Page 648 - Week 02 - Thursday, 21 February 2019
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(1) What measures is the Government taking to address the needs of a maturing multicultural community.
(2) What needs have been identified.
(3) What does the Government plan to do to help mature members of the multicultural community retain or otherwise improve their English language skills.
(4) Are there plans for more services to be available offline (ie, paper applications and communications) to improve accessibility of services for certain individuals and groups; if so, which services and when will they be expected to being operation offline.
Mr Steel: The answer to the member’s question is as follows:
(1) The Ministerial Advisory Council on Ageing provides advice to the Minister for Seniors and Veterans on matters relating to the social inclusion and wellbeing of older Canberrans.
In 2018, additional recruitment to the Council was progressed to increase representation from members who had particular expertise relating to older culturally and linguistically diverse people. As a result of this recruitment round, Mr Grant Doran was appointed. Mr Grant Doran was previously a board member of the Migrant and Refugee Settlement Services and has worked at a Senior Executive level for a multicultural Aged Care Residential Facility.
Other supports are provided through numerous programs funded through grant rounds. The ACT Seniors Grants Round is run annually, offering a total of $80,000 in funding for innovative projects that promote seniors as valued members of the ACT community and enable older Canberrans to actively participate in community life. The program has a particular emphasis on supporting projects which address the areas of elder abuse, enhanced social inclusion and those that address the needs of diverse seniors, including culturally and linguistically diverse seniors.
Community groups who have delivered projects through this grant program (formerly the ACT Veterans and Seniors Participation Grant Round) since 2017 include: the Australian Capital Territory Maori Performing Arts Incorporated; ACT Chinese Australian Association Incorporated; ACT-Tongan Language and Cultural School and the Bangladeshi Seniors Club Canberra.
In addition, please refer to CSD Annual Report QON 99.
The Suburban Land Agency (SLA) implements the Mingle Community Development Program. In 2018 the SLA worked with communities in the suburbs of Wright, Coombs and Moncrieff to develop multi-cultural activities as part of the Program. This resulted in the delivery of three multicultural events (Moncrieff Diwali, Molonglo Valley Diwali and Molonglo Valley Eid Fest) which were co-designed and led by the local maturing multi-cultural members of the community.
In addition the Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate provided tailored information and advice on energy efficiency in the home to members of the maturing CALD community through the advice line and onsite workshops under the ACTSmart Program.
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