Ethnic Communities Council of Victoria (ECCV)

The Ethnic Communities Council of Victoria (ECCV) mission is to work to ensure that we remain a member driven peak body committed to empowering people from culturally diverse backgrounds. We strive to give voice to multicultural Victoria. We strive to advocate for human rights, freedom, respect, equality and dignity for ethnic and multicultural communities and in building a socially cohesive and inclusive Victorian community.

The organisation advocates and lobbies all levels of government on behalf of multicultural communities in areas like human rights, access and equity and improving services. As our core business we advocate on any issue that is of concern to our members.

We are proud to have been the key advocate for culturally diverse communities in Victoria since 1974. 

Chairperson’s Message:  Australia Day

“Since 1994, January 26th has been recognised as Australia Day and celebrated as a public holiday. This day has provided an opportunity to reflect on what it means to be Australian. As a 2nd generation Australian of Greek migrant heritage, I am a proud Greek Australian. I am deeply appreciative and respectful of the many waves of migration and settlement that have significantly shaped contemporary Australia as we know it today. Simultaneously it is incumbent on us all to recognise and respect the rich Aboriginal culture and history of First Nations people in Australia. We pay our respects to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders past and present.

We say thank you to all community Elders who impart their wisdom, for their struggles to adapt to an ever changing socio-economic landscape, and for their determined and valued contributions. While we celebrate the wonderful opportunities and privilege bestowed upon us we must remain continuously cognizant of the responsibility to lend a hand to those who are struggling. We must aspire and work towards a just and inclusive Australia for all Victorians, one that values and respects individual cultures and backgrounds, and one that encourages equal opportunity and respect amongst us.”

Cr. Kris Pavlidis 

ECCV Chairperson

Blog:  Chris Christoforou announced as the new ECCV Executive Officer 

ECCV warmly welcomes Chris Christoforou to the role of Executive Officer.

Chris has extensive management experience within both the education and community sectors.

ECCV will host an event to introduce our new Executive Officer to our members and chat about our direction for 2019 and beyond.

Media Release:  ECCV salutes Victoria Police efforts to eliminate anti-social behaviour

Anti-Racism advocates received strong messages of support from our nation’s leaders for a Multicultural Victoria and continued migration. This was in response to events that occurred in St. Kilda at the weekend. Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria (ECCV) Chairperson, Cr Kris Pavlidis says, “ECCV is deeply concerned about the unAustralian display of racist behaviour by a minority group in St Kilda on Saturday. Unfortunately this type of behaviour makes a lot of noise and receives a lot of media attention. ECCV condemns these divisive acts and salutes efforts made by Victoria Police to control the crowd and deescalate the situation”.

#FactNotFiction:  Join our Anti-Racism Campaign

Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria (ECCV) is proud to have launched #FactNotFiction at a community state pre-election forum held on Thursday 15 November.

Cr Kris Pavlidis Chair of the ECCV stated “The ECCV thanks the State Labor Government for their generous support of this new anti- racism leadership initiative.”
Now, more than ever, we need to take a strong stance against racism and continue to celebrate the goodness and diversity that lives within our community and is integral to our neighbourhoods.

We call on our political leaders to make statements based on rigorous evidence and not play to populist prejudices. We can and we must do better. 

Survey: Multicultural Consumers on Disability and the NDIS 

ECCV is undertaking a Disability Advocacy Project to improve disability services for culturally diverse Victorians. Your feedback will help us to raise existing problems with disability services and find solutions to support you better.

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