Ms BURNET – I note that there was no funding allocated for a counselling program for victims of racist attacks and hate crimes. This program was making a difference and with the spike of recent racially‑motivated attacks in our community and those concerns raised by Mrs Greene, it is essential that people from refugee and migrant backgrounds are able to access appropriate support. Minister, can you explain why the funding was cut and whether the government will commit to refunding this program in the future?
Ms OGILVIE – Can I just ask you the name of the fund just to help me?
Ms BURNET – Well, it was a counselling program for victims of hate crimes.
Ms OGILVIE – Counselling programs for attacks and hate crimes. The Phoenix Group? No. Okay no, you have it, we are just checking for you. Just trying to get the information.
Ms KELLY – Was it the MSA funding?
Ms BURNET – Could be, yes.
Ms KELLY – We believe that might have been a fixed‑term program through the Migrant Resource Centre.
Ms BURNET – It quite possibly was, so fixed term, but I mean it’s a really important service. What’s going to take its place?
Ms KELLY – That’s something that we can consider through the social cohesion funding that we’ve got, so we might take that one away.
Ms OGILVIE – Great. Yes, thank you, if you take that on board.
Ms BURNET – Yes. That makes it really hard for organisations to plan ahead, and if they’ve got something in train, wouldn’t it be better to properly fund that in the first instance?
Ms KELLY – That’s a another really nice example around the council that we’re establishing, and helping to inform priorities in that sector, and where representatives would like to see funding allocated and submitting through that budget process.
Ms BURNET – Thank you. My second question is around concerns raised by various multicultural community leaders around programs for victim/survivors of family and sexual violence, especially those on student and temporary visas; these are really vulnerable members of our community for various reasons and they may not always have employment, and it often falls to community leaders to support them out of their own pockets. Can you confirm whether your government would be open to providing funding for this, and if so, what would this look like?
Ms OGILVIE – I think that probably does fit in Ms Howlett’s portfolio, which is Women and the Prevention of Family Violence. I think you raise a really important question, because I see that particularly the student cohort, I agree with you, there’s the vulnerability piece there. Also, new migrants, language concerns, those sorts of things. I want to be very open to that question. I’m not sure that we do anything in our group or whether I should perhaps enlist Ms Howlett in the conversation on that.
Ms KELLY – Through you, minister. The family violence unit sits within the Department of Premier and Cabinet as well. That’s something that, at a departmental level, we can raise and discuss through them, but as the minister said, it would be good to do it through the minister, too.
Ms OGILVIE – I agree with you. It’s a double‑edged question, because it has migrants and the family violence pieces. I’m really happy to take that idea up and commit to doing that.
Ms BURNET – It may be something that’s funded in the next budget.
Ms OGILVIE – Absolutely. You have to put budget submissions forward. You’ve missed me having to say this many times today: we have a constrained budget environment, et cetera, but I’m imploring groups to put budget submissions in, particularly for important priority projects. I will be a very strong advocate.
