ECCV Newsletter - Winter Edition 2008
It has been a memorable three months for ECCV, with the Council’s vigorous advocacy activities vindicated on key social issues, the commitment and enthusiasm of the state’s regional Ethnic Communities Councils made clear for all to see, and the organisation itself entering a period of transition.
In terms of the Council’s policy and advocacy role, I need only point to the announcement in mid-June by the Federal Government Citizenship Test Review Committee that the test in its current guise is “unfair to those with poorer English and should be axed.” These sentiments refl ect the position that ECCV, and many others in the sector, took when we fi rst learned of the proposed test and the details were formally introduced. With the review committee recommending big changes, hopefully we’ll see a return to a time when citizenship was a process for making newcomers feel included rather than excluded.
ECCV was also quick to respond to migrant and multicultural initiatives announced as part of the new FY2008-09 budgets at both the state and federal level. The fi rst Rudd Government budget promised some positive steps forward for migrants and refugees with the scrapping of the unfair temporary protection scheme and an investment of $50 million in migrant language skills training.
At state level, the allocation of $5 million for the New Workforce Partnerships (an extension of the former Workforce Participation Partnerships Program) also refl ected the strong advocacy of ECCV following suggestions this innovative and low-cost program for putting disadvantaged job seekers into work would come to an end. The funding injection may yet prove to be a temporary reprieve, so ECCV will continue to lobby hard for it to continue.
On a livelier note, the buzz is still echoing around rural and regional Victoria following the spectacular success of the joint ECCV / North East Multicultural Association (NEMA) Regional Conference on 31 May. For all concerned, the one-day event was nothing short of a triumph with everyone leaving with plenty of food for thought and new contacts and networks to build on. Diversity is very much alive in regional Victoria.
The onus is on all of us, and governments in particular, to ensure that those at the frontline of migrant services and settlement support get the resources they need.
This prompts me once again to invite all members to keep the lines of communication open with ECCV and stay active partners in shaping the ongoing service, advocacy and advisory activities of the Council. In keeping with one of the recommendations from our recent ECCV Membership Forum, this edition of news@eccv features the fi rst of a regular series of profi les about member organisations.
Finally, it is with sincerest gratitude and best wishes that ECCV farewells Peter van Vliet, who has served ably as Executive Offi cer for the Council over the past two years, and now moves on to take up the operational helm at Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA). Peter brought a welcome professionalism to the Council during his time, and assembled a tremendous pool of young staff, some of whom have also moved onto bigger and brighter things. Their service is much appreciated and ECCV is a more esteemed and infl uential body for their contributions.
Update from the Chair, Sam Afra
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