The Victorian government is giving immigrant organisations $400,000 grants to upgrade community facilities, with African and Middle Eastern countries and ethnicities dominating a list of groups given top priority.
Labor’s Multicultural Infrastructure and Security Program (MISP) will hand out a total of $2.5 million to eligible “multicultural and multifaith community organisations” for upgrades, maintenance, renovations and security along with other infrastructure-related activities.
The program prioritises regional-based projects and applications from “new and emerging communities” and is intended to help eligible organisations “create a safe and secure place to celebrate and share their history and traditions”, the government said.
According to the eligibility criteria, multicultural organisations must be “owned and managed by a specific ethnic, language, or cultural community that has common needs, customs, and traditions. The organisation will exist to support people from that ethnic, language, or cultural group”.
The government said its list of “new and emerging communities” was developed in consultation with the Victorian Multicultural Commission (VMC), and was linked to government refugee programs.
The countries and ethnicities given priority are mainly from Africa and the Middle East, and comprise of Afghanistan, Assyrian, Burundi, Chaldean, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Hazara, Iran, Iraq, Kenya, Kurds, Liberia, Myanmar, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, Pashtuns, Pasifika communities, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tajiks, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Timor Leste, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbeks, and Yemen.
Minister for Multicultural Affairs Ingrid Stitt said last month the program was part of the Allan government’s commitment to multiculturalism.
“Vital to this is ensuring all Victorians have safe, accessible and culturally appropriate spaces to gather and celebrate their heritage,” she said.
“This grant program contributes to that goal by allocating $2.5 million to support multicultural and multifaith organisations to carry out maintenance works, renovations and security upgrades to their community facilities.”
“These spaces where Victoria’s multicultural and multifaith communities gather are more than just buildings. They are spaces where people come together to reflect, to share traditions, to mark milestones and to pass down culture on to future generations.”
Depending on the size of the grant and priority status, some recipients will be required to match the grants with funding of their own.
Header image: Ms Allan and Ms Stitt at a Diwali event this month (Facebook).
