The Victorian Multicultural Commission has issued its final Community Update newsletter under its own banner, ahead of its replacement by the new statutory body Multicultural and Multifaith Victoria on 1 October.
Commission chairperson Louise Perry used the newsletter to reflect on the VMC's history. "Over the past 40 years, the VMC has worked with you through moments of celebration and challenge," Perry said.
Perry pointed to the commission's work during the COVID-19 pandemic as an example of what government and communities could achieve together. "The story of multicultural and multifaith Victoria continues to evolve in our neighbourhoods, places of worship, businesses, community organisations and homes," she said.
Perry became interim chairperson after Vivienne Nguyen AM concluded her seven-year term leading the commission on 15 July. The handover follows the passage of the Multicultural and Multifaith Victoria Bill through the Victorian Parliament in September, which replaces the VMC with an independent body from 1 October. The legislation was based on recommendations from Victoria's Multicultural Review, led by George Lekakis.
Perry also used the newsletter to note she had recently joined Victoria's Nepalese community to celebrate Hartalika Teej, and said the commission stood in solidarity with the Nepalese community following the monsoon floods in Nepal.
Grants, festivals and transport
The update carried several other items for community organisations. Two grant programs remain open, each offering $5,000 payments: the Multicultural Venues Program, which helps community organisations cover the cost of hiring venues for meetings and gatherings, and the Skills Fund Grant Program, which supports business associations helping multicultural small business owners and workers build their skills. The Skills Fund sits under the Victorian Government's Supporting our multicultural Traders and Precincts commitment.
Tickets are now available for the Multicultural Youth Awards, which recognise young people aged 16 to 25 for work across leadership, sport, education, arts and culture, advocacy, entrepreneurship and community service.
The next Multicultural Film Festival roadshow screening will be held at Peninsula Cinema in Rosebud on the Mornington Peninsula on 17 October, delivered in partnership with Swinburne University of Technology, SBS and the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council.
The Chinese Professionals Club of Australia will host its Moon and Mates Multicultural Festival on 27 September.
The newsletter also flagged that SBS WorldWatch, the broadcaster's News In-Language hub, has moved to SBS On Demand, which offers more than 15,000 hours of programming across more than 60 languages.
On transport, the update confirmed that public transport across Victoria remains half price for all passengers until 1 January 2027. Transport Victoria has also rolled out contactless payment across trams and train stations for full-fare customers, while concession card holders have been told to keep using their concession myki.
The Victorian Multicultural Commission will formally cease to exist when Multicultural and Multifaith Victoria begins operating on 1 October.