The Victorian Labor government is handing out millions of dollars in grants for Chinese business promotion, community hall hire and infrastructure projects.
The most recent giveaway – a $100,000 grant for the Melbourne Chinatown Business Association – was announced by Minister for Small Business and Employment Natalie Suleyman on Sunday.
The money will fund the creation of a website and app that will provide information about and promote businesses in Melbourne’s Chinatown area, with the app to include features such as local business profiles, interactive maps and exclusive promotions.
The taxpayer funds will also be used to establish a business awards ceremony that will take place later in the year and which will “recognise the efforts and achievements of amazing local traders” in the Chinatown area.
President of the Melbourne Chinatown Business Association Christina Zhao said the “grant represents a strong commitment to supporting small businesses and strengthening Melbourne’s multicultural economy”, while Ms Suleyman said “Labor is proud to back Victoria’s Chinese community – which is why we’re supporting small businesses right here in Chinatown”.
The grant comes as part of a $17 million Supporting our Multicultural Traders and Precincts program overseen by the Victorian government, and follows the announcement on Saturday of another grant scheme awarded to the state’s Chinese community over the Lunar New Year weekend.
The Chinese Community Hall Hire program was launched by Premier Jacinta Allan on Saturday, with the initiative aimed at making it easier for the state’s Chinese community “to hire safe and accessible venues for events” and to “help groups stay connected without added financial pressure”.
The program will offer Chinese community organisations in Victoria the ability to apply for grants of up to $40,000 to “deliver activities, workshops and cultural celebrations”, and builds upon a $2 million investment the state has already made in the Chinese Community Infrastructure Fund.
Upon announcing the scheme Ms Allan said “Victoria’s Chinese community is a vital part of our story and we’re proud to help make it easier for groups to host events and connect”, while Minister for Multicultural Affairs Ingrid Stitt said: “We’re continuing to back organisations that bring Victorians together while making sure that rising venue costs don’t stand in the way.”
The state government added Victoria was “proudly home to almost 430,000 people of Chinese ancestry who have helped to shape and enrich our state” and declared “Victoria is a proudly multicultural and multifaith state – that only Labor will protect”.
The announcements made over Lunar New Year by Victorian Labor came as new federal Liberal Leader Angus Taylor and his Victorian counterpart Jess Wilson attended the same Chinese New Year Festival in Box Hill, where 45% of residents are Chinese, as Ms Allan and Foreign Minister Penny Wong.
Mr Taylor’s pandering to Chinese immigrants sparked backlash on social media as a major poll showed One Nation ahead of both major parties.
“We can’t celebrate Australia Day, yet we celebrate every other country’s values,” wrote one irate Aussie in response.
Header image: Left, right, Jacinta Allan at the Chinese New Year Festival (Facebook).
