By Brendan Rees
The leader of the Ethnic Communities Council of Victoria (ECCV) has welcomed funding to assist multicultural communities directly impacted by the Covid-19 State of Disaster.
Eddie Micallef, chairman of the ECCV, said the $14.3 million funding boost was a step in the right direction to better resource multicultural communities and organisations to respond “safely and sustainably” during the crisis.
“This funding acknowledges the frontline role that many multicultural organisations are playing in supporting migrant and refugee communities to stay connected, supported and safe during this pandemic,” he said.
In April, when the first wave of the pandemic hit Victoria, Mr Micallef said ECCV along with its members first called for the establishment of a Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Taskforce to act as a “key part of a proactive and strategic response” to the impacts of Covid-19 on communities.
“We are pleased that the Victorian Government has listened to the feedback about the value of harnessing the capacity and connectedness of the multicultural sector in a more coordinated way.”
Mr Micallef said ECCV supported the further investment in translated materials, adding “formal translated communications are not sufficient on their own” and creative forms of messaging that “resonate with people’s culture delivered by sources that they trust and engage with can have a greater impact”.
