The Victorian government has launched a new statutory body, Multicultural Victoria, tasked with developing safety plans for communities affected by serious and distressing events.
Premier Jacinta Allan and Minister for Multicultural Affairs Ingrid Stitt announced the initiative on Tuesday, alongside the release of Victoria’s landmark Multicultural Review.
Headed by a Multicultural Coordinator General, supported by two deputies including one based in regional Victoria, and guided by a five-member advisory council, the new body will combine the engagement role of the Victorian Multicultural Commission with the policy role of the Department.
The announcement follows the Lekakis Review, led by George Lekakis AO and an expert advisory group, which heard from more than 640 Victorians through 57 consultation sessions and received input from more than 150 peak bodies and community organisations.
Victoria is one of the most culturally diverse states in Australia, with nearly 30 per cent of residents born overseas and more than 290 languages spoken across the state.
More than 49 per cent of Victorians were either born overseas or have at least one parent born overseas, highlighting the central role multicultural communities play in shaping the state’s identity and future.
Premier Allan said the government’s response was about building unity across the state.
“We are one Victoria and we’ll never be divided. Multiculturalism isn’t the problem – it is the solution,” Allan said.
“This is our vision for a united Victoria – strong anti-hate laws, strong values, and a strong society, with multicultural organisations as our stable partners and multicultural people as our champions of cohesion.”
“Multicultural museum visitation has sadly fallen at such a critical moment in time. We’ll help more Victorians learn the lessons of the Holocaust and hear the stories of Islam, Judaism and more.”
As part of its initial response to the review, the Allan government will also:
-
Establish a new whole-of-government multicultural strategy, led by the Premier, requiring multicultural needs to be considered in all Cabinet decision-making.
-
Empower organisations applying for multicultural grants to pilot a Social Cohesion Commitment.
-
Provide a new $5 million fund to strengthen the capacity and sustainability of multicultural organisations.
-
Invest an additional $925,000 to boost visitation to Victoria’s multicultural museums, including the Holocaust Museum, Islamic Museum, Jewish Museum, Chinese Museum, Vietnamese Museum, and Bendigo’s Golden Dragon Museum.
Minister for Multicultural Affairs Ingrid Stitt said the measures are designed to give communities a stronger voice and renewed confidence in government partnerships.
“The Review is just one part of addressing social cohesion – but it’s the most important part of all, because a vision for a united Victoria starts by listening to multicultural communities and empowering them to lead,” Stitt said.
“Multicultural Victoria will strengthen leadership of the sector and reset the agenda after such a challenging five years, and our new capacity grants will make organisations stronger so they can be a part of the change.”
According to Allan, the reforms are an opportunity to rebuild trust, re-engage with multicultural communities, and set a shared vision for Victoria’s future.
“Both the full release of this Review’s report and our immediate actions are, above all, the Government’s chance to rebuild trust, re-engage with communities, and reset the multicultural agenda with a shared vision of a united Victoria right when we need it most,” Allan said.
The government’s initial response to the Lekakis Review is available at www.vic.gov.au/victorias-multicultural-review.
