Chairperson’s Message

I congratulate all Victorians throughout this state for their tireless and ongoing work in combatting and containing the COVID 19 pandemic. It is heartening to see consecutive days of zero community transmission cases in our beloved state. This is because of the hard work and sacrifice of each and every Victorian. It is particularly uplifting to see that trends are suggesting that we may be able to celebrate Christmas with family and friends in a COVID-safe way.

This week is NAIDOC Week. ECCV is honoured to celebrate Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander, culture, history, knowledge and achievement as part of our strategic goals. In NAIDOC Week, we acknowledge the ongoing efforts of First Nations peoples to retain the right to natural and cultural assets on this ancestral land, and offer our continuing support. ECCV cannot advocate for respect for culture and diversity, if we are unable to foster respect for the diversity of cultures among Australia’s First Nations peoples.

As part of a range of other important initiatives, I am delighted to announce that ECCV has released a policy paper, which focuses crucially on the provision of health literacy and language services during the pandemic. Through community consultations, surveys and focus groups, ECCV has gathered a clearer picture of how culturally diverse Victorians see the role of professional interpreting services in navigating and accessing the health system. 

Separately to this, there were great discussions and insights shared to drive collaboration in the community sector at the ECCV Member Forum held in October. As a member-driven peak body, ECCV’s advocacy priorities are led by the knowledge, experiences and expertise of our valued members. The team at ECCV are compiling all ideas and insights and will share these with stakeholders in the coming weeks. I’m pleased to announce that our team at ECCV has significantly grown. In the past month, we have had a team of Community Outreach Workers and three CALD Consumer Representatives join us. We are excited for the contributions these new staff team members will make towards the increasingly important and targeted work we are being required to do. 

ECCV has partnered with InTouch and Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health, supported by the Municipal Association of Victoria, for a digital campaign to mark Respect Victoria’s ‘16 Days of Activism 2020’ campaign beginning November 25. Please follow our social channels for campaign messaging informed by these expert organisations. Finally, it is with great pleasure that I would like to announce the date for ECCV’s 2020 Annual General Meeting on 3 December 2020. This year, we will be joined by the the Hon. Josh Bull MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs as a keynote speaker. Formal notice to members and invitations to stakeholders to follow. 

I continue to commend our Board Members, Executive Officer and staff for their hard work and commitment in making this all possible. We look forward to continuing to support, inform and collaborate with the Victorian community to care for and strengthen each other.

Eddie Micallef

Chairperson