Kim O’KEEFFE (Shepparton) (12:42): I rise to speak on the Multicultural Victoria Amendment Bill 2026. This is a really important bill before the house. This bill proposes to replace the existing Victorian Multicultural Commission with a new body, Multicultural Victoria, and follows recommendations from Victoria’s multicultural review led by George Legakis, which delivered 41 recommendations to reform state policies and social cohesion.
The Shepparton district is proudly one of the most culturally diverse regional communities in Australia and stands as a shining example of how people from different cultures, backgrounds and faiths can come together to build a strong, cohesive and successful community. Shepparton and the region’s success story has been built on migration. For decades people from diverse backgrounds have come to our region seeking opportunity, contributing their skills, establishing businesses, enriching our culture and helping to build the thriving, successful region we are proud of today.
I grew up with people from different cultures, many of whom are my closest friends today. Our street growing up was made up of migrants from Italy, people from Greece and Albanians. I have had the joy of meeting so many wonderful people during my lifetime from many different cultures, also across my community, and I get to share so many amazing events and experiences. I also get to support them wherever I can. I am proud to also be the Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Multicultural Affairs. People from more than 70 nationalities and language groups call Shepparton and the region home, bringing with them rich traditions, languages, faiths, skills and experiences that have helped shape the community we know and love today. Our diversity is our strength, and our future is brighter because of it.
Our multicultural communities are not only contributors to our economy but leaders, volunteers, educators, health workers, business owners, sporting champions and community advocates. They give generously of their time and their talents, helping create a welcoming and inclusive community for everyone. I am proud of the way our community embraces and celebrates our many cultures and our cultural diversity. We see this diversity celebrated in many ways through cultural festivals, food, music, dance and community events that bring people together and foster understanding and respect. These occasions remind us that while our backgrounds may be different, our shared values of family, community and hard work unite us. One of the best examples is Converge on the Goulburn, where hundreds of people come together to join the many cultures on our lake who proudly share their traditions, food, music and performances with the whole community. It is a wonderful reflection of the united and welcoming community we are proud to be part of.
It is also amazing to have people like Azem, who I have spoken about before in this place. Azem came from Macedonia over 30 years ago, and he wants to give back to the country that has given him so much. He supports the homeless and the most vulnerable people in our community with meals through his cafe. He provides a shower and a toilet at the back and tents, blankets or whatever is needed. He is loved and strongly supported by the community so he can do the great work that he does for all. I am so grateful to have so many representatives in the multicultural community who do care very deeply for their communities and the place that they call home.
Kammy, who is of Indian descent, is a local business owner and a community leader. Kammy has become such a local community champion, advocating for increased bus services, crime prevention in the Shepparton CBD and supporting many events and sporting events that bring hundreds of people to our region. He is so proud to run a business and raise his family in Shepparton, and he has a strong message across the multicultural community that we all belong.
It is important that people from all backgrounds have access to the support they need, feel connected to their communities and experience a genuine sense of belonging. This bill must be meaningful and ensure that multicultural communities are supported, understood and included, not disadvantaged or left behind in any way. When we meaningfully engage with communities, we are better able to learn from our successes and challenges to continuously improve. When we work together, we are better able to stand up for respect, unity and belonging.
The bill aims to create a stronger, more coordinated and less fragmented approach to multicultural affairs, creating stronger leadership, greater community input, better government accountability, improved language services and a whole-of-government approach to supporting Victoria’s multicultural and multifaith communities. The bill amends the Multicultural Victoria Act 2011 to abolish the Victorian Multicultural Commission and replace it with a new body called Multicultural Victoria, made up of a multicultural coordinator-general and two deputy multicultural coordinators, one of whom must reside, or have previously resided, in rural or regional Victoria. It will abolish existing regional advisory councils and replace them with a ministerially established multicultural community advisory group, which will have five to nine members, at least one aged 18 to 24, plus new Multicultural Victoria established regional engagement groups covering the whole state.
One of the key responsibilities of the multicultural coordinator-general will be to lead systematic and wideranging consultation to hear directly from our multicultural communities about their experiences, priorities and needs and report on these to the government. Multicultural Victoria will also have a legislated obligation to report back to those it has engaged with, to explain what action it has taken in respect of the matters raised and to ensure that the engagement has impact. The multicultural coordinator-general will have new powers to drive change for multicultural and multifaith communities across government, including strengthened powers in relation to whole-of-government planning and accountability. New annual reporting requirements will require publication of a yearly state of Multicultural Victoria report. The report will reflect community feedback, measure progress across government and identify gaps and areas needing improvement.
I would like to acknowledge the outstanding work of organisations such as the Ethnic Council of Shepparton and District, community leaders, multicultural associations, faith groups and volunteers who work tirelessly to support settlement, inclusion and community connection. Their efforts help ensure people feel welcomed, valued and able to participate fully in community life. I have a very close friendship with the CEO of the Shepparton ethnic council, Sam Atukorala, and I have seen firsthand how the multicultural community has been supported by his dedicated, compassionate and supportive leadership. I have worked very closely with Sam over many years supporting our multicultural communities, and we have worked closely during the most challenging times of crisis, including the pandemic and the 2022 floods. We saw firsthand the disconnection that can occur when language is a barrier and the difficulty of communication that can lead to confusion, distress and risk of harm. Evidence presented to the parliamentary inquiry into the 2022 flood event in Victoria, along with reports from multicultural organisations, found many people struggled to access timely information in their preferred language, were unfamiliar with emergency systems or faced difficulties understanding what support was available. During the pandemic there were so many challenges – ensuring all people were able to access the information, help and support they needed was difficult.
With the few minutes I have remaining I just want to also talk about a young boy who works in my office. I have Safa employed in my office as a casual, and Safa is my youth community engagement officer and youth adviser. Safa is from Afghanistan and has been in Australia for only three years and lives with his mother and three sisters. He could not speak English when he arrived in this country, and it is incredible how far he has come. Safa attended the Shepparton English Language Centre for six months before going into mainstream school. He is in year 12 and wants to be a doctor. He is a shining example of someone who has come from a different country and background, has immersed himself in the community, has become a well-known and respected youth community leader and is embracing the opportunities afforded to him and his family.
Safa has been a guest speaker, sharing his story at many events and on many occasions, and was also asked to speak at this year’s Anzac dawn service. I am proud of what Safa is achieving. He is leading the way for others, and I am proud to have him on my team, and I cannot wait to see what he achieves. Safa also led the way for a youth forum held back in March this year. We had 36 young leaders attend that forum from very many multicultural and diverse backgrounds. It was so important to hear their voices and to hear the challenges that they are experiencing as young people. In this place we have a duty to make sure that young people are able to contribute to the many conversations that impact on their communities and impact on them.
It is a really important time for us to think about the challenges faced by multicultural communities. At no point in time is there any way that we should accept any form of discrimination. We must stand shoulder to shoulder in communities, and my community is a really shining example that does that. I am so grateful to have a community that does stand up, that does speak up and that also champions the many cultures that we stand with within our communities. I am really grateful to feel that our community is accepting, and I hope that our community shines a shining example of what can be. Yes, we have some challenges – no community is perfect – but what I see is people leading by example; I see the younger people leading by example, standing up for what they believe, standing up to discrimination, calling it out. I am really proud to have someone like Safa in my office, who shows opportunity and possibilities in sharing his story and culture. That should never change. It is sharing that culture in the country that you live in and embracing the future together.