Victoria’s Liberal and Nationals opposition has pledged $1 million towards a community hall at the Australian Nepalese Multicultural Centre in Diggers Rest if it wins government.
Opposition Leader Jess Wilson said the money would be paid in two $500,000 instalments in 2027–28 and 2028–29. It would help fund the hall’s structure and essential infrastructure, but the opposition has not said when the building would be completed or how much the full project would cost.
The centre already operates at Diggers Rest. The proposed hall would give it an indoor venue for festivals, language classes, religious programs and activities for young people and seniors. The centre previously received a Victorian government grant of $281,587 for a place of worship and associated works at the site.
Wilson made the pledge at Parliament House alongside the opposition’s multicultural affairs spokesman, Evan Mulholland, and centre president Dr Tilak Pokharel.
“The Victorian Nepalese community has spent more than a decade building the concept of the ANMC from the ground up, through fundraising, volunteering and sheer determination,” Wilson said.
Mulholland said the centre needed more space as its events grew. “ANMC has outgrown its current facilities, with thousands of people attending major festivals like Dashain, Holi, Maha Shivaratri, Tihar, and Teej in temporary outdoor tents or rented venues. This community deserves a modern, weather-protected facility they can call their own.”
Wilson and Mulholland also offered condolences to Nepali families affected by recent flooding in Nepal.
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