News article – In the lead up to the Victorian state election, let's not forget about the needs of multicultural communities (again)
If there’s anything the pandemic has taught us, it is that the Australian government needs to develop a long-term strategy to address the needs of multicultural communities.
Migrant communities were disproportionately affected by the successive virus outbreaks and lockdowns in Victoria and New South Wales. To curb the spread of COVID-19 and to meet the immediate health needs of vulnerable communities, federal and state governments have responded by funding community organisations to hire bicultural workers and provide translated health messages.
The question is: will the multicultural agenda revert to what it was before, once the pandemic is over, only to be revived again when the next crisis hits?