Page 3088 - Week 08 - Thursday, 16 August 2018
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Eligible organisations can apply for funding to: showcase the vibrancy and heritage of multiculturalism through celebrations and events at the 2019 National Multicultural Festival; foster cross-cultural awareness, understanding and respect and promote community groups and intercultural relationships; and enable ACT multicultural communities to celebrate, preserve and share traditions and heritage through cultural performances such as dance and music and in other meaningful ways.
Sixty-seven organisations received grants to take part in the 2018 festival, including the Pearl of the Pacific Samoan Cultural and Dance Group Incorporated for costumes and accessories, the Canberra Punjabi Sports and Cultural Association to promote traditional Punjabi dances and culture, and the Canberra Celtic Pipe Band for the Celtic ceilidh showcase.
The government looks forward to receiving applications that will demonstrate the vibrancy and heritage of multiculturalism through celebrations and events at the 2019 Multicultural Festival. Applications for these grants close on Monday, 17 September. I encourage all members to ensure that their communities are aware of this opportunity.
MR STEEL: Minister, what other grants are available to promote participation, cultural diversity and inclusion in our community?
MS STEPHEN-SMITH: I thank Mr Steel for the supplementary. I am pleased to advise that, in addition to the National Multicultural Festival grant round, the ACT government continues to support community participation, cultural diversity and inclusion in the ACT through the multicultural participation grants which will open later this year. The multicultural participation grants will provide funding of $175,000 to community radio stations and multicultural community broadcasters and for multicultural community participation, social harmony and inclusion initiatives.
Last year a wide variety of community groups and organisations were able to take advantage of the multicultural participation grants. The grants program is an opportunity for organisations to receive a small amount of funding which has the potential to be significantly beneficial for the broader multicultural community in Canberra. For example, in previous grants rounds the Solomon Islands Canberra Association received funding to assist with the Pacific Islands united voice and youth hour radio program, while Integrated Cultures ACT Inc received a grant to assist with their Radio Harmony program and organisations including the Australia Mon Association, the Bangladeshi Seniors Club, Canberra, and the Canberra Muslim Community all received funding to support their celebrations and events.
Organisations such as Welcome to Australia received $2,650 to assist with the walk together community walk and the ACT Bilingual Education Alliance received $1,200 to assist with social events and seminars. These grants also highlight the value of the programs in promoting inclusion and learning across the ACT.
When I meet with members of our multicultural communities I am impressed with how they are able to use this grant funding to prepare celebrations, to communicate
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