Maria Vamvakinou (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I have a very fast-growing Indian community in my electorate, and many of them have come to Australia as international students, skilled migrants and on partner and spouse visas. Their settlement here also sees them bring to Australia their aged parents, in order to help support them and their young families. There are many challenges that new migrants face when settling in a new country, and, given that India is one of our top source countries for migration, it's very important that we understand some of the issues associated with their settlement journey.

Unfortunately, I've seen firsthand reports which highlight a dangerous combination of social isolation and family violence that is emerging as a major issue of concern for my local community. I want to acknowledge the important initiative taken by some of the women in my electorate in establishing support groups to help members of the Indian community who are experiencing family violence.

I recently attended the official launch of the Sahara Welfare Resource Centre in Craigieburn, and I want to take this opportunity to commend the work of Mrs Neelam Sharma, who is the president of Sahara; Mr Sushi Sharma, the executive adviser; and Ms Ravinder Kaur, the organisation secretary. The launch of the first of four chapters of this organisation, each covering a metropolitan region, aims to provide community support services for Indian community members dealing with issues of family violence and an unfortunate situation which involves the abuse of the elderly. The approach is very much driven by the community itself and aims to use early intervention measures—involving experienced, culturally-appropriate teams of elders and professionals—as well as to direct victims to the appropriate authorities and service providers.

The Oorja Foundation is also a community led, volunteer based organisation, which was established in 2014 to give support in incidents of family violence across the Hume City and Whittlesea areas. In that time, the Oorja Foundation has assisted thousands of community members, ranging from four years of age to 85 years of age, through various social, cultural and educational awareness workshops and events. They have supported around 300 family violence victims through early intervention, mandatory reporting to police and referrals to legal and social support groups and by organising emergency relief and support.

Both Sahara and Oorja are driven by wonderful women, who bridge an important gap between the community and the services available, driven by the knowledge that we need to work in partnership with communities to deliver support. I want to applaud my local women and thank them for their compassion and their willingness to be a part of helping deal with challenging issues that are confronting members of their community. It's a huge challenge but one that can only be successfully dealt with if we involve the cultural know-how of our various communities.

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