from Italy and funded by the Italian government. It is a street recreation, in which 55 actors from Italy's Veneto region perform a two-hour street pageant telling immigration stories in words, song and dance. This performance turned Piazza Italia into a truly live Italian Piazza as it’s never been seen before.

The stages were filled with music by favourites such as Tony Pantano, Viva Italia Show, and Sylvana, who had both young and old dancing in the street. There was also traditional Italian cooking demonstrations by Chef Michele Usci and sausage and wine making by Cellar Plus.

The Lygon Street Festa was the first street festival in Australia, commencing in 1978. The Festa is the oldest and most successful cultural street festa in Australia, and has generated and inspired many others. Today, it continues to cultivate and celebrate Italian arts and culture, which have contributed to enriching the Australian culture and its reputation as a harmonious multicultural society in so many ways. The sidewalk restaurant culture, cappuccino and lattes were virtually unheard of 25 years ago and this festival has played an enormous role in introducing Victorians from all cultures to the Italian way of life.

Italian culture was on show once again in Melbourne’s Little Italy.

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arts & culture

‘‘This Festa has played an

enormous role in introducing the Italian way of life.

‘‘Lygon Street Festa

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14 Summer 2009

A photographic exhibition celebrating women from different backgrounds.

GORDON TAFE ART ExHIBITION

Supported by the Victorian Government, through the Victorian Multicultural Commission, the Women Creating Harmony photographic exhibition was the culmination of a Gordon Institute of TAFE project comprising a series of creative workshops and business development activities.

The exhibition was designed to give participants the opportunity to share their stories with each other and the community, using art as a language to break down cultural barriers.

Project Coordinator, Penny Gough-Harper, said the exhibition was hugely successful with more than 500 people visiting over a week.

She said its aim was to promote understanding and respect between gender, cultures and religions, while building self-esteem and self-confidence among the women involved.

“The program used art as a vehicle

for self-expression and as a platform to learn new skills,” she said.

“Many of these women, particularly where English is a second language, are able to better express themselves creatively.”

The Women Creating Harmony program also involved helping participants become ‘work ready’, giving them skills and experience in areas such as project management, database development and catering, as well as transferable skills such as communication, problem-solving and negotiation.

In the wake of its success, organisers are already looking to develop a similar project in 2009.

The Vietnamese community welcomes 2009.

Victoria Street in Richmond came to life with a dazzling array of sights, smells, sounds and tastes of traditional and contemporary Vietnamese culture on 18 January 2008. The annual Lunar New Year Festival attracted more than 85,000 people and serves as one of the largest cultural events in the Vietnamese community in Melbourne.

As the firecrackers exploded and the drums were pounded to drive

away devils, patrons celebrated the beginning of a new year with traditional customs. The Lunar Festival is the most popular festival in Vietnam and artefacts suggest that it has been celebrated since at least 500 BC. On the eve of the three-day festival, houses and ancestral graves are thoroughly cleaned and a ceremonial meal is prepared. The spectacular-looking traditional dragon parade is meant to spread good health and wealth.

Women's drama experience

An innovative theatre program designed to bring to life women’s struggles with such issues as body image, parenting in a new country, mental health, identity, discrimination and racism in the work place helped many women across Victoria last year.

‘Listen To Us!’ a production by the Victorian Immigrant and Refugee Women’s Coalition brought some of these issues to the stage using Forum Theatre methodology, which originated in Latin America.

This method of acting gives the audience an opportunity to engage in dialogue with the women, who participated in drama workshops over six months before performing.

The productions took place across Melbourne and were launched at the Queen Victoria Women’s Centre on 11 November. A series of short scenes promoting the productions were shown to an audience comprised of local community, service providers, policymakers, agency heads, politicians and the media.

The project’s artistic facilitator and director was Catherine Simmonds of the Brunswick Women’s Theatre.

Theatre has helped many women tell their stories.

Year of the Ox

arts & culture


A spectacular display by the Mevlevi Order of Australia commemorated the anniversary of the death of Rumi.

The night of 17 December, is the anniversary of the death of Mevlana Jalâluddîn Rûmî, commonly known in the West simply as Rumi, who died in 1273 in Konya, Turkey. The observance of the anniversary of the Sufi scholar and saint is called ‘urs’, which means ‘wedding’ in Arabic. The reason for this is, through death, Rumi attained “union” with God, the Only Beloved.

Many Sufi gatherings of various kinds will be mentioning the name of Rumi on this night, praying that the blessings of God be upon his soul, and celebrating his ‘Wedding Night’ by the ‘Whirling Sema Ceremony’ of the Mevlevi Sufi order.

Each year the Australian Intercultural Society organises a special Sema ceremony – the spiritual dance offered by the Mevlevi Order of Australia to celebrate Rumi’s ‘Sheb-i Arus’ or ‘Wedding Night’.

The event was celebrated at Malvern Town Hall with 300 enthusiastic guests arriving from all regions of Melbourne. Dr Stewart Sharlow launched the event with a welcoming speech and a brief explanation about the significance of the night. The Australian Sufi Music Group then performed, touching the hearts of many guests with their spiritual Sufi music. It was then time

for the main ceremony. Dervishes from the Mevlevi Order of Australia came on to the stage with their spectacular traditional Mevlevi costumes and commenced the Sema ritual. As the Dervishes began to perform Sema many of the guests were standing up to get a glimpse of the amazing spiritual presentation of the Sema.

Sufism is the study within Islam of how a person can attain higher spiritual heights through reflection upon and recital of God’s beautiful names – known as Esma-ul Husna. It emphasises

inner spiritual develop in the hope that individuals know their Creator before leaving this transient world.

The Australian Intercultural Society would like to thank the Mevlevi Order of Australia for sharing their special night with the members of society at large. The Australian Intercultural Society would also like to thank the Australian Sufi Music Group for its musical performance and the Stonnington Council for its support.MORE INFORMATION about the AIS can be found at www.intercultural.org.au

arts & culture

The W hirling Dervishes

ABOVE Dervishes from the Mevlevi Order of Australia display the Sema ritual.

16 Summer 2009

TOP AND ABOVE Fanfare Ciocarlia presented a frenetic and entertaining display of Gypsy music with a special appearance by Gypsy Queen Esma Redzepova (below).

A night of Gypsy musicThe best Gypsy music Europe has to offer took to the stage in Melbourne in January.

Stars of the show were the gypsy band Fanfare Ciocarlia, who hail from a line of Roma farming families in the tiny north-eastern Romanian village of Zece Prajini. Until 1996, the 12-piece ensemble had only performed at local weddings, baptisms and funerals. Then Helmut Neumann and business partner Henry Ernst from the German imprint Asphalt Tango Records discovered them by chance and now they are regulars on the world music circuit.

Often described as Europe’s greatest Gypsy singers, their frenetic brass sound – born from traditional Roma melodies and the influence of the brass bands of the Turkish military, which had a presence in the region at the start of the 19th century, is intoxicating and hugely popular.

The group was in Melbourne in January to perform as part of the Mix It Up series at Hamer Hall and also brought several guest performers to the stage. Twice Nobel Peace Prize nominee and Macedonian Gypsy Queen Esma Redzepova stole the show with her renditions of songs detailing the persecution and plight of the Roma.

Fine performances also came from Hungarian master-vocalist Mitsou, 21-year-old Romanian star Florentina Sandu, Bulgarian songwriter Jony Iliev and Perpignan guitar trio Kaloome.

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arts & culture


ABOVE The Sudanese Lost Boys Association showed their thanks for the support they have received in Australia.

Lost Boys say thanksThe Lost Boys of Sudan Association turned out in force to say thank you to the Australian community.

visiting Thomson Street, Abbotsford to cook lunch for the disadvantaged communities, as well as visiting juvenile detention centres to play soccer with the young detainees.

The highlight of the day was the celebration concert on Saturday night at the Collingwood Town Hall, which featured traditional Sudanese dance, music, hip hop and Sudanese food.

The forum on Sunday 26 October was held at the Supper Room at the Melbourne Town Hall and provided a platform to engage government and community leaders on issues concerning the Australian Sudanese community – particularly refugee settlement, social inclusion and Australia’s engagement with events in Sudan. FOR MORE INFORMATION visit www.lostboys.org.au

As a gesture of thanks to the Victorian community, the Sudanese Lost Boys Association of Australia (SLBAA) held an Appreciation Day on Saturday 25 October 2008, which culminated in a free concert at Collingwood Town Hall. A forum was also held the following day to discuss issues of importance to the Sudanese community.

The day gave the Sudanese community a chance to express its appreciation for the opportunities and support provided by the Australian community, as well as showcasing Sudanese culture through food, dance and music.

In addition to the event, members of the SLBAA also volunteered their services at the Collingwood Children’s farm and helped collect money for the Red Cross in South Melbourne. Other activities included SLBAA members

our communityevents • festivals • articles

18 Summer 2009

Outworkers graduateOutworkers in the clothing industry are deemed one of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable community groups in Australia. They face a series of barriers, some of which are a lack of English, social isolation and family responsibilities, as well as inexperience in the Australian workforce, and a lack of confidence.

Through the recommendation of the Ethical Clothing Trades Council of Victoria, set up by the Victorian Government in 2005 to protect outworkers from exploitation, an initiative was put forward by Industrial Relations Victoria, now Workforce Victoria. This Education and Training initiative was developed in partnership with employer bodies, TAFE colleges, TCFUA, community organisations and local councils, to help outworkers in their current employment and to give them the opportunity to achieve Australian qualifications, especially in areas of skilled labour shortage.

To date 80 outworkers have achieved Certificates in Child Care/Family Day Care, Aged Care, Hospitality, Pattern Making/Design, Dry Cleaning, and Quality Control.

On 29 October 2008, Jaala Pulford, Parliamentary Secretary for Industrial Relations Victoria, presented 13 outworkers who have studied at Brunswick RMIT with a nationally recognised Certificate 3 in Clothing Production and a Statement of Attainment from Certificate 4 in Product Development and Merchandising. The graduation ceremony took place at Parliament House.

Afghani refugee Shaheen Hasmat gained a VCE result of 99.8 last year, despite arriving in Australia only five years ago with limited English. This is his story.

The future is bright

I was born in Kabul, Afghanistan. Due to the civil war, during

which my father was abducted; I and my family had to migrate from Afghanistan to Pakistan. My three brothers, two little sisters, my mum and myself stayed there for a few years until in 2003 when we arrived in Australia on a Humanitarian Visa.

My mother had a degree in agriculture and worked as an agriculturalist, however due to the unstable condition in Kabul she had to abandon her occupation and move to Pakistan leaving behind everything, including most of our documents. My father was completing his medicine course before he was abducted. It was my father who encouraged and advised my mother to make the children realise the significance of education and I suppose it has worked well. We owe him a lot in regards to our education.

Immediately after arriving in Australia, we went to the Collingwood Language School. I spent about 3-4 months there until I could slightly understand some English. Then, my brothers and I went to Reservoir District Secondary College. I was admitted

into year 8 because my English was not very good at first. I was put into an accelerated program in year 9, where I was allowed to do year 11 Mathematical Methods. In year 10, I was doing year 12 maths and year 11 physics, and in year 11 I was doing year 12 physics and specialist maths, lastly in year 12, I needed more stimulating material so I was doing 1st year university physics at Melbourne University for which I received a ‘First Class Honours’.

I am most interested in mathematics and physics. I also love electromagnetism and Einstein’s relativity theory, although I had difficulty understanding it and still need to work on it. I have to admit that I am not an expert in physics and what I know is insignificant compared to what is out there, I am still a student and still need to learn a lot.

As for what course I would want to do, it is definitely medicine. With an ENTER score of 99.80 I qualify for the 'Guaranteed Entry Program' into the graduate medicine course at Melbourne University and I have been offered a range of scholarships to help me complete the course.

ABOVE Graduates of the outworker course with Jaala Pulford, Parliamentary Secretary for Industrial Relations Victoria.

our community

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An intriguing mix of tag, wrestling and speed, Kabaddi is fast becoming a popular sport in Australia.

An intriguing mix of tag, wrestling and speed, Kabaddi is fast becoming a popular sport in Australia. Last year fans of Kabaddi, a sport that originates in northern India, were treated to a dazzling display of agility and grace.

The Melbourne Kabaddi Academy (MKA) organised an international level Kabaddi tournament in Melbourne on behalf of the Punjabi community. The one day event was held on 2 November 2008 and teams from Australia, America, Canada and England participated. More than 10,000 people attended the event and watched the teams battle it out.

Kuldip Bassi, the director of the Melbourne Kabaddi Academy, is keen to get more people involved in the sport and says it would be popular for AFL and league fans alike.

Kabaddi is the most popular sport of the northern regions of India, particularly the Punjab, but it is also played in Pakistan, Bangladesh, south Asia and regions where Sikh communities have migrated, such as Canada, America and England.

The sport is an unusual mixture of tag, wrestling, speed, power, agility and tactics. There are two styles of kabaddi, but the one played in Australia involves two teams of up to 12 players, held on a circular field. An attack involves one player at a time making a 30-second raid, 25 for each team in a 20-minute half, into the opposition's half.

WHERE TO PLAY Melbourne Kabaddi Academy, contact Kuldip Bassi 0425 831 117. Singh Sabha Sports Club, contact Satnam Singh 0417 035 226. Melbourne Punjabi Sports Club, Punjab Warriors.

our community

Kabaddi World Cup

Kabaddi is an unusual mixture of tag, wrestling, speed, agility and tactics.

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20 Summer 2009

Victorian students will receive a more worldly education thanks to a teacher resource kit.

The Minister for Children and Early Childhood Development and Member for Mount Waverley Maxine Morand launched the unique education resource, created by the Buddhist Council of Victoria at Mount Waverley Primary School on Friday 14 November 2008.

Ms Morand said the Brumby Government provided $16,000 towards the development of the Discovering Buddha resource through the Victorian Multicultural Commission Community Grants Program.

“The Victorian Government is taking action to strengthen multiculturalism in Victoria and is a proud supporter of multicultural community groups and respect for diversity in schools,’’ Ms Morand said.

Buddhists from three traditions and 14 different ethnicities came together to produce the resource, which represents the diversity of Buddhists in Victoria and engages students to develop greater self-awareness, wisdom and compassion.FOR MORE INFORMATION on the resource visit www.bcvic.org.au

Discovering Buddha in the classroom

The Minister Assisting the Premier on Multicultural Affairs, James Merlino, announced in November $180,000 in funding to support the successful Leadership Training Program for Young Muslims run by the Centre for Dialogue at La Trobe University. Mr Merlino made the announcement at a special ceremony held for the graduates who undertook the course during 2008.

The Leadership Training Program for Young Muslims involves workshops, seminars, lectures,

field trips, debates and interviews with prominent decision makers.

“I congratulate all of the graduates for their hard work and dedication. It is truly inspiring see young people who are determined to break down cultural and religious barriers within our communities,” said Mr Merlino.

The aim of the program is to empower young Muslim men and women.

WOMEN'S GROUP GOING STRONGThe peak body for migrant and refugee women in Victoria last year celebrated its 10th anniversary.

Jenny Mikakos, Member for Northern Metropolitan Region and Parliamentary Secretary for Planning launched the Victorian Immigrant and Refugee Women's Centre's (VIRMC) 10th anniversary celebrations at Government House on 14 November 2008 and congratulated the organisation for its ongoing success.

“10 years is a significant milestone for any organisation working in the not-for-profit sector.

The VIRWC has enormous reason to be proud – it can look back over a long history of supporting women through training, advocacy, and capacity building,” Ms Mikakos said.

Almost 200 people attended the event, including VIRWC Chief Patron

Mrs. Jan de Kretser, who praised the organisation for its work.

“The Victorian community is richer for having the Victorian Immigrant and Refugee Women’s Coalition. The VIRWC does not only give a voice to women; it enhances

and improves the status of women through the creative programs that it manages,” she said.

The (VIRWC) has a unique and responsive approach to fulfilling its mission. Working at the grassroots level with women’s organisations, it has connected groups of women, focused on building leadership, and encouraged engagement through the arts and media for the past 10 years. The VIRWC provides an avenue for women whose voices might otherwise not be heard on issues of importance to them.

The Victorian Government has contributed $23,800 over the past two years to the groundbreaking ‘Recipe for Community Harmony’ project.

A leadership training program has been designed to empower young Muslim men and women and help them to reach their full potential as citizens and future leaders.

Young Muslim leaders

TOP Minister Assisting the Premier on Multicultural Affairs, James Merlino with some of the new young Muslims leaders.

our community


Each year, leaders of faith communities in the City of Greater Dandenong come together to work for the promotion of harmonious relations in their multicultural, multifaith community.

The Interfaith Network (IFN) is a group of leaders from a diverse range of cultural and religious faiths, including Baha’i, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Islamic, Jewish and Sikh faiths and their communities. The Sathya Sai and Brahma Kumaris spiritual organisations are also members of the IFN.

A traditional part of the Annual Gathering is the central presentation which is based upon the United Nations theme for the year. The theme for last year's Annual Gathering, held on Wednesday 22 October and attended by more than 300 people, was the ‘International Year of Languages’. All of the IFN faith leaders participated in a ceremony reflecting upon the importance of understanding each other through speaking words of kindness and love.

The Annual Gathering features the signing of the Common Statement by all of the IFN faith leaders, which commits committing the IFN to work

Interfaith gathering

towards peace and harmony within the municipality. An address by the Mayor of the City of Greater Dandenong and the announcement of the new IFN executive for the following year are also part of the evening. The 2008 Gathering also included a performance by the Greater Dandenong Combined Schools Interfaith Group, with students from four local schools: Killester College, Minaret College, St Anthony's Primary School and Southvale Primary School.

The IFN is looking with great anticipation towards 2009's Annual Gathering when it will celebrate its 20th Annual Gathering and 20 years of working for peace, harmony and understanding in the community and beyond. The IFN of the City of Greater Dandenong, and other interfaith networks around Victoria, are supported by the Victorian Government through its Promoting Multifaith Multicultural Harmony Grants.

Since 1989, the Interfaith Network of the City of Greater Dandenong has held an Annual Gathering.

The City of Greater Dandenong Interfaith Network also runs tours of worship throughout the year. A typical tour takes in places of worship including mosques, Catholic, Anglican and Uniting churches, Buddhist temples, and Orthodox Churches.

PLEASE CONTACT Helen Heath on (03) 9546 8441 or email [email protected] for more information and to book a tour.

The Casey Multi-Faith Network is also running places of worship tours for local schools and the broader public.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION or to make a booking please contact Pam Mamouney on [email protected]

MAIN Faith leaders from across the City of Greater Dandenong came together for the Annual Interfaith Gathering.

our community

22 Summer 2009

Education Resource Centre turns 20On 3 December 2008 the Victorian Government celebrated 20 years of service to the educators of Victoria by the Languages and Multicultural Education Resource Centre (LMERC). LMERC is a dedicated resource centre for teachers and an important plank in the Department’s commitment to the Victorian Government’s multicultural policy initiatives.

The Centre holds more than 27,000 items and provides Victorian teachers with resources that support implementation of multicultural and global perspectives throughout the curriculum. It has specialist collections for English as a Second Language, Languages other than English, civics and citizenship, studies of Asia, human rights, values and peace education, including many 21st century electronic resources.

Through the LMERC staff, thousands of teachers have been given practical teaching advice and resources to better meet the diverse learning needs of their students. These teachers have been better able to teach English, to nurture their students’ love of language and learning, to help them to fully develop global perspectives and cultural literacy, and to prepare them to be contributing global and multicultural citizens wherever they reside.

Victorian Multicultural Chairperson George Lekakis also launched the commemorative booklet, Languages and Multicultural Education Resource Centre: 1988-2008 at the event.

our community

The concept of teams from the African, Tongan and Asian communities in Melbourne participating in the AFL 2008 International Cup came after the early success of the AFL Multicultural Program in engaging with the communities. Each community expressed an interest in forming a team and the result was a toughly fought out tournament.

The AFL co-ordinated the formation of the teams and with the assistance of the North Melbourne and Essendon Football Clubs, Team Africa commenced training in early June 2008. Most of the squad members come from the Kensington area in Melbourne, South East (Dandenong), with others coming from Geelong and three from South Australia. Squad members represent Sudan, Nigeria, Kenya, Somalia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Egypt, Djibouti, Oromia, Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Team Asia was born out of the work Michael Nguyen (AFL Multicultural Development Officer) is doing as coach of the predominantly Asian based team, the Elgar Park Dragons. Due to the level of commitment and strategy Michael and the other volunteers are harnessing in this significantly Asian populated region, many new people are taking up Australian football. The Victorian Government through the Victorian Multicultural Commission, provided support for this team.

The Tongan community in Melbourne

is very supportive of Australian football and many of the young people are keen to play the game. Whilst fundraising efforts were not substantial enough to bring out a team from the Kingdom of Tonga in 2008, the team was made up of young people from Melbourne’s local Tongan community.

Many of the players representing Team Africa, Team Asia and Kingdom of Tonga reside in Australia, not many of them play Australian football at community grass roots football clubs.

Other initiatives the AFL has developed to encourage participation in football by multicultural communities include the AFL Multicultural Schools Cup, which is played between the schools that have completed the AFL Multicultural Schools program. It is an initiative of the AFL Multicultural Program and encourages participation by all children to play the game. Rules are modified accordingly for maximum participation and safety. FOR MORE INFORMATION visit www.aflvic.com.au

As part of the AFL International Cup, held in September 2008, a multicultural challenge was organised among the African, Asian and Tongan communities.

Multicultural challenge

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More than 60 women came together in the City of Casey to support White Ribbon Day in 2008.

WHITE RIBBON LUNCH

The Bendigo Chinese Association Dancing Team, Plum Blossom, is a group of young girls passionate about the intricacies of Chinese dance. The group trains regularly and learns dance routines that combine Chinese history and culture. Through the Women Creating Harmony program, the dancers visited 10 aged care facilities in Bendigo to demonstrate their skills.

The dancers performed some of the most famous traditional dances of

China, including ‘The Emperor and the Fairies in the Moon Palace’ (Ribbon Dance). It is more than 1200 years old, dating back to the Tang dynasty. The story tells of Emperor Tang-Ming-Hwon, who dreamed he was at the Moon Palace where he was surrounded by fairies singing and dancing. A second dance that was performed was ‘The Red Ansai Waist Drum & Little Hand Drum Dance’, which comes from villages in northern Shanxi. A dancer

Council Chambers for more than 60 women. The luncheon provided a wonderful opportunity for women from diverse backgrounds to come together, get to know each other and discuss aspects of their faith and culture.

White Ribbon Day was originally as a campaign to urge men to speak out against violence to women. The White Ribbon is now the symbol for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, which was declared by the United Nations General Assembly in 1999. The White Ribbon Foundation of Australia aims to eliminate violence against women by promoting culture-change around the issue.

On 25 November 2008, the Casey Multi-faith Network hosted a White Ribbon Luncheon at the City of Casey

Dancers blossom in Bendigo with a red drum tied to her waist holds a drumstick with red silk, beating the drum while dancing. Another popular dance was the ‘Fan Dance’, which was performed with a feather fan.

In Chinese culture, the plum blossom flower represents beauty and longevity. A woman’s strength and beauty is sometimes compared to the plum blossom and some take the deeper meaning of the representation to be: “Even when a woman is old and tough, she can still bring beauty to the world”.

The Plum Blossom dancers were funded by the Victorian Government’s Women Creating Harmony program delivered through the Victorian Multicultural Commission.

Elderly residents enjoyed performances from a talented group of dancers in Bendigo who brought traditional Chinese culture to life.

VMC Commissioner Samar Mougharbel spoke about the holy Islamic festival of Ramadan, while Stephanie Saunders spoke about the importance of the Sabbath and the significance of certain meals for the Jewish faith.

Samoan Christian singers entertained the women with their beautiful vocals during the luncheon.

The women who attend the luncheon discussed the importance of women from all traditions coming together to discuss issues that affected all communities.

our community

24 Summer 2009

The Victorian Government recognised more than 180 individuals and organisations for outstanding service to Victoria’s multicultural and wider community at a special ceremony at Government House in December 2008.

In presenting the Victorian Awards for Excellence in Multicultural Affairs, the Premier of Victoria, John Brumby said they were an important way to recognise, celebrate and encourage excellence in Multicultural Affairs.

“Our state is renowned for its generosity, compassion, and willingness to embrace new and emerging elements while ensuring traditions of the past are not forgotten. These Awards recognise the commitment and dedication of individuals who have made a real impact in their local community.”

The event, hosted by Professor David de Kretser, AC, Governor of Victoria, attracted more than 600 members of Victoria’s multicultural and multifaith communities. The Governor and the Premier were joined by the Minister Assisting the Premier on Multicultural Affairs, James Merlino, Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs, Liz Beattie and Victorian Chief Commissioner of Police, Christine Nixon who presented awards across eight categories.

Awards forexcellence

THIS PAGE, TOP TO BOTTOM A representative from Federation Square, winner of the Premier's Award for Community Harmony with the Premier of Victoria John Brumby. Constable Nadia Hammoud was acknowledged for her enhancement of harmonious relations between police and Victoria’s culturally and linguistically diverse communities by Victorian Chief Commissioner of Police Christine Nixon. Minister Assisting the Premier on Multicultural Affairs James Merlino with recipients of the Victorian Multicultural Education Award. Minister Merlino with a representative of the Australian Karen Organsiation.

OPPOSITE PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Parliamentary Secretary Liz Beattie with members from the Whittlesea Council, who were awarded the Local Goverment Award. Premier John Brumby with Melaku Ali and Kiemi Lai for their work with diverse communities. VMC Chairperson George Lekakis with guests at Government House. Thi Lan Huong Vo from the Vietnamese Veteran's Association with Premier John Brumby. The crowd enjoyed the awards ceremony at Government House. Award recipient George Zangalis with Professor de Kretser.

in focusawards for excellence • human rights • UN media peace awards


in focus

Recognising the commitment and dedication of individuals who have made

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26 Summer 2009

SERVICE DELIVERY TO MULTICULTURAL VICTORIA AWARD – COMMUNITY SERVICES

Recognising excellence in: aged care, arts, community services, education, emergency services, employment, health, local government, planning, regional development and tourism.

Individuals

Ms Fatha Ade, Mr Melaku Ali, Mr Abdul

Nasir Aatifi, Ms Barbara Chapman,

Mr Tony Charbel, Ms Mila Abenoja

Cichello, Ms Sulaika Dhanapala,

Mr David Diaz, Mr Vajira Ekanayake,

Ms Carmen Gatt, Mrs Alicja Gotlib,

Mr Bill Hatzisimeonidis, Mr Meca Khoa

Ho, Ms Renate Kamener, Ms Rashika

Kulasinghe, Ms Carol Makhoul, Mrs Nelly

Mavraganis, Mr Vlassis Mavraganis,

Ms Kavisha Mazzella, Mrs Geeti Mukhlas,

Ms Claire Naffah, Ms Natalija Nesvadba,

Mr Stephen O'Malley, Mr Chin Nhu Ong,

Mr Aristos Panagakis, Mr Menios Paterakis,

Dr Senake Perera, Ms Pina Piedimonte,

Mr Trevor Prabhakaran, Mr Fritz Schwab,

Mr Harbir Singh Kang, Mr Roman Syrek,

Mr Loc Trinh, Ms Liz Tripodi, Mrs Sebastiana

Valvo, Mr Sotirios Vassos, Mrs Liang

Wanghua.

Organisations• AMES Community Guide Program

• Australian Indian Innovations Inc.

• Brotherhood of St Laurence

• Centre for Philippine Concerns Australia Inc.

• City of Greater Dandenong – Youth

Services – Sports Inclusion Program

• City of Yarra – Belonging In Australia Project

• Edmund Rice Centre

• Jewish Cultural Centre & National

Library Kadimah

• Louise Multicultural Community Centre

• Otway Community College

• Spectrum MRC – Aged & Disability Services/

Employed Carers

• Innovative Program

• Suzuki Night Market – Queen Victoria Market

• Tabulam & Templer Homes for the Aged Inc.

• Turkish Tulip Festival – Australian Turkish

• Cultural Platform

• Uniting Care Cutting Edge

• Vietnamese Veterans Association of Victoria

• Hong Bang Vietnamese Ethnic School

• Wellsprings for Women Inc.

AWARD FOR MERITORIOUS SERVICE IN THE COMMUNITY Recognising the outstanding achievements of a community group or individual who has had a minimum of 10 years voluntary service at a governance level.

IndividualsMr Peter Adamis, Mrs Joan Adamson,

Mr Sam Alessi, Mrs Leonilla Alexeev,

Mr Tissa Amarasekera, Mr George

Andreou, Mrs Esther Antos, Ms Tania

Bacash, Ms Julianna Balazs, Mr Vincenzo

Barca, Mr Frank Bevacqua, Mr Aleksander

Bialocerkowski, Mrs Teresa Borzillo,

Mr Anton Brne, Mr Peter Bujnowski,

Mr Josef Caf, Mr Michele Capaldo,

Mr Sai Kit Chan, Mrs Alison Chapman,

Ms Slava Crooks, Mr Philip K.S. Chui,

Mr Romolo Di Giulio, Mrs Renza Dirksz,

Mr Franco Dondio, Mr Costas Elisseou,

Ms Anna Feoktistova, Mr Percy Fernandez,

Mr Nickiforos Floratos, Mr Vincenzo

Galtieri, Mrs Maria Gardani Calandro,

Mr Iakovos Garivaldis, Mr Carmine

Gattuso, Ms Claire Gazis, Ms Angela

Giardino, Mrs Figen Hasimoglu,

Mon Frank Hickey, Mr Russell jack AM,

Mr Chris Kalaitzis, Mrs Maria Kallinteridis,

Ms Dilpreet Kaur jaswal, Mr Abdul Khan,

Mr Menachem Khoen, Mrs Bernadette

Khoury, Moefaauo Lotomau Komiti,

Mr Stylianos Konstantinidis, Mr Spyros

Korosidis, Mr Michael Kypreos (Metaxas),

Mrs Galina Lobanov, Mr Domenico Lagana,

Mr Yin Choi Lam, Mrs Donata Lattanzio,

Mr Wellington Lee, Mr Paul Lesur,

Mrs Ghyliane Lesur, Ms Zhao Ran Li,

Ms Xiu Yu Lin, Mr Vincent Kou Chiang Liu,

Mr Egon Lutjens, Mr David Manne,

Mrs Afshan Mantoo, Mrs Sithy Marikar,

Mrs Agnes Marton, Mr Frank Merlino,

Mrs Valentina Mezentseff, Ms Jolanta

Mielczarek, Mr Lucio Miranda,

Dr Mohamed Firdausy Mohideen,

Mr Denis Muto, Mr Eamon Naughton,

Ms Marika Orosz, Ms Kathryn Osmond,

Mr Achilleas Papadopoulos, Cr Kris Pavlidis,

Mr Antonis Polycarpou, Dr Ambalavaner

Ponnampalam, Ms Elly Potamidis,

Mr Satishwar Prakash, Ms Birute Morta

Prasmutas, Ms Maria Presti, Mr Haralambos

Prodromidis, Ms Anna Romeo,

Mrs Franciska Sajn, Mr Carlo Salustro,

Mr Jim Sarris, Mr Demos Savva,

Mrs Umran Simsir, Mr Kuldip Singh Bassi,

The Late Mr Joginder Singh Rai, Mrs Jessica

Smugrevski, Mr Rucio Sosnowski,

Mr Luigi Sozzi, Ms Christoula Stefanatos,

Mr Bhim Sud, Mr Kouy Taing, Mr Martin

Taliana, Mr Mean Te, Ms Brigitte Tornatora,

Mrs Antonietta Tricarico, Mr Ilias Tsinanis,

Mr Nick Tsousis, Mr Teddy Tuason,

Mrs Eleftheria Tzouvelis, Ms Lucy Urbancic,

Mrs Rosa Volpe, Mr Arthur Sung Ta Wu,

Mr John Zafiropoulos, Mr George Zangalis,

Mr Jerry Zhu, Mr Marko Zitterschlager,

Ms Marilyn Zukalski.

The following is a list of recipients for 2008:

in focus

ABOVE LEFT Natalija Nesvadba was recognised for her work with Alzheimer's Australia, with Premier John Brumby. ABOVE RIGHT Percy Fernandez was recognised for his work with the Indian-Australian community of Victoria, with Professor de Kretser.

in focus


VICTORIAN MULTICULTURAL COMMISSION AMBASSADOR AWARD

This honour is awarded to individuals or organisations who have shown exemplary demonstration of leadership in the promotion of Victoria’s cultural diversity through the articulation and implementation of a vision, idea or activity for the benefit of the whole community.• Cr Christopher Gahan

• Ms Kiemi Lai

• Australian Karen Organisation

MEDIA AWARD

Recognising excellence in the reporting of multicultural affairs; and coverage that furthers the understanding and promotion of multiculturalism to create a fairer Victoria.• Ms Farah Farouk

• Ms Dewi Cooke

LOCAL GOVERNMENT AWARD

Recognising major improvements made, or initiatives developed, by a local municipal council that promotes and strengthens multiculturalism and meets the identified needs of that municipality’s culturally and linguistically diverse communities.• City of Whittlesea

VICTORIAN MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION AWARD

Recognising initiatives and practices that support and raise awareness of the educational and settlement needs of migrants and refugees and the promotion of multicultural initiatives in schools.• Ms Chau Cong

• Eastern Schools Refugee Action Network (ESRAN)

• Noble Park Primary School

POLICE AND COMMUNITY MULTICULUTRAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE AWARD (PACMAC)

Acknowledging police members who have demonstrated exemplary commitment to the development and enhancement of harmonious relations between police and Victoria’s culturally and linguistically diverse communities.• Inspector Nigel Howard

• Senior Constable Crystal Cartwright

• Migrant Information Centre Eastern Melbourne

• Constable Nadia Hammoud

TOP Ms Fatha Ada was awarded a Service Delivery to Multicultural Victoria Award for her work with the Somali community, with Premier John Brumby. CENTRE LEFT Inspector Nigel Howard was awarded a PACMAC award by Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon. CENTRE RIGHT Councillor Christopher Gahan was awarded a VMC Ambassador Award for his continued commitment to multicultural affairs, with Minister Merlino. ABOVE LEFT Ms Janina Siwek from the Polish Senior Citizens Club of Footscray with Professor de Kretser. ABOVE RIGHT Noble Park Primary School representative with Parliamentary Secretary Liz Beattie for the school's exceptional work in furthering the understanding of multiculturalism.

28 Summer 2009

in focus

In the aftermath of the horrors of World War II, a concerted effort was made to protect the rights of all humans. On 10 December 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

(UDHR). Australia was one of eight States given responsibility for drafting the Declaration and fittingly, the Minister for External Affairs at the time, Dr HV Evatt, was the President of the General Assembly and chaired the session at which the UDHR was passed.

In 2008, the United Nations observed the 60th anniversary year of the Declaration and all Australians were reminded of the significance of protecting human rights. Celebrating the anniversary is more than symbolic, it confirms the place of human rights within the political discourse taking place in Australia and the Government’s interest in considering how to further strengthen human rights. The Australian Government used the occasion to announce a National Human Rights Consultation on ways to promote and protect human rights in the future.

This is an historic opportunity for individuals and

communities throughout Australia to have their say about the protection of the fundamental values of freedom, respect, equality and dignity.

The 60th anniversary also saw the Victorian Equal Opportunity & Human Rights Commission’s annual Human Rights Oration on the topic ‘Climate change and human rights: Protecting the rights of future generations’. This year, the inspiring speech was delivered by Dan Adams, the Young Victorian of the Year for 2008. The speech focused on the threat climate changes places on fundamental human rights, including the right to life itself. The fact that those least responsible for climate change, namely people in the developing world, young people and future generations, are those who will be most affected raises the question of equity and moral obligations.

Victoria is a leader in the promotion of human rights in Australia. The Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission (VEOHRC) has been at the forefront of developing a culture of human rights and will play a major role in the consultation process on the national charter.

In 2008 the United Nations recognised 60 years since the implementation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Celebrating human rights


“The Commission can bring experience and practical knowledge to the process of consultation on a National Charter,” said the VEOHRC Chief Executive Officer Dr Helen Szoke.

“Since 2007, we have worked as the human rights watchdog in the only state in Australia with a Charter of Human Rights, monitoring and reporting on the implementation of the Victorian Charter.”

The VEOHRC has worked with members of the general community to educate and advise them on how to assert their rights; with public bodies to educate them about their responsibilities to implement the Charter; assisted courts to utilise the Charter in their decision-making and assisted the Government to consider human rights in the process of drafting new legislation. They also have a team of Young Ambassadors who work with younger members of the community to educate them about the protection of human rights Victoria is committed to.

“Our work has shown that it is possible to realise the process of providing a human rights insurance policy to the community,” said Dr Szoke. “We look forward to working in collaboration with the community, the federal government and other bodies from around Australia in the consultation towards a National Charter.”

RIGHTS OF PASSAGEThe VEOHRC works to protect all Victorian’s human rights. Recent work has involved the Australian-Sudanese community in the City of Greater Dandenong, in particular the issues faced by younger members of the community. A recent report, Rights of Passage: Experiences of Australian-Sudanese young people is the result of more than 200 interviews with young people, consultations with more than 30 community and government workers as well as written submissions.

The report analyses the stories of Australian-Sudanese young people and looks at the impact on their human rights, which are protected by the Victorian Charter of Human Rights, the Equal Opportunity Act and the Racial and Religious Tolerance Act. The report is available at www.humanrightscommission.vic.gov.au

For help with information and advice about experiences of racism and discrimination, contact the Commission’s Advice Line on

(03) 9281 7100.

FREEDOM RESPECT EqUALITY DIGNITYThe Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Conference will facilitate a conference on human rights in March during Cultural Diversity Week. The conference will bring together respected human rights advocates and present a series of panel discussions on protecting human rights. Debate will focus on: The Achievement of Human Rights, The Experience of Human Rights, and The Business of Human Rights.WHERE Melbourne Park Function Centre WHEN 16 –17 March 2009 DETAILS www.humanrightscommission.vic.gov.au

THIS PAGE, ABOVE Commission youth ambassador David Vincent, Dr Helen Szoke and John Belieu from Foundation House, at the launch of Rights of Passage.

OPPOSITE PAGE, MAIN Participants at the Human Rights Oration. RIGHT George Lekakis, VMC; Dr Helen Szoke, VEOHRC; David Gregory VECCI;Samuel Machar, Sudanese Community Association of Australia; Nick Kotsiras, Shadow Minister for Multicultural Affairs and Citizenship, at the Harnessing Diversity report launch.

in focus

30 Summer 2009

The best social justice stories of 2008 were recognised with a United Nations Association of Australia Media Peace Award.

These prestigious national Awards have recognised the best of Australian journalism for the past three decades, and the Award winners focused on a wide range of both national and international issues.

In 2008, the 30th anniversary year, 44 outstanding reports and programs were short-listed to take home a coveted Media Peace Award. Finalists were spread across the major categories of print, television, radio, photojournalism and online, and five special category awards for journalism which promotes understanding of multicultural issues, Aboriginal reconciliation, older persons, women’s rights and children’s rights.

The joint chairs of the judging panel

for the Awards, Justice Philip Cummins (of the Victorian Supreme Court) and Michael Smith (former editor of The Age) said the standard of this year’s entries was outstanding, and demonstrated the commitment of Australian journalists to quality reporting.

They said: “Some of the best work produced by Australian journalists has featured in these awards over the last 30 years, and 2008 proved to be no exception.”

Investigative journalism dominated the awards again this year, with some exceptional pieces on subjects ranging from international child trafficking and its connections to adoptions in Australia, to the realities of domestic violence.

Promoting peacethrough the media

THIS PAGE, MAIN AND OPPOSITE PAGE, TOP LEFT

The African Royal Drummer perform at the UN Media Peace Awards.

OPPOSITE PAGE, BOTTOM LEFT Victorian Multicultural Commission Chairperson George Lekakis presents SBS journalist Jennie Brockie with her award. BOTTOM RIGHT The Age journalist Dewi Cooke speaks after receiving a special commendation for her work.

in focus

in focus


Some of the best work produced by Australian journalists has

featured in these awards.‘‘

‘‘

International reports publicised the plight of Syrian and Iraqi refugees, and several winning entries focused on national Indigenous issues.

Winners were announced at a gala Presentation Dinner held at the Arts Centre in Melbourne on Friday 24 October, to coincide with United Nations Day. The evening was hosted by the ABC’s Kerry O’Brien, and guests were entertained by the captivating African Royal Drummers, and comedian Rod Quantock.

In attendance were former Governor-General of Australia Sir Ninian Stephen and Lady Stephen; Maxine Morand, Minister for Children and Early Childhood Development and Minister for Women's Affairs; Lisa Neville, Minister for Senior Victorians; VMC Chairperson George Lekakis; Award finalists; representatives from the judging panel; and UNAA members.

All those present on the night bore witness to a year in focus; the issues, triumphs, tragedies, and overwhelming optimism that those in the media can make a difference by raising awareness and highlighting issues within our society.

The winners on the night were:

VICTORIAN MULTICULTURAL COMMISSION/AUSTRALIAN MULTICULTURAL FOUNDATION PROMOTION OF MULTICULTURAL ISSUES Winner Jenny Brockie, Lisa Main & Anne

Worthington – ‘Another Country’, SBS

TV Insight.

Special Commendation Farah Farouque,

Dewi Cooke – ‘Ganging up on Africans’, The Age.

BEST PRINTNewsWinner Jill Margo & Steve Georgopoulos –

‘The terminally ill deserve better’,

The Australian Financial Review.

FeatureWinner Rory Callinan – ‘Stolen Children’,

Time Magazine.

Special Commendation David Leser

– ‘Children Overboard: Two Women, Two

Stories’, The Australian Women’s Weekly.

BEST TELEVISIONNewsWinner Auskar Surbakti – ‘Rebuilding Aceh

Series’, SBS World News Australia.

Current AffairsWinner Matt Brown, Brant Cumming &

Simon Brynjolffssen – ‘Syria – Iraqi Refugees’,

ABC TV Foreign Correspondent.

Special Commendation Jane Hansen &

Nick Farrow – ‘From Behind the Razor Wire’,

Channel Nine Sunday Program.

DocumentaryWinner Aaron Lewis, Ashley Smith, David

Potts & Raphael Tenthani – ‘The Heroes

Are Tired (Africa’s Deadly Brain Drain)’,

SBS TV Dateline.

Special Commendation Eric Campbell,

Ian Altschwager, David Martin, Brant Cumming

& Bryan Milliss – ‘Armenia – Ghosts of the

Past’, ABC TV Foreign Correspondent.

BEST RADIOWinner Damien Carrick & Anita Barraud –

‘Central Australia’, ABC Radio National,

Law Report.

BEST PHOTOjOURNALISM Winner Stephen Dupont – ‘Inside a Suicide

Blast’, Sydney Morning Herald/The Age.

BEST ONLINEWinner Rob Wellington & Anna Grieve –

‘Mabo Website’, Screen Australia.

32 Summer 2009

three years. Partner organisations are being sought to contribute further funds to allow the inclusion of additional local governments.

Through LEAD, VicHealth and the VEOHRC will work in partnership with local government to develop, implement and evaluate a broad range of innovative methods to prevent interpersonal and institutional discrimination. This is an area of activity in which evidence-informed practice is poorly developed and in which there is much to gain and learn. The program will focus on settings where discrimination regularly occurs (e.g. schools, workplaces, retail outlets and sports clubs).FOR MORE INFORMATION on the LEAD Program email [email protected]

The evidence is clear – discrimination based on ethnicity, ‘race’ or religion has significant health impacts on those who experience it, contributing to mental health problems such as anxiety and depression.

“People who are discriminated against often feel unwelcome within their own communities, and may find it difficult to access the services and resources needed to live healthy and productive lives,” said VicHealth CEO Todd Harper. Discrimination also offends human rights and is unlawful in Victoria.

Data collected during a 2006 survey of 4000 Victorians show that discrimination remains an issue in this state, especially for Indigenous Victorians and those from migrant and refugee backgrounds. While most

Victorians support cultural diversity, a substantial number hold attitudes that suggest intolerance of ethnic difference. Over one third of the survey respondents said that some ethnic groups ‘do not fit’ in Australia.

The Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth), in partnership with the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission (VEOHRC) are developing the Localities Embracing and Accepting Diversity (LEAD) Program to tackle this issue. LEAD is a place-based demonstration project to promote diversity, foster equity and prevent discrimination.

Victorian local governments have been invited to tender to participate in this program. One local government will receive $300,000 per annum over

Progress is being made to tackle discrimination and prevent illness as a result.

Preventing discrimination

MAIN VicHealth is working to tackle discrimination and help people stay healthy.

government initiativesevents • awards • projects • support


Plans are being made to develop a Chinese Teacher Training school in Victoria.

ABOVE A participant at the Iraqi family camp.

The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) has been invited by the Office of the Chinese Language Council International, China (Hanban) to enter into a partnership to locate a Chinese Teacher Training Centre in Victoria to service Australia and the Oceania Region. On 22 September 2008 the Minister for Education, the Hon Bronwyn Pike, signed a Letter of Intent with Hanban to proceed with planning towards its establishment. Three Chinese Teacher Training Centres will be established by Hanban around the world to complement the existing network of Confucius Institutes.

The establishment of a Chinese Teacher Training Centre (CTTC) in Victoria is an exciting prospect. It is expected to provide high quality and effective professional learning opportunities for teachers which are

thought provoking, reflective and engaging. Resource development and research emanating from the Centre will lead the way into a new era of teaching Chinese language and culture in an accessible way for all learners. The project is expected to commence in March 2009. The focus for 2009 is expected to be delivery of services within Victoria; in 2010 delivery of services within Australia and in 2011, delivery of services within the Oceania region. The Minister for Education, Bronwyn Pike, with delegation members from Victoria at the signing of the ‘Letter of Intent’ in Beijing on 22 September with Mme Shu Lin, Director, Hanban and colleagues.

CHINESE SCHOOL AGREEMENT

Targeting sensitive subjectsA new health promotion resource gets families talking about taboo subjects.

within families and the importance of community leaders. Participants were encouraged to think about how this knowledge could protect their families, their friends and their community.

“In some families it’s not culturally appropriate to talk about these issues. If your approach is too direct, people will simply deny that high-risk behaviours exist in their community,” said Naomi Ngo, manager of the MHSS team.

A DVD resource kit called Bridging Differences, Enhancing Understanding

has been produced to support training in culturally appropriate health promotion. It is suitable for: tertiary courses in social work, health promotion, community development and youth work; local councils that offer services to migrant and refugee communities; community health centres; and health promotion agencies and services.FOR MORE INFORMATION or to order the DVD resource kit, phone (03) 9342 9700 or email [email protected]

The Centre for Culture, Ethnicity and Health has recently completed a project on raising awareness of hepatitis C and sexually-transmissible infections (STI) in migrant and refugee communities.

The Centre, through its Multicultural Health and Support Service (MHSS), organised weekend camps for Iraqi and various African communities. Families were invited to participate in recreational activities and information sessions, including health workshops on hepatitis C and STI.

Health workshops were facilitated by bilingual MHSS community workers and by staff members from Hepatitis C Victoria and Mary of the Cross Centre. Arabic-speaking facilitators and interpreters were used in workshops and resources were made available in both English and Arabic.

Information was presented with consideration for the various roles held


34 Summer 2009

In early 2006, Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) was approached by the Springvale Community Aid and Advice Bureau (SCAAB) to develop tenancy education programs for Sudanese refugees in the City of Greater Dandenong. SCAAB had identified that many refugees were experiencing difficulties in areas such as renting and credit, and did not understanding their rights and responsibilities in relation to these areas or what to do when problems arose.

The primary target audience for the project were speakers of Dinka, Nuer and Sudanese-Arabic. The program intent was to equip this community with the knowledge and skills required by tenants to successfully negotiate tenancy issues arising in Victoria.

The project involved consulting with the community and developing a 30-minute educational DVD in community languages suitable to community learning styles and literacy

levels and capturing key information for the training program. The DVD was designed as an accessible information resource that could be re-used either in conjunction with the training manuals, or as stand alone information containing the key messages which could be distributed through settlement services and libraries.

Another project adopted the train the trainer approach for information provision and used a flexible delivery model, whereby 28 Sudanese community educators delivered information to the community at community functions and gatherings, at churches, and in people’s homes. The education program was delivered to a total of 1,965 Sudanese people in Victoria.

CAV continues to work with SCAAB to assist Sudanese migrants during their settlement in Victoria through the development of a second DVD ‘Smart Shopping and Money Matters’.

This DVD will be available from November 2008 and includes information about budgeting, credit, advertising and contracts.FOR MORE INFORMATION please contact Rachel Smith on (03) 8684 6455 or email [email protected]

LEFT Participants of the CAV tenancy education program in Springvale.

Improving housing outcomesA program has been developed to help refugees negotiate the tricky world of renting.

THE FUTURE OF LANGUAGE SERVICESThe interpreting profession needs to become a more attractive career choice, according to a recent panel discussion on the future of Victoria’s language services.

A recent panel discussion on the future of Victoria's language services has found the interpreting profession needs to become a more attractive career choice. The panel discussion, ‘Now we’re talking’ was hosted by the Centre for Culture, Ethnicity and Health (CEH) in November 2008. George Lekakis, Chairperson of the Victorian Multicultural Commission, introduced the event and outlined current language service initiatives, including interpreter awareness training for government staff and

research into alternative technologies in regional language service provision.

The challenges raised included the need to re-position the interpreter industry and provide better training and support to interpreters; and the need to explore alternative technologies to deliver language services.

It was noted that many communities had a limited understanding of their right to access professional interpreting and translating services, and that these communities would need support to self-advocate for

accessible language services.Bilingual staff were also recognised

as playing a significant complementary role in language service delivery. CEH presented a set of guidelines for recruiting and supporting bilingual staff in the health and community sector. These guidelines were produced as part of the Bilingual Staff Research Project, funded by the Victorian Multicultural Commission.A summary of the panel discussion and the Bilingual Staff Research Project report are both available from www.ceh.org.au



Ambulance Victoria’s 4 Steps for Life CPR awareness program has reached more than 500,000 Victorians – teaching them the skills necessary to help save their loved ones from cardiac arrest.

Over the past four years, the program has expanded into 10 languages and has been promoted by community promotions officers, called LOTE CPR promotions officers, who come from these communities.

One such officer is Claudio Cardamone. Claudio is first generation Australian and together with his father Rosario is promoting the program to the Italian community in Victoria.

Claudio is the only LOTE officer who speaks English as a first language and said one of the reasons he took on this project was to connect with his father's community. “I made it clear that if I was to become involved it would have

to be with papa because he provides legitimacy to the Italian community. The people we are generally targeting are people his age from Italy and it helps,” he said.

For Rosario, most of the people from the village he grew up in are now living in Australia. “Not only do I see these people for coffee or dinner but now I talk about the program with them. I meet lots of new people through the program and my friends that I already had from my village back me up on my work when I meet new people.”

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION about the 4 Steps for Life program please contact Ambulance Victoria on 1300 550 472 or email cpr @ambulance.vic.gov.au

Smart shoppingVictoria’s Sudanese community will be better informed and confident consumers, thanks to a new credit education program.

Consumer Affairs Victoria director, Dr Claire Noone, said the Smart Shopping and Money Matters DVD would give members of the Sudanese community the skills they needed to be aware of high pressure sales tactics, contacts and how loans and repayments work.

“New settlers are some of our most vulnerable consumers, and this program will ensure the Sudanese community are informed about credit management and consumer rights,” Dr Noone said.

The program features an educational DVD in four languages (Dinka, Nuer, Sudanese-Arabic and English) and a simple family budgeting tool.

Smart Shopping and Money Matters is a partnership program developed by CAV and the Springvale Community Aid and Advice Bureau (SCAAB). The program is funded by the Consumer Credit Fund, which is administered by CAV.

Amanda Barker, SCAAB program manager, said the Bureau was excited by the opportunity to deliver the program in partnership with CAV.

“This initiative was developed with the target community and we are confident it will result in better decisions being made in relation to money management,” she said.

Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) figures show the City of Greater Dandenong has the highest number of Sudanese settlers arriving in Victoria under the Australian Government Humanitarian Programme. The program has helped settle more than 1,800 Sudanese in the area since 2002.The DVD can be ordered by contacting Cara Dixon, Consumer Affairs Victoria, on (03) 8684 6470.

ABOVE Father and son, Rosario and Claudio Cardamone, enjoy working together to educate people about life saving techniques.

An innovative self-learning CPR program uses a 20 minute video/DVD to teach resuscitation in four key steps to people with English as a second language.

Ambulance Victoria CPR awareness program


36 Summer 2009

ABOVE VMC Chairperson George Lekakis with representatives from Alzheimer's Australia Vic at the launch of the free kit.

Helping handA kit has been developed to help people learn more about caring for people with dementia.

Alzheimer’s Australia Vic has released its new Perceptions of Dementia in Ethnic Communities resource kit, which uncovers the different ways in which 12 ethnic communities living in Victoria perceive dementia. The free kit is designed to help different cultural ethnic backgrounds to develop a better understanding of how their clients perceive their condition. The resource kit is the product of extensive consultations with Arabic, Croatian, Chinese, Greek, Italian, Macedonian, Polish, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, Turkish and Vietnamese communities. The Perceptions of Dementia in Ethnic Communities resource kit

is available for download at www.alzheimers.org.au

The EcoLiving Grants Program is designed to build the capacity of households and communities to respond to the impacts of climate change and sustainability issues. The program provides funding to assist development of EcoLiving Centres to support households and communities reduce everyday environmental impacts by:• helping households overcome

barriers to change; • providing locally relevant

information and learning programs;

• working together with a range of community members, organisations and businesses to help achieve the changes needed; and

• demonstrating sustainable technologies and practices.

The objectives of the EcoLiving Grants Program are:• to facilitate greater understanding

and take-up of sustainable practices by community members in their homes and everyday lives;

• to facilitate long-term behavioural

change towards sustainable living in the community; and

• to build the capacity of communities to adapt to climate change.

There is approximately $1 million available for community organisations interested in establishing an EcoLiving Centre. Projects must satisfy the funding criteria to be considered for grant allocation. EcoLiving Grants Program Round Two applications close at 2pm, Thursday 19 March 2009.

ECOLIVING GRANTSEcoLiving Grants Program Round Two is now open.

A new edition of Victoria Legal Aid’s brochure, Refugees and Protection Visas is now available. The brochure gives information about how Victoria Legal Aid can help people who have arrived in Australia, with or without a visa, who may be refugees.

It's available in Farsi, Turkish, Arabic and Mandarin Chinese, as well as English. It also includes details relevant to new Commonwealth laws and gives brief answers to such questions as:

• Am I a refugee?• What is a protection visa?• How do I get a protection visa?• What if I arrived here without a visa?• Where can I get more information?FOR MORE INFORMATION phone (03) 9269 0223 or www.legalaid.vic.gov.au

Victoria Legal Aid also runs free legal advice sessions on refugee law and some immigration matters. FOR MORE INFORMATION phone (03) 9269 0416.

Help with visas


Level 11, 1 Spring StreetMelbourne Victoria 3000

Telephone (03) 9208 3184 Facsimile (03) 9208 3179email [email protected]

multicultural.vic.gov.au

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Issue 27 (PDF 3.8 mb)

Documents

Transcript of Issue 27 (PDF 3.8 mb)