Ethnic Communities' Council of Victoria

ECCV’s Annual Report 2024–25 brings together the stories, challenges and achievements that shaped our work this year. It reflects a period marked by rising racism, global instability and cost-of-living pressures — but also by the strength and leadership of multicultural communities across Victoria. Inside you’ll find: • Achievements from our mental health, ageing, disability, climate and emergency response programs. • Updates on our work to strengthen multicultural rights, representation and inclusion. • Our financial overview and governance. 🔗 Read the Annual Report here: https://lnkd.in/gcknu7Np

Our CEO Farah Farouque spoke on ABC’s Radio National Breakfast yesterday, responding to reports the US plans to track crimes allegedly committed by migrants in Australia. Farah was clear: there is no evidence that migration increases crime — in the USA or in Australia. This is another attempt to distract from real issues and blame migrants, feeding harmful and misleading narratives. ECCV will continue to call out misinformation and stand up for migrant and refugee communities. 🔗 Listen here: https://lnkd.in/gGc7N383

Last night more than 200 community members, partners and supporters joined us for our Annual General Meeting. We were honoured to host Premier Jacinta Allan as our keynote speaker and to hear powerful reflections from outgoing ECCV Chairperson Abiola Akinbiyi and CEO Farah Farouque on the importance of our work for multicultural Victoria in a climate of rising racism, misinformation and disinformation. This year’s AGM saw the election of a new ECCV Board, with one of the largest candidate fields in recent memory, a reflection of our membership's strong engagement. ECCV is pleased to announce the newly elected Board of Directors: Lawrence Abou Khater Dr. Yasmin Hassen Tina Hosseini Jennifer Huppert Nicolas Ojeda Amador Huseyin (Huss) Mustafa OAM Silvia Renda Michael van Vliet Zeynep Yesilyurt OAM Suzanne Ryan-Evers (Regional Representative) Congratulations to all those elected, and thank you to all outgoing Board members for their service and leadership. AGM roundup and photos here: https://lnkd.in/gZn7va3u

Congratulations Roxanne Sarthou, MAICD, CEO of the Filipino Community Council of Victoria Inc., on her election as National President of the Filipino Communities Council of Australia (FILCCA). This appointment recognises Roxanne's work supporting Filipino communities in Victoria, including efforts to strengthen cultural inclusion, social support and culturally appropriate aged care services. In her new role, she will help coordinate national initiatives and support Filipino organisations across Australia. ECCV looks forward to continuing our work with both FCCVi and the broader Filipino community. 🇵🇭 

There are a number of multicultural grants open for applications. Current opportunities include: 🏛️ Supporting Multicultural Communities – Infrastructure 🎉 Supporting Multicultural Communities – Events and Programs (Round 2) 📰 Critical Support for Multicultural Communities – Independent Multicultural Media (Transformation and Sustainability Grant) 🌱 Multicultural Grassroots Initiatives (Round 2) These grants can help multicultural and multifaith organisations strengthen participation, upgrade facilities, deliver programs and continue serving their communities. Explore all available grant rounds: https://lnkd.in/ghea5kb ECCV encourages community organisations to apply and make the most of this support. If you're an ECCV member and would like guidance, feel free to get in touch. #MulticulturalVictoria #CommunityGrants #FundingOpportunities

Our leadership team had a wonderful exchange today with the iconic Miriam Cocking, Chairperson of the Multicultural Communities Council of SA (MCCSA), and their CEO Helena Kyriazopoulos. As South Australia’s 600th skilled migrant from the Philippines in 1981, Miriam has witnessed the Filipino community grow from a small group to more than 17,000 people across the state. “Talk about wisdom – it was inspiring to learn more about Miriam and Helena’s decades-long involvement as women leaders in the multicultural community,” said our CEO Farah Farouque. “I am struck by the generosity of so many community leaders in our sector and have much to learn from them.” Our ECCV team Farah Farouque and Elmina Joldić joined our Deputy Chair Jill Morgan AM for the catch-up with Miriam and Helena at the iconic Carlton café Brunetti. Happy weekend, everyone!

ECCV’s Multicultural Mental Health team was proud to take part in the Dumplings Against Depression event at the Immigration Museum. It was great to meet so many people who stopped by the ECCV stall to learn more about culturally safe mental health support and pick up resources to share in their communities. Events like this show how culture, connection and conversation can help break down stigma and strengthen mental wellbeing across our diverse communities. #ECCV #MentalHealth #MulticulturalVictoria

An important development today: ECCV welcomes the launch of a new Victorian Multicultural Health Survey — a timely step towards creating a more culturally responsive health system. Victoria’s Minister for Multicultural Affairs Ingrid Stitt confirmed the upcoming rollout of the new survey to collect experiences of culturally diverse populations. Data will not only be collected via the Engage Victoria online platform but, notably, through a series of community consultation sessions. We all know that migrant and refugee communities often experience poorer health outcomes and face barriers to accessing services. This survey represents a key opportunity to work towards closing that gap and building a system that delivers equitable care for all Victorians. The information gathered will also help inform the upcoming whole-of-government multicultural strategy – a key commitment from the State Government following the release of the recent Victorian Multicultural Review, led by George Lekakis AO. People with lived experience of Victoria’s health system from multicultural and multifaith backgrounds hold invaluable insights into what works and what needs to change to improve outcomes. ECCV CEO Farah Farouque said: “This survey is a key opportunity for the government to hear from members of our multicultural communities with lived and living experience of Victoria’s health system. We know that when people are genuinely included, and a diverse range of voices, cultures and experiences are heard, we end up with better quality services for everyone.” As a peak representative body, ECCV has a long history of advocating for better health and wellbeing outcomes for people from migrant and refugee backgrounds across Victoria. ECCV looks forward to working with the Victorian Government, community organisations and health providers to support meaningful participation in this initiative and to turn its findings into practical action. Allan Government Press Release : https://lnkd.in/grMCNm3k ECCV's Statement: https://lnkd.in/gx_JUasJ Siri Gunawardana Dr Judy Tang Elmina Joldić Jordy Jeffrey-Bailey

🩺 A great first day at the National Multicultural Health & Wellbeing Conference in Melbourne! Our Senior Policy Advisor James Houghton presented on building inclusive and responsive health systems, highlighting the importance of genuine community partnerships in shaping equitable services. We were also pleased to hear from Victoria’s Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Ingrid Stitt, who announced the upcoming launch of a new Victorian Multicultural Health Survey – a timely step towards creating a more culturally responsive health system. Tomorrow, ECCV Board Member Dr Medha Gunawardana will present on Intersectional Approaches to Healthcare, an important discussion on how we can better embed equity across the health system. ECCV is proud to be part of this important event – thank you to FECCA (Federation of Ethnic Communities' Councils of Australia) and all the organisers for bringing it together. We hope to meet many more of you tomorrow – come by the ECCV stall and say hello! #ECCV #FECCA #MulticulturalHealth #HealthEquity Abiola Akinbiyi Farah Farouque James Houghton Elmina Joldić Jill Morgan AM Nikolaus Rittinghausen Surmeli Yesilyurt