Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria (ECCV) welcomes the announcement by Premier Daniel Andrews that a re-elected Labor Government will invest $3.5 million to support and strengthen the work of ECCV.
Mr Andrews acknowledged the critical role ECCV plays as the peak body representing Victoria’s multicultural communities and said the $3.5 million investment will support ECCV to continue our work.
“Victoria’s cultural diversity is what makes our state great – and the Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria is an integral voice that supports and strengthens communities across Victoria,” Mr Andrew said, in a media release issued yesterday.
ECCV chairperson Eddie Micallef welcomed the commitment to increase ECCV’s core funding, which he said would help meet increased demand for advocacy and support for multicultural communities.
“This will help us continue and build on the work we’ve been doing to support migrant and refugee communities for almost 50 years,” Mr Micallef said.
“This is an important step in the right direction for a more sustainable multicultural sector. Multicultural organisations have been providing critical support to our communities, particularly during the pandemic, and we need greater investment across the underfunded multicultural sector.” Mr Micallef said.
Mr Micallef reiterated ECCV’s call for a new multicultural strategy for Victoria to address the needs of multicultural communities and the systemic gaps exposed by the pandemic.
“Our Election Platform highlights the need to build long-term capacity through a centralised, responsive and equitable funding model for the multicultural sector,” he said.
