The Victorian Multicultural Gala Dinner was held last Saturday, for the first time outside of Melbourne. It was there that Premier Jacinta Allan announced that over the next three years, over 6,000 Victorian government, or council-managed roads, parks, suburbs, schools, government buildings and more will need to be named after Victorian multicultural leaders. We will soon have Lekakis Drive, or maybe Gogos Park, and others as a testament to the success of our multiculturalism in Victoria.
Multiculturalism extends beyond metro Melbourne
The premier made a point of choosing Geelong for the Multicultural Gala Dinner. “Because as we know, our multicultural state isn’t confined to the CBD of Melbourne. “It isn’t enclosed within the borders of Footscray, Box Hill, or Oakleigh either.
“Victoria is a multicultural state, every single inch of it.”
The premier heralded Victoria’s diversity and said it’s “everywhere”, and it “benefits everything – and it belongs to everyone.” Allan reflected on the Gold Rush “more than 160 years ago” and “those Chinese miners, merchants, artists and labourers who helped to build our state.”
Raffaello Carboni, a leader of the Eureka Stockade was Italian.
The Premier pointed to the “Greek, Italian, Lebanese and [North] Macedonian workers who came to Victoria, in search of a brighter future.”
“And to our more recent and emerging communities: African, Indian, Southeast Asian, and Afghan Victorians.”
Allan talked of stories of migration like “Geelong’s own Frank Costa – now immortalised in bronze just a short walk from where we are tonight.”
“Frank was the son of an Italian migrant. He worked hard to create one of the largest fruit and veg wholesalers in Australia.”
An emotional premier said that while not every migrant has been memorialised in the form of a statue, every one of them is “immortalised in our story as a state.” “Every family who moved here. Everyone who found work here. “Everyone who started a business or started a family. “Everyone who chased a dream or studied at uni.
“Everyone who hired a worker cared for a patient, educated a child. “Everyone who came here to improve their own lives, and in the process, improved everyone else’s. “It’s your history, culture, and sacrifice that has shaped our state.
“And it’s you who created the diverse and inclusive Victoria we have today.”
The streets will have your multicultural name
Then the Premier announced that over the next three years, “more than 6,000 state or council managed roads, parks, suburbs, schools, government buildings and more will need to be named.”
“Currently, less than around one per cent of those roads, parks and buildings are named after multicultural leaders.”
“Our government will honour our state’s multicultural stories in the streets, parks, and buildings that Victorians use every day.”
The premier said that everyone will have the chance to nominate the names of local multicultural heroes through a “new state-wide campaign and website.”
“Think Franco Cozzo Park, Marion Lau Laneway, Stefan Romaniw Street.”
Premier Allan said that Victoria’s “multicultural legends, their heritage, their stories”, and their communities will live forever on a local stage.
“It will send a strong message to every young Victorian: That the history of our state is their history – it’s diverse and it’s multicultural.”
“And that whether your name is Singh or Smith. “Whether you were born here or whether you travelled here.
“Whether you’re a local student or, if can I say to the Prime Minister and his Federal colleagues: whether you are an international student. You are just as much a part of our state as any other Victorian.”
Anti-racism strategy to combat antisemitism and islamophobia
The Premier strayed from Victorian politics and said she felt “compelled to recognise tonight that our social cohesion has faced so many challenges this past year.”
“We unequivocally support a ceasefire in Palestine – just as we unequivocally support the release of the Israelis being held hostage.”
Then said, “we cannot ignore the impact it is having on our state.”
“We have seen people spreading hate,” she said in response to the rise of antisemitism and islamophobia. She lauded the community leaders “who have had to deal with so much pressure as a result.
“You don’t just keep our society strong. You keep it standing.” “I sat down with women at a Gurdwara, listening to their powerful stories and experiences. “I have spoken with young women at Shule who have experienced the horrors of antisemitism.” “I was blessed to break bread at a small and special Iftar dinner with friends.”
The premier also announced Victoria’s first anti-racism strategy. “We are introducing landmark Anti-Vilification protections and have provided anti-Semitism resources in schools and increased effort to combat Islamophobia in our community.” The antisemitism announcement may be seen as a subtle attack against the Greens.
The premier then took a swipe at the federal opposition leader Peter Dutton accusing him of “Hurtful words” against “families fleeing” the warzone in Gaza.
Allan said that form of “rhetoric pulls at the very fabric of our nation.”
“Communities are hurting – I don’t need to remind anyone in this room of that. Our Palestinian community, our Jewish community, our Ukrainian community, our Sudanese community and more.”
She ended by calling on the power of love and said it was “time to wrap our arms around every Victorian.”
Premier Allan’s landmark announcements also came with the guarantee that, “We will always seek your advice; we will always hear your voice.”
“We will always back a strong, diverse, and multicultural Victoria.”
