Mr Sam Afra, Chairperson of the Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria (ECCV) hailed the theme of this September’s biennial state conference as a timely call for Victorians of all cultural backgrounds “to take a hard look at what kind of society they want for their children and grand children.”

“In general, Victorians remain extremely positive about the kind of state we live in today – the blend of old and new, the wealth of options and opportunities, and the thriving intermingle of cultures and ideas. However, recent events here and abroad provide a sharp reminder that we cannot afford to be complacent,” Mr Afra said.

“Environmental and economic fluctuations are becoming more erratic and extreme. People move about the globe seeking career opportunities and a better lifestyle with increasing frequency. Victorians have to be better prepared for the inevitable changes this will bring to our lives in the decades to come,” Mr Afra said.

Mr Afra highlighted some of the areas of social policy that will feature during the conference discussions.

“There will be moderated sessions dedicated to questions of cultural competency and social cohesion, youth engagement and identity, racism and discrimination, and the growing mobility of international students,” Mr Afra explained.

“There will also be a particular focus on how community networks and service providers need to start thinking about their readiness for the challenges ahead.”

Mr Afra said there was still time to register for the one-day conference which is followed by a special reception at Government House, then a dinner at the Immigration Museum.

“It will be a rare opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the state’s leading advocates, academics, politicians and community representatives,” Mr Afra said.

ECCV 2010 State Conference

Victoria’s NEXT Cultural Diversity Model

9.00am – 4.00pm

Tuesday, 28 September 2010

Melbourne Town Hall

Government House reception 5.00pm – 6.00pm

ECCV Conference Dinner 6.30pm –10.00pm

Further information about the September conference and post conference dinner is available on the ECCV website : www.eccv.org.au

or by contacting 03) 9349 4122 or email : eccv@eccv.org.au

For further information, please call 0421 124 112 or 0417 489 226.

Australia’s ageing immigrant population is relying on partnerships between government, local providers and ethnic networks to provide them with high quality and culturally appropriate community-based aged care services.

A new report, however, suggests that care may be compromised unless all partners have equal input into planning and decision-making processes.

The Practising Positive Partnerships in the Ethnic and Multicultural Community report was prepared by the Healthy Ageing Research Unit at Monash University, the Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria (ECCV) and the Southern Metropolitan Region HACC Cultural Diversity Network (SCDN).

The aim of the report was to explore the role and experiences of partnerships within the ethnic and multicultural aged care sector in Victoria following anecdotal evidence that suggested organisations were missing out on partnership opportunities, which in turn may be detrimentally impacting on the health and access to services for older people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Projections suggest that by 2026, one in every four people aged over 80 years in Victoria will be from a culturally and linguistically diverse background, and findings of this report will be important in determining better systems for community-based aged care providers in order to meet future demand.

One author of the report, Dr Harriet Radermacher from Monash University’s Healthy Ageing Research Unit found that participants overwhelmingly spoke of the need for organisations within the sector to work together.

“The general consensus was that partnerships between the government and community sectors facilitated greater resources and increased the capacity of organisations to care for their clients and enabled organisations to grow,” Dr Radermacher said.

According to the report findings, government allocation and structure of resources within the sector was identified as a key influence in the success of partnerships.

“As indicated by some participants, government policies restrict the flexibility and natural formation of partnerships, which limits the organisation from achieving the best possible outcome for the service users,” Dr Radermacher said.

Smaller organisations within the partnerships were also concerned that inequality existed where larger partners such as mainstream government services had greater financial and human resources to participate in discussions.

Dr Radermacher said participants believed that a range of strategies could be implemented to address these inequalities and in so doing create more effective partnerships and better outcomes for service users.

“Strategies ranged from using protocols and procedures to better define roles and responsibilities within a partnership to having a liaison person to represent smaller community based organisations in their networking and partnership work,” Dr Radermacher said.

The authors highlighted the need for flexible funding conditions that are less geographically determined and focus more on client outcomes, along with an important role for multicultural peak bodies to lobby government for more resources and advocate for the skills and expertise of their constituent organisations.

Mr Sam Afra, Chairperson of the Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria, said that “working together had been a hallmark of Australia’s migrant history” and “hoped the release of this new report will help see the value of future partnerships across different sectors only continue to strengthen and grow in years to come.”

The full report is available at www.eccv.org.au

For more information contact Megan Gidley, Media & Communications + 61 3 9903 4843 or 0448 574 148.

Media Communications: Phone +61 3 9903 4841

Email: media@adm.monash.edu.au, Website: www.monash.edu.au

Mr Sam Afra, Chairperson of the Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria (ECCV), said that migrant and multicultural Victorians would be keeping a close lookout for any major policy shift affecting diverse communities following the ascension of Julia Gillard to Australian Prime Minister.

“From a policy standpoint, it is obviously too soon to speculate on what new directions the Gillard government will take on many issues,” Mr Afra said. “However, Ms Gillard has been a passionate advocate for disadvantaged and underprivileged members of society for much of her career and we would hope that this strong commitment to social justice will underpin her new role as leader of the country.”

“Obviously, first and foremost, we congratulate Ms Gillard on becoming Australia’s first female Prime Minister which represents a landmark in our nation’s social history,” Mr Afra stressed. “I know women and young girls from all backgrounds and beliefs will be greatly inspired by the sight of a woman occupying the highest seat in the land.”

“I look forward to the Gillard government making time in the coming months to engage directly with representatives from the multicultural community on the issues of immediate concern and long-term consequence.”

Mr Afra urged the Gillard government to clarify its position on immigration, population, and treatment of asylum seekers as soon as possible to dispel any anxieties and uncertainties being stirred up in the run up to the Federal election.

Mr Afra also took the opportunity to acknowledge the contribution of former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, especially with regard to the abolition of Temporary Protection Visas (TPVs).

“As a fluent speaker of Mandarin, Mr Rudd also helped to re-energise the nation’s engagement with Asia and give a welcome boost to the next generation of multi-lingual Australians looking to make an impact on the world stage.”

Mr Afra also expressed his warmest appreciation to Finance Minister and member for Melbourne, Lindsey Tanner, who announced his retirement after 17 years in federal politics.

“Mr Tanner has been amongst the most active supporters of new and emerging communities and I hope that he will find new ways to continue in these endeavours in whatever role he chooses next,” Mr Afra said

“The release of an alarming new report during Refugee Week detailing experiences of exclusion and discrimination among African Australians shows that there is still a great deal to be done to improve the lives of Australia’s most vulnerable groups.”

“Having exhibited such concern for the interests of our country’s most affluent citizens, it would be outrageous for the Gillard government not to devote a similar level of effort on behalf of some of our least wealthy,” Mr Afra said.

For further information, please call 0421 124 112 or 0417 489 226.

Mr Afra called the document a “flimsy little pamphlet, the likes of which tend to turn up unsolicited and unwelcomed in people’s mailboxes in the lead-up to elections.”

Mr Afra pointed to the use of the word ‘illegal’ as early as the second line of the introduction.

“It is outrageous and flat-out wrong for anyone – let alone a major political party – to pre-emptively label any individual seeking sanctuary in Australia as ‘illegal’ before they have had a chance to have their case assessed through the appropriate channels,” Mr Afra declared.

“To do so is a breach of due process, an attack on basic human rights, and a slur on the integrity of the democracy process in this country which is supposed to uphold the highest standards of honesty and fair representation.”

Mr Afra said that inflammatory language appeared throughout the federal opposition’s policy statement, including in the charts and graphs.

“The tone of the policy statement is undeniably simplistic and inflammatory, and potentially defamatory to the character of cases currently under assessment.”

“I am not surprised that numerous members of the Liberal Party have expressed alarm at the document which by association implicates everyone aligned with their side of politics.”

Mr Afra agreed that the proposals in the statement, such as a reintroduction of temporary protection visas, were distressing to many in Victoria’s migrant and multicultural communities and urged the federal opposition to review their position.

“We call for a return to the bi-partisan approach to immigration which served Australia so well for so many years.”

Mr Afra also demanded that all political parties refrain from engaging in misleading and prejudicial behaviour during the upcoming election period. “Let’s not see this issue being used as a political football for the sake of a few votes,” he said.

“Australia has a responsibility to afford those seeking asylum their full human rights and to treat them with dignity,” concluded Mr Afra. “The federal opposition’s ‘new’ policy is a huge step backwards in this regard.”

For further information, please call 0421 124112 or 0417 489 226.

Mr Sam Afra JP, Chairperson of the eccv, expressed dismay today at the 'inflammatory tone and misleading wording" of the federal oppositioin's newly released policy direction statement on the treatment of refugees and asylum seekers. For a copy of the full media release click here

Led by popular broadcaster and keynote speaker, Indira Naidoo, the panel of academics, social advocates and media practitioners discussed current standards in reporting and future directions in the representation and regulation of media material involving culturally diverse communities and other minorities.

Ms Naidoo kick-started the discussion with a candid reflection of her own experiences in the Australian media over a twenty year career and issued an urgent call to arms under the banner “Don’t Get Angry – Get Even !”

Ms Naidoo made particular note of the need to redress a chronic under-representation of diverse ethnicities and nationalities among the management and staff of media organisations.

Ms Naidoo also challenged members of migrant and multicultural communities to be more active in pursuing careers in the media.

Organised by the Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria (ECCV), the public forum was partly conceived in response to a finding by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) in late 2009 that three commercial television channels had uniformly and incorrectly attributed a criminal incident in Noble Park to members of the local Sudanese community.

However, subjects raised during the afternoon extended to a wide array of views about how culturally diverse communities are represented in the media generally and stereotyping in particular.

Also joining Ms Naidoo at the forum was noted media commentator and author, Margaret Simons, and up-and-coming comedian Aamer Rahman, who brought along the same brand of biting insight which made his show Fear of a Brown Planet such a hit at the Melbourne Comedy Festival.

One half of breakout comedy duo Fear of a Brown Planet which took the 2010 Melbourne International Comedy Festival by storm, Mr Rahman promises to add some incisive wit and unpredictability to the discussion about accuracy, frequency and sensitivity of reporting and representation of diverse communities.

"Anyone who had the chance to see Aamer perform in his Comedy Festival show will know he has no qualms about mining the rich vein of human foibles and social anxieties that persist across certain areas of our multicultural society," said Eddie Micallef, Deputy Chairperson of ECCV.

"We are very excited that Aamer has agreed to be part of our discussion panel," Mr Micallef said. "Having spent his childhood moving between Australia and the Middle East, he obviously has a unique perspective on the way that issues of race relations, immigration and the War on Terror are approached and handled by various media outlets here and abroad."

Aamer Rahman joins other high profile speakers such as television favourite, Indira Naidoo, and freelance journalist and media commentator, Margaret Simons, at the May forum to be held at the Victorian State Library.

"With representatives from right across the media, legal, community and human rights sphere, there is no doubt we're in for a fascinating afternoon," said Mr Micallef.

Spotlight on Stereotypes Multicultural Communities and the Media

4.00pm 7.00pm, Thursday 13 May 2010.

Village Roadshow Theatrette, State Library of Victoria

Keynote Speaker Indira Naidoo

Moderator Margaret Simons (The Content Makers)

Panelists

Aamer Rahman Fear of a Brown Planet

Misha Ketchell Producer and researcher, Media Watch

Paul Cutler Director, News and Current Affairs, SBS Television & Radio

Andrew Jakubowicz Professor of Sociology, University of Technology Sydney

Dr. Andre Renzaho Executive Director, African Leadership, Learning and Advocacy Group

Brian Walters SC Senior counsel and human rights advocate

Seats are filling fast. To register a booking, please contact ECCV on 03) 9349 4122 or email eccv@eccv.org.au

For further information, please call the Director on 0417 489 226.

Ms Marion Lau, Deputy Chairperson of the Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria (ECCV),

said that a stunning array of speakers and panellists had already signed on to appear at next month’s afternoon forum on the media and multicultural communities.

“We’ve been quite overwhelmed by the interest shown from all corners of the media and community sphere,” Ms Lau said, “and we are absolutely thrilled that Indira Naidoo has agreed to be our keynote speaker.”

“From her time as TV news anchor to contestant on MasterChef, Indira has been one of Australia’s most popular personalities and it will be fascinating to hear her insights and impressions of the changing commercial demands and audience expectations of the modern media environment.”

The special afternoon forum will be held on Thursday, 13 May 2010 at the Victorian State Library and feature representatives from academia, the legal profession, the ethnic sector, and various segments of the media.

“Following the keynote address, long-time media commentator and writer Margaret Simons will moderate what promises to be a lively panel discussion and audience Q&A session involving pundits, practitioners and members of the general public.”

Ms Lau said the impetus for the forum came from a variety of quarters.

“From a journalistic perspective, there are issues regarding the need for informed, unbiased, and increasingly immediate reporting of news stories and how best to approach this when traditionally marginalised and vulnerable communities are involved,” Ms Lau explained.

“Then there are issues of diversity, both within the media workforce and how accurately Australia’s multicultural population is reflected and represented in print, on air, online, and on screen.”

“Then of course there are issues of standards and regulation which is highly topical at the moment, especially when it comes to material on the internet.”

SPOTLIGHT on STEREOTYPES : MULTICULTURAL COMMUNITIES and the MEDIA

4.00pm – 7.00pm

Thursday, 13 May 2010.

Village Roadshow Theatrette, State Library of Victoria

Seats are strictly limited. To register a booking, please contact ECCV on 03) 9349 4122 or email : eccv@eccv.org.au

For further information, please call the Director on 0417 489 226.

Mr Eddie Micallef, Deputy Chairperson of the Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria (ECCV), pre-empted next week’s Council of Australian Government (COAG) meeting with a warning that any move toward a federalised takeover of community services such as aged care must retain a localised element.

“There is growing uncertainty in the community care and advocacy sector about proposed changes to governmental responsibilities and how these might impact upon everyday Victorians,” Mr Micallef said.

“Hopefully next week’s COAG meeting will clarify the picture and initiate reforms that deliver some much-needed stability and new opportunities for the future.”

Mr Micallef said it was appropriate that current approaches to the funding and governance of major community services were reviewed to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

“However, this discussion cannot be allowed to become a point of political buck-passing and grandstanding during an election year,” Mr Micallef added. “The issues at stake are too important.”

“Ethnic Victorians in particular are eager to ensure that the many specialised services developed in association with State Government departments are not abandoned in the shift toward a national model.”

Mr Micallef said that aged care was just one of the issues that ECCV had highlighted as a priority area in the 2010-2011 State Government submission – Directions in 21st Century Diversity, with the companion Federal Submission due out later this year.

“The past few years have seen some major shifts in the way different jurisdictions wish to engage on certain issues,” Mr Micallef said. “Unfortunately, not all approaches have aligned well in terms of achieving the best outcomes for providers or clients.”

“Issues of settlement, employment and healthy integration into the broader community remain key concerns for Victorians from migrant and multicultural communities and community organisations continue to be essential in answering that need,” Mr Micallef explained. “Whatever the outcome from COAG, support for community organisations must not be allowed to fall by the wayside.”

Mr Micallef said there had already been some great strides made to simplify the administrative demands faced by community organisations, but areas of confusion and duplication still existed.

The next COAG meeting will be held on 19 April 2010 in Canberra.

Copies of the ECCV State Government Submission, Directions in 21st Century Diversity, is available on the ECCV website : www.eccv.org.au.

For further information, please call the Director on 0417 489 226.

“In this country, we are blessed with the freedom of expression and the opportunity to dissent, but we do not want to see those freedoms misused in ways that damage our harmonious society,” Mr Afra said.

Mr Afra was responding to a planned march on Victorian Parliament in April which has been reportedly linked to minority groups circulating racially and religiously-charged material targeting Australia’s diverse communities.

“Already this year we’ve seen social networking sites like FaceBook used to promote vicious and divisive sentiments,’ Mr Afra recalled, “and a string of anti-social incidents create an undercurrent of anxiety among migrants and international students.”

“Clearly, this is not a time for reckless and thoughtless commentary that derides and intimidates other Victorians as they go about their lives.”

“It is a time for bonds to be reaffirmed, commonalities to be re-emphasised, and any concerns we may have to be expressed with reason, restraint and sensitivity.”

Mr Afra pointed to organisations such as Cricket Australia and the Australian Football League (AFL) as showing great leadership in their initiatives reaching out to diverse communities.

”Recently I attended the Harmony Day Cup and saw players from a wide variety of diverse backgrounds come together harmoniously,” Mr Afra said. “Then there was the wonderful community-driven initiative Vindaloo Against Violence to promote solidarity with our Indian communities.”

“These are the kinds of uplifting and unifying public events we should be championing through FaceBook rather than simply looking to exploit frustration and uncertainty and foster social discord.”

“Australia has not become the popular, optimistic and outward-looking nation it is by looking for the worst in others and finding reasons to exclude and discriminate,” Mr Afra added.

“We are a proud pluralistic society whose people can acknowledge points of difference and agree to disagree from time to time without pandering to humankind’s worst instincts.”

“We must be careful to ensure that those with more sinister intents do not find ways to hijack our open democratic society and corrupt that ideal.”

“Three years ago, sections of the media were quick to blame certain migrant groups for a crime which they had absolutely nothing to do with, creating extraordinary distress and alarm,” Mr Afra added. “It is troubling that only months after the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) found that sections of the media had breached their standards, migrant groups are again under attack.” Mr Afra said it was time that media practitioners got together with members of migrant communities to establish better relationships and set new benchmarks on reporting and representation. “From my perspective, I know that all migrant communities are deeply distressed by attacks on any particular community group,” Mr Afra said.

Mr Afra said the debate about incidents involving Indian students highlighted the need for more comprehensive data and analysis about the nature of crime in Victoria, especially those offences where race and ethnicity is considered to be a possible motivating factor. “We hope to see the establishment of a dedicated mechanism that will help society understand the extent of racially motivated crime, identify and capture the perpetrators, and help to eradicate this scourge where it exists,” Mr Afra said.

For further information, please contact 0421 124 112 or 0417 489 226.

 “General Cosgrove is to be commended for – in his words – ‘not beating around the bush’ when it comes to confronting the various ‘shades’ of intolerance that exist in Australian society,” Mr Afra said. “And while no individual perspective on these matters can ever be considered the absolutely correct and universally definitive one, there is much in General Cosgrove’s speech that warrants further exploration.

”Mr Afra said he agreed that Australia cannot afford to take it for granted that “we’ll always remain the ‘lucky country’” and that new ways need to be found to help new arrivals feel welcome and be a part of society.However, he cautioned against influential figures at the local and national level using incidents of unrest as an opportunity to sow seeds of fear and distrust in the community.“Yes, there are some unsavoury elements within our diverse society that demand urgent attention, but this should not be waved about as evidence of the failure of multiculturalism in this country.”

 “On the contrary, we live in a country which encourages the retention of cultural and religious heritage within a framework of laws, regulations and rights and has benefited immensely from the skills and ingenuity of migrants from around the world.”

 “We should not forget that overall, Australia has a strong community and we don’t want to derail all the efforts of those who’ve gone before to build a harmonious and successful society,” Mr Afra said.

 Mr Afra acknowledged that migrant communities were deeply distressed by the recent spate of crimes directed at ethnic minorities and reiterated his call for authorities to be equipped with the necessary resources to investigate and apprehend offenders and prevent further crimes.

 “As General Cosgrove noted, Australia has not evolved to the stage it is today without weathering the challenges that come with being a dynamic multifaceted society populated by millions of individuals with different needs in a world rich in complexity and contradictions.”

 “We will do so again by staying true to the principles of affability, adaptability and a fair go that help define us as Aussies, no matter what we look like or where come from.”

For further information, please contact 0421 124 112 or 0417 489 226.

The Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Victoria (eccv) has called for a more realistic debate about Australia’ immigration levels following Kevin Andrews mischievous calls to drastically slash our migrant intake.

“Any discussion about immigration levels must be done with all the facts on the table. Immigration has been of enormous benefit to Australian society with the successful settlement of over 7 million migrants since World War II. This immigration has greatly enriched and strengthened our society and economy”, said Chairperson Sam Afra

“Our immigration program is about both Australia’s overall economic interest and our human rights obligations around refugee resettlement and family reunion. It is about how we populate ourselves and how we grow our communities.

“Our current migration levels also benefit our economy at around $500 million per year rising to $1 billion per year over two decades. Australia’s strong immigration rates have also helped ensure that Australia has avoided recession during the recent global financial crisis.

“To suggest slashing our immigration levels to well below the number of people permanently leaving Australia is not only ridiculous but mischievous. It feeds a negative and populist debate around immigration and ignores the great benefits immigration brings to our country.

“While immigration levels are always fluctuating depending on labour market needs and resource issues we cannot deny the overall fundamental benefits of immigration to Australia’s national prosperity and security. Continued immigration is also not incompatible with improved environmental outcomes provided we all collectively reduce our carbon footprint and continue to invest creatively in water and water saving measures.

“Australia is an open, diverse and outward looking immigrant nation that has prospered and will continue to prosper through a properly managed immigration program. To deny this is to deny the reality of Australia”, concluded Mr Afra

For further information, please contact Sam Afra 0421 124 112 or Ross Barnett 0417 489 226.

“The media – and the mainstream broadcast news media in particular – is an immensely powerful tool for building or breaking down trust within different sections of a society,” Mr Afra said.

“Should we be surprised then that people express heightened levels of mistrust in others when the news media is so cavalier with apportioning blame for criminal activity and their wrong-doing stays uncorrected for over two years.”

Mr Afra was especially frustrated by reports that all three stations, Channels 7, 9 and TEN, continued to deny that they had made an error during the investigation process.

“To fail the most basic of journalistic principles is bad enough, but for those involved to escape without requiring any public show of contrition such as an apology on their respective websites is a sorry indictment on the state of modern television journalism in this country,” Mr Afra said.

“Two years ago Channel 7 issued a statement regretting any damage done by broadcasting details of two AFL players' medical records.  I would like to think the damage done over the Noble Park incident would be treated at least as seriously.”

Mr Afra was also concerned by the length of time taken by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA)

“Two years is far too long for one of Victoria’s must vulnerable and under-privileged communities to wrongly carry the blame and suspicion for the poor work practices of a section of the media,” Mr Afra said.

Mr Afra called for an immediate review of the procedures employed by ACMA to investigate complaints.

“I also look forward to representatives of each of the offending broadcasters taking part in a special ECCV workshop to help improve portrayals of new migrants in the media.”

Mr Afra said the workshop would be occurring in the new year.

“Strengthening social harmony is not something that can just be left to governments or the community to achieve; we all have a responsibility and the media in all its forms has a very important part to play too,” Mr Afra explained.

The ACMA report is available at: www.acma.gov.au

For further information, please contact 0421 124 112 or 0417 489 226.