Media Releases

The Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA) welcomes the Australian Labor Party’s commitment to establish a Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Aged Care Fund.

Migrant communities are ageing at a faster rate than the population at large. According to the 2011 Census, 20.1 per cent of Australians 65+ were born in non-English speaking countries. Current projections indicate that by 2020, 30 per cent of the population aged 65 years and above will be from CALD backgrounds.

The Labor party have pledged $30 million over four years for the CALD Aged Care Fund, which will go towards resourcing key investments in aged care facilities, supporting older Australians from CALD backgrounds to receive culturally appropriate care, as well as build upon the recently announced ageing with dignity and dementia packages.

FECCA Acting Chairperson Eugenia Grammatikakis said, “FECCA welcomes this funding commitment by the Labor party. We believe that targeted measures are necessary to respond to and support Australia’s ageing CALD population. Our vision is for older CALD Australians to be empowered to receive appropriate services and supports when and how they need them, as well as for aged care to be culturally appropriate and competent.”

FECCA Healthy Ageing Chair Mary Patetsos said, “The Labor party’s recognition of the social and economic contribution of older CALD migrants to Australia is welcome. If people from diverse backgrounds are adequately supported and resourced, they will age with dignity.”

FECCA’s 2020 Vision for Older CALD Australians reiterates the importance of older people from diverse backgrounds receiving equitable access of care so they can age with dignity. FECCA encourages the other parties to recognise the value in supporting CALD people and match this commitment.

Media Comments: FECCA Office – (02) 6282 5755 or media@fecca.org.au.

The Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA) calls for all parties to adopt targeted, inclusive and responsive programs to empower culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) Australians through equity of access, experience and outcomes, across social policy and practice.

Aged Care

Older Australians from CALD backgrounds will require additional support in increasing consumer choice and flexibility in receipt of a Commonwealth funded Home Care Package through the My Aged Care Gateway. This includes communication of Consumer Directed Care, strengthening capacity to navigate the system to make informed choices, ensuring access to quality support, negotiating changes to services, and enabling the provision of feedback. High quality consumer directed care must respond to cultural, linguistic, and spiritual diversity and needs. Successful aged care sector reform will require the expertise and guidance of the multicultural ageing sector, through dedicated funding, that will be supported by ongoing specialist assistance.

Mental Health

Research in Australia indicates that people from CALD backgrounds are a vulnerable group in the mental health system, but are also less likely to seek help. They require unique mental health provision, with their needs to be met in a culturally sensitive and appropriate way. Specialist consideration in reforms should be given to new migrants and refugees, and experiences of torture and trauma. Older people from CALD backgrounds are also considered to be at greater risk of suffering from mental illness, including those living in rural or remote areas. Given this, it is essential there is tailored access to mental health services for CALD individuals and families.

Child Care

FECCA reiterates that any activity test must not disproportionately affect migrant and refugee families, given that a high proportion of CALD workers, particularly women, are in insecure, casualised and variable employment. We are concerned about the way that the Child Care reforms will affect children from migrant and refugee backgrounds and call for all parties to restore 24 hours of subsidised child care per week, irrespective of whether the parent is able to meet the activity test.

National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)

The NDIS provides people with disability independence through its central tenant of ‘choice and control’. To respond to the needs and choice of participants from CALD backgrounds, the implementation of the NDIS much ensure equity in availability and accessibility of support. This includes community engagement, considering language and communication barriers, strengthening the capacity of individuals to make informed choices and ensuring services are responsive to cultural needs. The critical role of multicultural sector organisations in providing culturally sensitive and appropriate support is vital in this regard.

Women’s Safety

The Second Action Plan of the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010-2022 recognises the complex challenges faced by CALD women. Women from CALD backgrounds face intersectional barriers. To address family violence in multicultural communities requires an innovative, inclusive and tailored approach, which challenges stigma and recognises the impact of migration on the experience of violence, along with economic and social factors. Issues of access to justice, including availability of quality language services, culturally sensitive health and domestic violence services, and affordable housing options for women escaping violence are key factors impacting on CALD women’s safety.

We reiterate our call for all women escaping violence to be entitled to crisis payments, regardless of their visa status. Access to crisis payments ensures that women on temporary visas are financially supported while they seek assistance following a violent relationship, this can include accessing legal and justice support and meeting the basic needs of their children.

FECCA is seeking all parties’ commitment to adopt a targeted, inclusive and responsive social policy. With sufficient evidence and research to indicate Australia’s migrants and refugees continue to face multiple disadvantages across a number of indicators, it is imperative these are addressed through all government policies and programs to eliminate disparities in equity of access, participation and outcomes.

You can find all your latest multicultural election content on the Federal Election 2016 webpage on the FECCA website.

FECCA’s election priorities: Governing for All Australians: A Policy Platform to Respond to Australia’s Cultural and Linguistic Diversity.

Major parties’ responses: Federal Election 2016: Multicultural policy commitments from the major parties.

Media Comments: FECCA Office – (02) 6282 5755 or media@fecca.org.au.

With one week to the 2016 Federal Election, the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA) calls for all parties to adopt a policy platform that addresses the particular needs of Australia’s culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) population.

Australia has a long history of migration, with people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds representing approximately one third of the population.

It is important to recognise that people from CALD backgrounds are not a homogenous group, encountering different outcomes based on a variety of factors.

These can include life experience, length of time since their arrival, migration pathway (e.g. as a refugee) and experience, level of acculturation and exposure to Australian services and systems, English language proficiency, and socioeconomic status.

These aspects have a distinct impact on the wellbeing of people from CALD backgrounds. It is vital there are targeted policy measures, with adequate resourcing of both policies and programs to ensure access, equity and participation, and assure that no one is left behind.

FECCA is seeking all parties’ commitment to respond to the unique needs of this cohort.

Don’t forget to visit the Federal Election 2016 webpage on the FECCA website, featuring all your latest multicultural election content.

FECCA’s election priorities:  Governing for All Australians: A Policy Platform to Respond to Australia’s Cultural and Linguistic Diversity.

Major parties’ responses:  Federal Election 2016: Multicultural policy commitments from the major parties.

Media Comments: FECCA Office – (02) 6282 5755 or media@fecca.org.au.

The Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA) reiterates that decisive action must be taken by all major parties to tackle the challenges faced by culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) women.

We welcome the parties’ policies and actions to support Australia’s multiculturalism, but are disappointed by the lack of genuine commitment that would be underpinned by targeted policy and budget initiatives from the major parties to address the challenges faced by CALD women.

FECCA Chairperson Joe Caputo said, “We would like to see the parties make a sincere effort to address the very real concerns affecting CALD women.”

FECCA strongly advocates for all the major parties to reinstate the National Migrant and Refugee Women’s Alliance, and commend the Australian Labor Party’s pledge to do so.

We also call on all parties to target the challenges faced by CALD women, with a view to ensuring that there is equitable representation of CALD women on boards and in senior leadership positions, including disaggregated data collection.

FECCA Women’s Chair Hina Durrani said, “The level of representation of women from non‑English speaking backgrounds in decision‑making roles is extremely low.  If the parties are genuine in their commitment to ensure true diversity on boards and in decision making, then a lot more needs to be done to address challenges experienced by CALD women.  An inclusive approach to policy and practice is necessary to support and empower women from CALD backgrounds.”

There is sufficient evidence and research to indicate that migrant and refugee women continue to face multiple disadvantages across a range of indicators, including social inclusion, access to services, employment and income equality, health and wellbeing, education, and housing.  However, gender equality policies often don’t consider the specific challenges or opportunities for women from multicultural backgrounds, or as a group that faces intersectional barriers and as having diverse needs.

“We know that when migrant and refugee women experience multiple disadvantage and social exclusion, this adversely affects not only the women themselves, but levels of social cohesion within communities.  This impacts on the potential for increased and inclusive economic growth, and the future prosperity for Australian society,” said Joe Caputo.

With the election just over a week away, FECCA calls on all the major parties to outline targeted policy directions and measures they would take to address the specific challenges impacting on migrant and refugee women.

FECCA is the peak national body representing culturally and linguistically diverse Australians.

FECCA’s election priorities: Governing for All Australians: A Policy Platform to Respond to Australia’s Cultural and Linguistic Diversity.

Major parties’ responses: Federal Election 2016: Multicultural policy commitments from the major parties.

Media Comments: FECCA Office – (02) 6282 5755 or media@fecca.org.au.

Earlier this month, FECCA released Governing for All Australians: A Policy Platform to Respond to Australia’s Cultural and Linguistic Diversity. The memorandum outlines FECCA’s election asks, recognising that targeted policies are necessary to address the specific needs of Australia’s culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) population, foster social inclusion and to continue attracting migrants.

FECCA provided its election asks to the Coalition, Australian Labor Party and Australian Greens, seeking their commitment to specific policy actions on a number of key issues. The responses received by FECCA from each of the parties are reproduced in full below.

Federal Election 2016: Multicultural policy commitments from the major parties.

Don’t forget to visit FECCA’s dedicated Federal Election 2016 webpage, where you can access all your multicultural election content.

Media Comments: FECCA Office – (02) 6282 5755 or media@fecca.org.au.

The Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA) welcomes the Australian Labor Party’s multicultural policy, Community Cohesion Program – Investing in New Migrants, announced over the weekend.

The Community Cohesion Program outlines:

• A $24 million investment to fund improvements in the Adult Migration English Program (AMEP);
• A $3 million investment for the Community Hubs program; and
• $1.5 million to go towards the Australian Human Rights Commission’s It Stops With Me campaign.

As a proud member of the National Anti-Racism Partnership, we are encouraged to see funding earmarked for Racism. It Stops With Me campaign—the primary awareness activity within the National Anti-racism Strategy.

We are also encouraged by the previous announcement pledging the establishment of an Office for Multicultural Affairs (OMA).

FECCA Chairperson Joe Caputo said, “We believe that targeted policies are necessary to address and support the particular needs of Australia’s culturally and linguistically diverse population; to foster social inclusion and continue attracting migrants. We look forward to progressing these initiatives with the Labor party.”

FECCA has written to all the major parties, identifying priorities across a number of policy areas that will benefit Australia’s migrants and refugees, and will shortly make the responses available for consideration to our members and constituency.

You can read FECCA’s election priorities – Governing for All Australians: A Policy Platform to Respond to Australia’s Cultural and Linguistic Diversity – in full here.

Media Comments: FECCA Office – (02) 6282 5755 or media@fecca.org.au.

We are proud to announce the FECCA 2017 Biennial Conference – the preeminent forum to discuss and debate issues related to Australia’s multiculturalism – will be held in partnership with the Multicultural Council of the Northern Territory (MCNT), FECCA’s Northern Territory peak member.

FECCA Chairperson Joe Caputo said, “The FECCA Conference is an important national event that brings together the community sector to help shape future directions for Australia’s multiculturalism. It provides a platform that encourages inclusive dialogue on the challenges and opportunities that our ever changing cultural and linguistic landscape presents, as well as the far-reaching benefits of embracing diversity through agile policy and practice.”

MCNT President Kevin Kadirgamar said, “The MCNT is proud to host the 2017 national conference. The conference will coincide with the MCNT’s 40^th anniversary, making it a significant milestone in our history. Darwin stands ready to host an insightful conference, exploring the role of multiculturalism in modern day Australia and the opportunities and challenges for the future.”

The Conference will be held in late 2017. We look forward to seeing you in Darwin!

Media Comments: FECCA Office – (02) 6282 5755 or media@fecca.org.au.

The Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA), as the peak national body representing Australians from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, has written to all the major parties, identifying priorities across a number of policy areas that will benefit CALD Australians.

You can read FECCA’s election priorities – Governing for All Australians: A Policy Platform to Respond to Australia’s Cultural and Linguistic Diversity – in full here.

We have asked the three major parties to answer the following 10 questions, with responses to be published on the FECCA website for consideration by our members and constituency.

1. Will you develop a national legislative framework on multiculturalism?
2. Will you develop an integrated national policy framework on languages?
3. Will you commit to policy action on harnessed productivity through diversity?
4. What steps will you take to ensure that Government Boards reflect our multicultural society, particularly addressing the extremely low level of representation of women from non-English speaking background on decision-making public bodies?
5. Will you review the approach to setting targets for eligible partners in the Family migration stream with a view to implementing an entirely demand-driven system?
6. Will you guarantee 24 hours of subsidised child care per week as a minimum standard for every child, regardless of parents’ ability to meet an activity test, in view of the benefits of early childhood education for children from CALD backgrounds?
7. Will you ensure that people seeking to escape family violence are entitled to crisis payments regardless of their visa status?
8. Will you adopt a comprehensive national communications policy that supports public broadcasting in languages other than English and ethnic and multicultural community broadcasters?
9. Will you take targeted and comprehensive measures to empower CALD consumers in consumer-directed care reforms, including aged care, the NDIS and mental health, to ensure equitable access and experience?
10. Will you develop a National Community Relations Strategy with funding earmarked for national and community-based projects?

FECCA Chairperson Joe Caputo said, “At FECCA we are seeking a commitment from all political parties to support communities and foster cultural diversity and social cohesion, by adopting a targeted policy platform that responds to Australia’s cultural and linguistic diversity.”

Media Comments: FECCA Office – (02) 6282 5755 or media@fecca.org.au.