Chris Hazelman, manager of the Ethnic Council of Shepparton, said while the multicultural communities’ efforts to help out on the ground had been “fantastic”, these groups need to be included in the emergency management planning process. “At the moment, [they are] not a priority in the planning processes,” Mr Hazelman said. “There should be more of a focus on who is actually being impacted, and how we actually provide services to those people.”
The Migration Council of Australia – in Victoria – are working to give Covid 19 safety advice to various communities. There are job vacancies for people from African, South Sudanese, Somali, Burmese, Pasifika, along with Hindi and Tamil speaking peoples. The duties include activities promoting trust and confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine.
Over the last few months, Multicultural Arts Victoria and Riverlinks have been developing a significant new arts and culture initiative with a group of six local artists from First Nations and diverse communities living on Yorta Yorta country in and around Shepparton. This is a way in supporting the extended family of Pasifika and African diaspora community and the Kaieltheban country.