Annual General Meeting

2025 Annual General Meeting

ECCV held our 2025 Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Tuesday, 25 November at RMIT Storey Hall, in Melbourne. More than 200 people attended the event, marking one of our strongest turnouts in recent years and reflecting the depth and diversity of Victoria’s migrant and refugee communities.

We were honoured to welcome Victorian Premier, The Hon Jacinta Allan MP, as our keynote speaker. The Premier acknowledged the significant contribution of multicultural communities to Victoria and recognised ECCV’s longstanding advocacy for fairness, respect and human rights. 

CEO Farah Farouque also delivered a clear message to members about the rising threat posed by far-right extremism and the need for communities to remain united and vigilant, stating that “community cohesion is not something we inherit, it is something we build.”

Farah emphasised that bringing communities together was essential to countering division and to continue strengthening Victoria’s multicultural success story.

A video message from ECCV’s Patron, The Hon Steve Bracks AC, underscored this theme. He thanked ECCV members for their dedication and spoke to rising division and intolerance, calling ECCV’s role “more important than ever”.

Outgoing Chairperson Abiola Akinbiyi  – the first Australian-African to hold that position in our organisation – reflected on the progress made over the past year and her six years as a board member. 

The AGM was also an opportunity to launch ECCV’s Annual Report, highlighting key achievements and the work undertaken over the past year to advocate for the rights and wellbeing of migrant and refugee communities across the state.

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ECCV’s Annual General Meeting

ECCV’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) is an opportunity for members to meet, and find out about our activities for the year.

The AGM is generally held in November and includes special guest speakers.

Financial accounts are presented to members and, every second year, elections for the ECCV Board are conducted.

Members who are bestowed Life Membership of ECCV are honoured at the AGM.

Become a Member

Celebrating 50 Years of Advocacy

In 1974—a year after the dissolution of the White Australia policy—the historic decision to establish ECCV was made, thereby forming Australia’s first ever ethnic council.

It was a time of great political turmoil but also of hope and change. In the 50 years since, ECCV has grown to become the trusted voice of multicultural Victoria and the peak body for migrant and refugee communities across the state.

Annual Report 2024-25

Our Annual Report for the 2024-25 financial year was presented at our 2025 AGM.

The Report offers an overview of our work over the past year, and the major policy and advocacy areas in which we have made an impact, with particular emphasis on the work we achieved via partnerships with our members and sector stakeholders. Read about our work advocating for the rights and interests of migrant and refugee communities in the areas of disaster resilience, positive ageing, anti-racism, mental health reform and more.

Read the Report

AGM News

Past AGMs

2024

ECCV Annual General Meeting 2024
5 December 2024 | Fitzroy Town Hall

2023

ECCV Annual General Meeting 2023
30 November 2023 | Maltese Community Council of Victoria, Melbourne

2022

ECCV Annual General Meeting 2022
30 November 2022 | The Greek Centre, Melbourne

2021

ECCV Annual General Meeting 2021
24 March 2022 | Maltese Community Council of Victoria, Parkville