Media Releases

Today the Chairperson of the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia, Mr Joe Caputo OAM, made a statement expressing his support for marriage equality.

Mr Caputo said: “FECCA urges all Australians, of all backgrounds, to choose ‘yes’ in the marriage equality survey.”

“FECCA’s support for the principle of marriage equality was endorsed by the majority of the FECCA Executive.”

Mr Caputo continued: “Our support for marriage equality is in line with FECCA’s continuing advocacy for equality and non-discrimination across Australia’s culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) society.”

“Australia must join the many other liberal, democratic nations across the world – including Ireland, Malta, Portugal and Taiwan – who have introduced marriage equality into their laws.”

Mr Caputo said: “FECCA recognises that there are diverse views across Australian society on the issue of marriage equality. I therefore welcome the leadership shown by community leaders from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds in supporting marriage equality.”

“Today I will be attending the launch at 1pm on the steps of Parliament House in Victoria of The YES Alliance – Multicultural Australians for Marriage Equality who supports a ‘yes’ vote in the marriage equality survey.”

FECCA encourages all Australians including those from CALD backgrounds to participate in the postal survey.

FECCA is working closely with the Australian Bureau of Statistics to ensure that individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds can fully participate in the same-sex marriage survey process.

The ABS has implemented a number of measures designed to ensure access and equity for all Australians in the postal survey process, including the use of interpreters at no cost to the user.

FECCA is the peak national body representing Australians from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. FECCA’s role is to advocate and promote issues on behalf of its constituency to government, business and the broader community.

Media contact: (0424) 910617 / emma@fecca.org.au

The Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia, the peak national body representing older Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Australians, today welcomed the release of the Tune Report and urged the Government to take note of the recommendations for further reform of the aged care system.

Ms Mary Patetsos, FECCA’s Chair of Healthy Ageing said: “FECCA has been working closely with the Government to push for broad and continued reform of the aged care sector and to ensure that the interests of older CALD Australians are being met by the aged care reform agenda.”

“FECCA welcomes the wide range of recommendations in the report including: improvements to Home Care Packages; better support for consumers; a national aged care workforce strategy; and the improved capacity and usability of the My Aged Care system,” she said.

Ms Patetsos continued: “FECCA has been particularly active in urging the Government to improve the capability of My Aged Care so that consumers can identify providers offering specialist, culturally appropriate and high quality care to older CALD Australians.”

“Older Australians of all backgrounds must have choice and control over the services they access to ensure they have high quality, dignified and culturally appropriate care in their older age.”

Ms Patetsos said: “We are therefore pleased to see that the report emphasises the need for the My Aged Care website to allow consumers to search providers by population group.”

“We look forward to working with the Department to develop and implement this important improvement,” she said.

FECCA is the peak national body representing Australians from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. FECCA’s role is to advocate and promote issues on behalf of its constituency to government, business and the broader community.

About the Tune Review

In 2012, legislation was passed to reform the aged care system. This legislation mandated an Aged Care Legislated Review in 2017 to monitor the progress of the reforms. The Review was led by David Tune AO PSM, Chair of the Aged Care Sector Committee and concluded that the “reforms have successfully taken the aged care system further along the road to a consumer driven and sustainable system, as intended, but that further reforms will be needed in future.”

Media contact: (0424) 910617 / emma@fecca.org.au

The Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA) today applauded the Nick Xenophon Team for its decision to use its crucial three votes in the Senate to reject the Government’s proposed Australian Citizenship Legislation Amendment (Strengthening the Requirements for Australian Citizenship and Other Measures) Bill 2017.

“Congratulations—and the thanks of Australia’s multicultural community—go to Senator Xenaphon and his team for announcing that they will deliver the numbers to throw out this cruel, unnecessary and discriminatory proposal,” the Chair of FECCA, Mr Joe Caputo said today.

“We have fought for months to oppose this oppressive Bill.”

“This legislation seeks to dramatically change the rules determining qualification for Australian citizenship, extending the waiting period before permanent residents could apply for citizenship and raising the English language requirement to university-level.”

The new citizenship legislation also proposes a dramatic extension of ministerial discretionary powers to overrule immigration decisions by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection and the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.”

“This Bill seeks to create a permanent underclass of residents, denied the rights and opportunities of being welcomed and included as Australian citizens,” Mr Caputo said.

“For decades, Australian citizenship has fostered inclusivity, allowing migrants to feel Australian, regardless of their country of origin.”

“Permanent residents should be encouraged to seek citizenship as soon as practically possible to foster a sense of inclusion and belonging and to encourage integration.”

“Australia has a tradition of bipartisan support for its multicultural policies, going back decades.”

“There is no place for the kind of extremist, ideologically-driven provisions which were included in this Bill and we congratulate all the Senators who have declared they will oppose it.”

“The politicisation of immigration decision-making proposed by this Bill threatens our immigration system, which has an international and long-standing reputation for being impartial, fair and transparent,” said Mr Caputo.

FECCA is the peak national body representing Australians from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. FECCA’s role is to advocate and promote issues on behalf of its constituency to government, business and the broader community.

Media contact: (0424) 910617 / emma@fecca.org.au