Increase for NSW communities
NSW Minister for Citizenship and Communities Victor Dominello has announced a new Grants Program.
Minister Dominello with Dr Harinath at the launch
He said: “Multicultural NSW will maintain its statutory independence as set out in the Principles of Multiculturalism and Community Relations Commission Act, contrary to unfounded claims made last week.
“Yesterday we announced a new $1.6 million Multicultural NSW Grants Program which seeks to build community harmony and social cohesion. This represents a $400,000 increase in funding since the NSW Liberals & Nationals Government came to office in 2011.
“The grants program builds on the vision set out in the three-year strategic plan, Harmony in Action, launched in August, which focuses on promoting the significant social and economic benefits of our cultural diversity.
“We’ve also announced a new Advisory Board, including representatives from across Aboriginal, Anglo-Celtic, Egyptian, Indian, Korean, Jewish and many other heritages, which truly reflects the changing face of multicultural NSW.
“The legislation, to be introduced later this year, is a core component of the reforms we are undertaking to ensure NSW leads the way in multicultural practice into the future.”
David Knoll will represent the Jewish community on the Board.
Victor Dominello is also Minister Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Assistant Minister for Education
Premier Mike Baird writes:
We have announced a $200,000 increase in funding for initiatives that promote cultural harmony and social cohesion in New South Wales.
Premier Mike Baird
The new Multicultural NSW Grants Program was launched by the Minister for Citizenship and Communities Victor Dominello at the Sikh Temple in Glenwood this week. The new Chair of Multicultural NSW – formerly known as the Community Relations Commission – Dr Hari Harinath attended the launch, which will see $1.6 million set aside as part of the initiative.
The increase in funding will go toward multicultural community initiatives across four categories – Unity, Celebration, Partnership and Sponsorship. It takes the NSW Liberals & Nationals Government’s total funding to $1.6 million per year, compared to $1.2 million under the previous Labor Government.
The grants program supports Multicultural NSW’s new three year strategic plan, Harmony in Action, and will enable the agency to filfil its key role of building and maintaining a harmonious multicultural society in our State.
As part of the program, Unity Grants of up to $30,000 will be awarded for community engagement projects that aim to unite people from different cultures. Celebration Grants of up to $5,000 will be available for events and festivals that celebrate our cultural diversity.
We live in a multicultural society and believe it is important to celebrate our cultural diversity and promote our common values. This grants program aims to support ideas and initiatives that unite us, such as recognising our volunteering spirit, honouring those who have served to defend our freedoms, or better understanding our Indigenous cultural heritage.
It also means supporting activities that combat racism, empower multicultural women, encourage intercultural engagement between young people through sport, or bring our multicultural and Aboriginal communities together.
Applications for some of the grants available are now open and further information can be found on the Multicultural NSW’s website www.crc.nsw.gov.au.
