Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to speak about the value and importance of multicultural communities. Multiculturalism is a fundamental attribute of the Australian community, and Geelong is very much a multicultural city. At the heart of multicultural life in Australia are places where communities can come together and collectively foster cultural identity. In my electorate of Corio a new challenge has emerged for the Ukrainian community. The Association of Ukrainians' Geelong branch is the key organisation of Geelong's Ukrainian community, and is run by dedicated volunteers who have been working tirelessly for the revitalisation of their central community facility in order to enable their important work to continue. Their needs are now being actively ignored by this federal government. These needs are precisely what the previous Labor government recognised by awarding the Association of Ukrainians a $135,000 grant under the Building Multicultural Communities Program for an important upgrade of the Ukrainian Community Centre. But now the Abbott government is refusing to honour this budgeted commitment to Geelong's Ukrainian community, having slashed the funding from this important initiative. And let us be clear: this was not an election promise; this was money that was in last year's budget and passed through this parliament. The decision by the Abbott government to slash this program is a cut to the Ukrainian community.

The work of the Association of Ukrainians sees the delivery of meaningful programs that enable the existence of a thriving Ukrainian community in Geelong—the provision, for example, of accessible training to assist in practical skill development, such as first aid, and the provision of a wonderful range of social activities, from regular senior citizens gatherings to Ukrainian balls. When the Ukrainian Community Centre is not being occupied by their programs, the facility is generously offered to other communities to conduct their own cultural activities.

The upgraded facility, undoubtedly a worthy project, would have been large enough to hold a seating capacity of 300 people. This is a facility which is truly at the heart of Geelong's multicultural activity, and which would have been greatly enhanced by this investment. It is a facility run by a fantastic community that is dedicated to working on behalf of its own members but also Geelong as a whole. The truth is that our city is lucky to have the Association of Ukrainians as a part of it. It is resources such as the Ukrainian Community Centre that make the difference, that enable communities to come together and form a sense of identity, and that ultimately send a critical message about the value we place on promoting an inclusive society that embraces multiculturalism.

So when the Abbott government rips the funding from this project—and projects like it around Australia—it does have a responsibility to consider what it is really pulling the plug on. The harsh reality for the Association of Ukrainians is that they will no longer receive this critical funding, which will have very real consequences not only for the Ukrainian community but also for the broader multicultural community of Geelong. With their first settler migrant numbers dwindling, the association faces a challenge of maintaining strong engagement, which will be made far more difficult by being cut off from this support from the Abbott federal government. Additionally, their ability to support other multicultural communities will be severely compromised by the fact that they have now no choice but to continue to rely on a facility that remains in real need of renovation.

This project has seen considerable effort from the association's dedicated volunteers in striving to bring it to fruition, having successfully secured state and local funding that will likely now be lost as the federal government turns its back on this important community. But, overall, it has caused undue stress, hardship and disappointment to all members of the Association of Ukrainians—a disappointment that I sincerely share, as it is evident that the Abbott government is not committed to supporting this strong and this prosperous multicultural community in Geelong.