Premier Jacinta Allan and Minister for Multicultural Affairs Ingrid Stitt have released the Victorian Multicultural Review, setting out a new approach to strengthen cohesion across the state.
The review, led by George Lekakis AO and an advisory group, drew on the voices of more than 640 Victorians through 57 consultation sessions and submissions from over 150 peak bodies and community organisations.
As part of its initial response, the Government has announced the creation of a new statutory body, Multicultural Victoria, to be headed by a Multicultural Coordinator General with two deputies, one from regional Victoria, and an advisory council of five commissioners. The body will merge the engagement functions of the Victorian Multicultural Commission with the policy role of the Department, and take on responsibilities including developing safety plans for communities during times of distress.
The Premier will also lead a whole-of-government multicultural strategy to embed community needs across all Cabinet decision-making. Organisations applying for grants will be encouraged to pilot a Social Cohesion Commitment, which will later be built into all funding agreements.
A new $5 million fund will support multicultural organisations to build capacity, with the aim of helping communities lead in resolving division. In addition, $925,000 will go towards increasing visits to Victoria’s multicultural museums, including the Holocaust Museum, the Islamic Museum, the Jewish Museum, the Chinese Museum, the Golden Dragon Museum in Bendigo, and the soon-to-open Vietnamese Museum.
Premier Jacinta Allan said the changes were about strengthening trust and setting a clear direction.
“We are one Victoria and we’ll never be divided. Multiculturalism isn’t the problem—it is the solution,” she said.
“This is our vision for a united Victoria—strong anti-hate laws, strong values, and a strong society, with multicultural organisations as our stable partners and multicultural people as our champions of cohesion.”
She added that the museum funding would ensure more Victorians learn the lessons of the past. “Multicultural museum visitation has sadly fallen at such a critical moment in time. We’ll help more Victorians learn the lessons of the Holocaust and hear the stories of Islam, Judaism and more.”
Minister Ingrid Stitt said the Review had given communities the chance to shape the state’s future. “The Review is just one part of addressing social cohesion—but it’s the most important part of all, because a vision for a united Victoria starts by listening to multicultural communities and empowering them to lead,” she said.
“Multicultural Victoria will strengthen leadership of the sector and reset the agenda after such a challenging five years, and our new capacity grants will make organisations stronger so they can be a part of the change.”
The Government said the release of the report and its immediate actions marked the beginning of a reset in multicultural policy, built around a shared vision of unity at a time when cohesion is most needed.
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🤝#Victoria unveiled a new #multicultural policy to strengthen social cohesion.🏛️It includes a statutory body, #MulticulturalVictoria, & a $5m fund for community orgs.🌏Museum funding also boosted to promote cultural understanding.🌟 #TheIndianSun
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