Multicultural WA in North Perth, Western Australia | Social service

Multicultural WA

Locality: North Perth, Western Australia

Phone: +61 8 9227 5322

Address: 20 View Street 6006 North Perth, WA, Australia

Website: http://www.eccwa.org.au

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• Non-profit organisation
• Community organisation
• Social service

25.01.2022 International Women’s Day Media release 2021 The Ethnic Communities Council of WA (ECCWA) is celebrating International Women’s Day by holding a networking evening on Wednesday 24th March 2021. The theme for this year is Women in Leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world. The theme is especially pertinent now because we have seen women standing together with their sisters to demand their right to safety and respect; in recent times we have heard many shocking... and sad stories of women being the targets of victimising behaviour. This year’s theme celebrates the enormous efforts by women and girls around the world in standing strong and shaping a more equal future. The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the disproportionate burdens borne by women, such as unemployment, being cut off from support networks and the increase in issues of Family and Domestic Violence. Across the globe, women are leading organisations and institutions carrying out effective and inclusive COVID-19 response, from the highest level of decision-making through to front-line service delivery. Women bring different experiences, perspectives and skills to the table and make invaluable contributions to decisions, policies and laws that work better for all. The focus of our night is to celebrate these women and their strength. We are looking at women who are leaders in all types of communities, in both the public and the private spheres. Therefore, we urge those who support gender equity to ensure that gender equity also encompasses equity from the perspective of Aboriginality, ethnicity, faith, disability, etc. The level of diversity in WA is at an all-time high which is mentioned by our governments as a measure of our multi-cultural credentials; and we have some women from CaLD communities in positions of authority in decision making bodies, but not enough. ECCWA is leading by example with 50% of our Board being women and 40% of our Executive being women. 100% of our staff are women. ECCWA values the contribution that women make to the leadership of our community. Tonight, we will be having performances from a range of people who hail from many ethnic backgrounds such as Vietnam, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, and the Pacific Islands. Our staff also includes women from India, Turkey, Spain, Egypt, Pakistan, Iraq, South Sudan, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Singapore. Mamta Kochhar Vice President Women’s Interests ECCWA 24.03.202

25.01.2022 My letter to the editor: "I find it quite remarkable that our Opposition Leader, Liza Harvey, refuses to rule out a preference deal with One Nation. This would ...have to be the action of someone who has not read the mood of the room. Queensland has just delivered a resounding smack in the face of One Nation and decimated their primary vote. That party has based its entire existence on policies that are mired in the hatred of racism. Just look back at the performance of their leader in recent years. Dressing in a Burka, moving a motion that it’s ok to be white (the catchcry of the White Supremacists overseas) etc. are all the actions of people whose raison d’etre is unadulterated racism. What makes this decision by Ms Harvey even more galling is the fact that she holds the portfolio of Multicultural Interests. I also note that former leader Colin Barnett has cautioned against the cosy preference deal. I urge each Liberal candidate to adopt the principled stance of Eoin Cameron, some years ago, when standing for the seat of Stirling, he went against the status of the party machinery and refused to exchange preferences with One Nation. This ultimately cost him the seat but won him the respect of the culturally and linguistically diverse communities of Perth. Sincerely Suresh Rajan President ECCWA 20 View Street North Perth WA 6006"

23.01.2022 Letter to the editor published today: Desmond, Robert, Kenneth et al FYI. Re Deaths in Custody Monday 5 April 2021 Between March 2 and last weekend there have b...een five Indigenous people who have died across Australia. The common element in all these deaths has been that the deceased were in custody or in a pursuit by the police of various jurisdictions. The Royal Commission that was established to enquire into the deaths of Aboriginal People in custody tabled its report in April 1991. Thirty years later in April of this year we continue to lament the fact that there is still an extraordinarily high number of Aboriginal deaths in custody. I ask the governments of State and Federal jurisdictions what became of the 339 recommendations that were tabled back then? If they have been implemented, then clearly they are not working. Is it time for us to abandon the pretence of care that we have demonstrated to this point and revisit this issue? Whether this is done at a Commission level or a parliamentary level is almost a moot point. What needs to happen now is for there to be bold and decisive action by governments to implement a key performance indicator that indicates a halving of the deaths in custody numbers in the next twelve months and to further reduction soon thereafter. Perhaps a government that has almost complete control of both houses of Parliament (such as the one we have in WA) should lead the way in this area of massive reform that is required. Yours faithfully Suresh Rajan 0403 276 960

22.01.2022 Letter from our President to the papers.

19.01.2022 Letter to the editor from our President.

19.01.2022 Letter from our President in today’s paper.

18.01.2022 An interview our President Suresh Rajan, did on ABC Radio with Andrea Gibbs. They discussed "Unconscious Bias".

17.01.2022 Ben Harvey wrote this piece in The West yesterday about being a grumpy old man. In that piece he complained about "people who get upset at old people mentioning... someone's race when it is not pertinent to the story they are telling". I responded with this letter but it appears the west isn't running it: "28/09/2020 It’s not racist, it’s a generational thing. There are a few issues about this statement made by Ben Harvey in his column yesterday. Firstly, let me be clear about this. For a statement or an act to be racist, there is no need to establish the intent of the person. An act or statement can be racist even if there was no intent behind the statement (as appears to be the case with Ben’s Aunty!). What we generally look at is the outcome of the action or statement. Our WA Criminal Code reflects this and can impose a penalty even when the intent is unproven. This is the Lesser Penalty in the Code. Secondly, I worked extensively with WA Police in the past to remove the use of ethnic descriptors in reporting crimes. Our motivation in pushing this issue through to fruition was the potential stereotyping that tends to occur. In the past we referred to crimes that were allegedly perpetrated by people of Middle Eastern or Asian or African descent. The futility of these terms is readily apparent. For example, in Britain, the term Asian generally includes those of Indian and Pakistani origin. Here it doesn’t. Further, people of Turkish origin could be considered either Asian or European or even Middle Eastern. And a White South African is as much an African as is a Black Zimbabwean. Ethnic Descriptors too may be a generational thing, but they certainly have the potential to be used as a stereotype to typecast the majority of the people of that perceived ethnic group. So unfortunately for Ben’s Aunty, she would probably run foul of advocacy campaigns I may run in this space! And if it is not pertinent to the story they are telling then why use a descriptor of any kind? Sincerely Suresh Rajan President, ECCWA 20 View Street North Perth 6006 0403 276 960"

17.01.2022 https://www.google.com/a/s/amp.abc.net.au/article/100050248

14.01.2022 Article from SBS this morning

12.01.2022 From the Stirling Times today. Refers to the Racism Matters page we established

12.01.2022 ECCWA commends the changes to AMEP The Ethnic Communities Council of WA today commended the Morrison government on its decision to overhaul the AMEP program. Acting Immigration Minister Alan Tudge will announce changes to the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) at the National Press Club on Friday, which includes the lifting of the cap on class hours and removing the five year time limit in which those eligible can access the scheme. The AMEP currently provides most migrants... 510 hours of free language tuition. ECCWA did a study of the English lessons program some years ago and found that on average some of the participants in the program were taking up to 7 years to finish their free hours. ECCWA President Suresh Rajan said We commend the Morrison Government on their decision to overhaul the program. We agree that English language expression at conversational level is vital to the integration of people in our community. There are however, a couple of riders that we mention. Firstly for people to be able to access these classes there needs to be such things as culturally appropriate child care facilities. Years ago, we had an Ethnic Childcare Resource Unit, funded by the Federal Government. That is no longer the case. When people come in to this country, particularly from a Humanitarian background, the priority is usually survival and dealing with the mental health issues resulting from a war torn, torture and trauma background. English lessons become less critical. So we emphasise that these other matters need to be attended to with just as much of a priority The other matter that we raise relates to the likelihood of our ageing CaLD population to be diagnosed with Dementia and Alzheimer’s. One of the issues with these conditions is a reversion to first language. Often the learning of English can mean a loss of their own native language. This will mean that if they do revert to first language it will lead to a loss of ability to communicate with their children and loved ones who have now become English speakers with no native language ability. So, we are supportive of the need to learn English but we also ask that people consider the issues of retention of their own language, if possible said Mr Rajan. For Media Enquiries please contact Suresh Rajan on 0403 276 960

11.01.2022 From our President's page

10.01.2022 ECCWA President Suresh Rajan spoke at Rotary Club of Karrinyup meeting this week.

08.01.2022 Matter referred by our President Suresh Rajan regarding a court procedure matter. Maybe helpful if you are supporting somebody in a legal matter.

08.01.2022 And we learn more of this young boy now regarded as missing at sea. He was 16, came here at age 14, of immense and strong faith. He is believed to have gone in ...the water and saved his cousin who was caught there. Such tragedy - we mourn with the family My letter to the editor, published today in The West: "25/11/2020 And so another young person from the culturally and linguistically diverse community dies at the sea in Scarborough. And yet again we implore the authorities to do something about educating these people coming in from overseas about water safety. This young lad had only been here two years. He came from a land locked country. He would have had little or no exposure to the treachery of the seas and oceans that we may have grown up with here in Australia. Issues of swimming etc would not ever have been a consideration. Personally, I grew up in South East Asia. I have lived here for 45 years. I do not know how to swim. But this is not considered a major failing in my cultural community. Here, in Australia, I would be a rarity. In recent years we have seen a number of deaths in our migrant communities attributable to water issues. It is imperative that we teach some element of water safety to everyone coming to our shores. We hope that the Minister for Multicultural Interests regards this with the same urgency as did Dr Mike Nahan, when he was the Minister. He funded programs to achieve this back then. Sincerely Suresh Rajan"

06.01.2022 Letter to the editor from our President Suresh Rajan.

05.01.2022 City of Stirling needs to be commended for organising this session. I’ve done my bit and will be back for a Panel session.

04.01.2022 Modern Slavery: Moving Forward, Looking Back webinar Webinar Details DATE: 27 MAY, 2021... TIME: 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM AEDT (Sydney, Australia) Over the past two decades, governments, private foundations, philanthropists, business, non-government organisations, (NGOs), inter-governmental organisations (IGOs), faith-based organisations, consumers and concerned citizens have spent billions of dollars to end human trafficking and modern slavery. Legislation and national action plans focused on prevention, prosecution and protection have been enacted around the world with partnership recommended as a key strategy for success. Aid and development projects to address root causes have targeted vulnerable people across the world and extensive research has been conducted to measure the problem, solutions and outcomes. In some parts of the world the anti-trafficking sector has become the anti-slavery sector and now includes survivor leaders, business leaders, celebrities, sustainability and supply chain professionals and worker organisations. As Australia moves forward with its own National Action Plan (NAP) to Combat Modern Slavery 2020-2025 and a forthcoming International Strategy what can be learned from previous initiatives to help inform next steps? Register for the webinar here: https://acu.swoogo.com/Modern-Slavery

03.01.2022 Interview done by our President on 6PR last night.

01.01.2022 The West ran a letter of mine today. It was about the futility of the Australian Citizenship tests and the changes made the other day. This is the text of the l...etter: "19/09/2020 Minister Alan Tudge has announced changes to the Citizenship test that we subject applicants to. The tests are supposedly now going to include Australian values. Let me make a few points in this regard: I did the test myself and I am pleased to say that I did get 100%. So my comments are not coming from a disgruntled person who failed the test. I have been an Australian citizen for around 40 years. 1. Equality of men and women in Australia- Yes I agree that it is not the same in all countries. We, in Australia, have had one woman PM. Other countries such as India, Bangladesh, Pakistan etc have had one or more and a long time before we elected Julia Gillard. Further, in the top 200 companies here, only 10 have female CEO's. So we have a long way to go in Australia to achieve equality. 2. What do we achieve by subjecting someone to a test 4 years after they come here to reside as a Permanent Resident? If they fail - they remain here and function as per normal but can't vote or work in the public service. I don’t know that many would lose any sleep over those restrictions. 3. Passing a Citizenship test does not make you a better citizen, just like getting a drivers licence does not make you a better driver. 4. Those things that Minister Tudge refers to as "Australian" values are hardly unique to us. They are good societal values at best. 5. If there was ONE thing that I would rather see the Minister spend money on to help people integrate better and achieve social cohesion in Australian society -I would request the funding of Transcultural Mental Health Networks because we have none. I would ask all Coroners’ offices to keep suicide Ethnicity data so I can ascertain which cultural groups have a higher propensity to suicide. This will help me also work out what mental health services we need to have. There is so much to do in terms of "getting on with each other" and Citizenship tests achieve nothing in terms of the integration principles. We are also a LONG way behind in testing the applicants for citizenship now. Let us address those things and the issues above before we go changing the questions in the test to satisfy some nationalist bigotry! Suresh Rajan President, ECCWA 20 View Street NORTH PERTH WA 6006"

01.01.2022 If you were born in Sub-Saharan Africa, North East or South East Asia , help us improve community health and to bridge the health gap between domestic and overseas born people! The Migrant Blood-borne viruses and Sexual Health Survey is a national research project led by Curtin University in partnership with the Ethnic Communities Council of WA. The survey only takes 10 mins to complete, plus you can go into the draw to win a $200 voucher... Click this link to complete this survey now! https://bit.ly/2EGddwv

01.01.2022 ECCWA sends our love and thoughts to our NZ brothers and sisters. The Ethnic Communities Council of WA today offered its sincere love and thoughts to our NZ brothers and sisters as the decision in the case of the Australian terrorist was handed down. The outcome in the case of the Australian born man was to sentence him to a life in prison with no parole opportunity. This is a sentence without precedent in NZ history. And likewise, the crime was one without precedent in NZ hi...story. ECCWA President, Suresh Rajan conveyed his thoughts and sent his love to all in the community in NZ and said We journey with our brothers and sisters across the ditch. Over the last few days so many of the families who were impacted by the actions of this criminal have had to relive the circumstances that befell them when he undertook his murderous activities. For them it would have been a very difficult exercise. We hope that they will have achieved some closure in knowing that the perpetrator of these actions will never see the light of day outside of his prison walls Our families in New Zealand, particularly those of Islamic faith have had to endure the initial actions of this terrorist and now had to hear about the impact again as the Victim Impact Statements were read out in the court of law. This would have caused them some considerable anxiety. Fortunately this path is now ended and the perpetrator has received the maximum possible sentence that he could have had. Now it is time to close and heal from the effects of all of that. We offer our help if they ever require it to assist them in that journey. Post Covid 19 restrictions on visiting we would happily offer our hospitality to encourage the healing process that all of them would need to endure. For now, rest assured that our thoughts and minds are firmly focused on your pain and we wish you all well in getting on with your lives. For Media Enquiries please contact Suresh Rajan on 0403 276 960