More than 200 people attended the Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria (ECCV) Annual General Meeting on Tuesday evening, marking one of our strongest turnouts in recent years and reflecting the depth and diversity of Victoria’s migrant and refugee communities.
Victoria’s Premier, The Hon Jacinta Allan MP, delivered the keynote speech at the event held this year in RMIT’s Storey Hall.
The Premier acknowledged the significant contribution of multicultural communities to Victoria, saying that “Multiculturalism isn’t just support for those who arrive here, it enriches everyone who grows up here. It teaches young people how to appreciate difference, how to listen, how to respect one another.”
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. She thanked Board members, staff, volunteers and partners for their commitment to ECCV’s mission.
This year’s AGM saw the election of a new ECCV Board, with one of the largest candidate fields in recent memory — a reflection of strong engagement across the sector. ECCV is pleased to announce the newly elected Board of Directors (in alphabetical order):
- Lawrence Abou Khater
- Yasmin Hassen
- Tina Hosseini
- Jennifer Huppert
- Nicolas Ojeda Amador
- Huss Mustafa OAM
- Silvia Renda
- Michael van Vliet
- Zeynep Yesilyurt OAM
- Suzanne Ryan-Evers
The election of Office Bearers, including the new ECCV Chairperson, will be the next step for the Board. We extend our sincere thanks to all candidates, and to outgoing Board members for their leadership and contribution to ECCV’s work.
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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