Multiculturalism may not have featured notably in the recent Federal Election, but it is shaping up to play an important role in the Victorian state election in November.
Paying lip service to the idea of multiculturalism is just not enough. A government must put its money where its mouth is.
At the Ethnic Communities Council of Victoria (ECCV) conference last week, a motion was passed urging the Federal Government to reintroduce the word ‘multicultural’ into the cabinet.
But representatives of the state Labor, Liberal and Greens parties were keen to stress the importance of multiculturalism in Victoria.
Deputy Premier Rob Hulls announced that the government would contribute an extra $50 000 to the Ethnic Communities Council of Victoria (ECCV) to establish a multicultural lecture series.
“Paying lip service to the idea of multiculturalism is just not enough. A government must put its money where its mouth is,” he told the conference.
He also reflected on his government’s cultural precincts enhancement program.
“It’s vital that we maintain areas such as the Italian precinct in Lygon Street, Chinatown or the Greek precinct in Lonsdale Street as vibrant physical reminders of our diversity,” he said.
“And in the very near future there will be announcements for support for cultural precincts and infrastructure,” he said.
Last year the Victorian Government committed $2 million to the Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne and Victoria for the development of a cultural hub, and an additional $1.5 million to the Lonsdale Street traders.
But the Shadow Minister for Multicultural Affairs and Citizenship, Nick Kotsiras, said it was impossible to know how effective government spending on multiculturalism had been, because the Victorian Multicultural Commission (VMC) was too close to the government.
“Announcing money is fantastic, everybody likes money,” he told Neos Kosmos.
“But it’s not the amount of money, it’s how it’s been used and how effective it’s been used, and unfortunately Victorians are being kept in the dark because we are not aware of the success of the various programs over the years.”
He said the opposition wanted to see reforms in the VMC to make it more independent and transparent.
“The VMC is meant to be at arm’s length and the bridge between communities and the government,” he said.
“I think currently it’s more an offshoot of government rather than the voice of the community.”
Greens spokesperson for multicultural affairs Colleen Hartland said it was important older migrant communities, such as the Greek community, weren’t left out of multicultural policy.
“I think they’ve become invisible, because they’ve been here so long,” she said.
She said government policy needed to reflect the fact that as migrant groups aged, their needs changed, and called for more ethno-specific services for older Victorians.
But Ms Hartland added that multicultural policies were important to all Victorians.
“Multiculturalism, for me, as an Anglo, is what makes where I live in Footscray really exciting,” she said.
“There are all these different cultures; I have different neighbours I can visit, there are different things to eat, there’s a different understanding of how life should be, and I think monoculture is just dead boring,” she said.