A Hindu temple in Perth has received $1 million from the Albanese Labor government as part of a pledge to support “multicultural communities” across Western Australia.
Minister for Veterans Affairs and Defence Personnel Matt Keogh celebrated the delivery of the funding to the Perth Hindu Temple in Canning Vale this week, and wore an Indian scarf to open a new car park at the site along with local MP Sam Lim, and Hindu state Labor MP Jagadish Krishnan.
The funds were part of a pre-election promise by Labor to support the Hindu Association of Western Australia by building eight new classrooms and a multipurpose community hall on the site, and came a year after another $2.8 million in federal funds were provided for a new education and cultural building.
“It was a real pleasure to join Minister Matt Keogh and my WA state colleague Dr Jags MLA at the Perth Hindu Temple to mark the completion of the new car park facility with a special opening prayer and ceremony today,” Mr Lim said after the ceremony.
“This upgrade means better access to temple and is part of our ongoing support for a vibrant, multicultural Tangney. Always proud to stand with local groups building spaces that bring people together.”
Labor said in April that the current round of funding “reflects the Albanese Labor Government’s pledge to ensure multicultural communities in Western Australia are supported and have the infrastructure they need for their growing communities”.
“The new hall will be a vibrant community hub for the growing local Hindu community in Western Australia, strengthening community connectedness and providing a space to gather for festivals and celebrations with the wider community,” said Mr Keogh, who regularly visits the temple and dresses in Hindu garb.
“Labor has been a big supporter of this project at the Perth Hindu Temple, so I’m incredibly pleased to see that continue with this major commitment. The Temple is so much more than a religious site – it’s a cultural and educational hub for people right across Perth’s south-eastern suburbs.
“This new Centre will ensure members of our Hindu community can stay connected to culture and support new residents that want to make our community their home.”
But Labor has not been the only major party to promise funding for the temple to appeal to Indian immigrant voters, with the Liberal Party also making a pre-2022 election commitment of $1 million for the education and cultural building.
Then-MP for Tangney Ben Morton, who lost the seat to Mr Lim weeks later, made a pitch to “new migrants” while promising the funds.
“Australia is the most successful multicultural country in the world. That’s why I’ve been working with the local Hindu community for years,” he said at the time.
“This commitment builds on the $250,000 of Federal funding I secured to upgrade their multipurpose hall in 2019.”
Header image: Left, right, Labor minister Matt Keogh at the temple (Facebook).
