Migrant Settlement Committee (Eastern Region)

PO Box 94 Forest Hill 3131 Chairperson: Tel: 0424 441 051 Sam Navarria Deputy Chair: Cynthia Shaw

MIGRANT SETTLEMENT COMMITTEE (EASTERN REGION) Standing Committee of the Communities’ Council on Ethnic Issues (Eastern Region) Inc Reg. No. A0017562S Minutes – September 2nd 2011 Whitehorse Community Centre, 79 Mahoneys Road, Forest Hill

1. Welcome – Sam welcomed MSC members and guest Neil Sheldon, CEO METEC. MSC members introduced themselves. 2. Present: Leonie Burnham ECLC Inner East Office, Manager Chris Cosgriff CCOEI President, ANCHOR Glenis Crocker CCOEI, Secretary Rebecca Dunsdon MIC Settlement and Community Development Leigh Gilmore Sheriff Office Box Hill, Sheriff Officer Marilyn Gurry Community Member Daisy Luo DIAC State Office, Settlement Grants Manager Kiri McKendrik Sheriff Office, Ringwood Penny Moore City of Maroondah, Community Development Officer Marg Moran Croydon Hills Baptist Church (CHBC), Karen Support Coordinator Sam Navarria AMES, CCOEI Kirsten Reedy Manningham, Planning and Development Officer Meg Scolyer Eastern Access Community Health, Health Promotion Officer Cynthia Shaw Louise Multicultural Community Centre Manager, CCOEI Elizabeth Sidiropoulos Victoria Police Vivien Smale Consumer Affairs Victoria EMR, Regional Manager Julie Simpson Victoria Police Sue Tailor DHS, Centrelink, Multicultural Services Officer Shahan Tan AMES Box Hill, AEUM Bwe Thay Swinburne University, AMEP Pathway Counsellor Sui Ting Tse Louise Multicultural Community Centre, CCOEI Clary Verbunt CCOEI Carla Warr Victoria Police Apologies: Natasha Andrew Maurice Blackburn Lawyers, Solicitor Jeska Chamberlain VicPol Robert Colla BELS, Principal Mervat Dahdoule MIC Eastern Melbourne, CPO Mark Davies Centrelink, MSO Janet Dean Swinburne University Twanny Farrugia CCOEI Lyn Flynn Victoria Police Belinda Gillam Knox City Council Community Development Officer, ANCHOR Nicole Hunter City of Knox Jack Intsiadis Centrelink MSO Suzette Kabaila Oakleigh AMES, Education Unit Manager Jasmina Mulugeta Foundation House Thomas Mung Foundation House Madeleine Parker DEECD, School Development Officer ESL Desiree Terrill EACH, Social and Community Health, Community Development Officer Heather Weaver AMES Box Hill, Education Unit Manager Kim West VicPol, Inspector

MSC Minutes September 2011 1 3. Minutes of August meeting Minutes circulated prior to the meeting. No amendments received. Moved Chris, seconded Meg. Accepted. 4. Business Arising: Business arising incorporated in the agenda. 5. Settlement Needs in your Area – on going item for input to DIAC re unmet needs. 6. 6.1 METEC Driver Handbook: Neil Sheldon and Chris Cosgriff Background: METEC is a driver education and training centre in Bayswater North. The centre, built on 10 hectares of land, has about 5km of private roads including all the usual traffic features such as intersections, traffic lights, roundabouts etc to provide an ideal learner's training facility. All cars are dual controlled with qualified drivers. METEC is a community not-for-profit organisation (i.e. self funded as it does not receive funding). Initially this organisation was set up to train young people to drive. Many Year 10 students take part each year. It must be stressed that this is not driving lessons but driving practice. This program provides participants with their first basic steps into the world of driving, where this might have been too dangerous on public roads, however much safer at the METEC site.

METEC’s Refugee Driver Handbook: The need for a Driver Handbook resulted from barriers to communication experienced by students and driving trainers alike. A simple resource for students was an obvious answer to this issue. Project partners included organisations such as the Migrant Information Centre and Blackburn English Language School. In the back of the book one can find all the words required when learning about driving and this has been added to many times to come up with a comprehensive list. This resource is available to anyone and can be provided in an electronic form. Contact Neil for a copy but be aware that it is a very large file.

6.2 Open Forum: focus on projects EACH (Meg Scolyer)  Refugee Health Nurse Program Evaluation: This report looks into all aspects of the services provided by the Refugee Health Nurse program. With the assistance of a student placement position at EACH community consultation was undertaken. Issues such as the use of interpreters in health assessments were explored and the findings across the board were pleasing in that refugees are not falling through the gaps. One recommendation is that more GPs should use interpreters. For questions about the evaluation and the report contact Meg. (The evaluation was subsequently e.mailed to MSC Members)  Surveying maternity model for refugee women in the east. 8 month project. Undertaking consultation with community groups and providers.  Immunization Advocacy project – discussion paper being developed in partnership with EACH, Maroondah City Council an Eastern region GPs.

Victoria Police (Julie Simpson) - L to P program: Discussion of L to B generated much interest. Car has been made available from Garry and Warren Smith dealership. Discussed possibility of sharing car with other agencies (City of Maroondah, EACH). The L to P is one strategy to manage the required 120 hours of driving practice. City of Manningham in partnership with YWCA is involved in similar program, providing mentors. Volunteer drivers welcome. MIC is also active in supporting driving practice through a program funded from Vic Roads, DIAC, and VMC. MIC are managing AMES car to provide practice via volunteers. How are volunteers sourced? Through AMES, Lions, Rotary and Probus

Leonie noted the discriminatory nature of the legislation and equal opportunity.

Louise Multicultural Community Centre (Cynthia Shaw) - Funding has been received from DHS to increase participation by migrants with a disability in community centres and neighbourhood houses. Traditionally this is a difficult group to reach out to due to a range of issues such as additional barriers faced including: stereotyping; myths and community stigma. A worker will be employed to run this program which includes activities such as volunteering; work experience; life coach program; social networking/skype for isolated people in their homes as well as ESL at Louise for those who need it. One initiative to get people with a disability to participate is to invite them to the MASK Festival on the 26th October 2011. There will be community performances, singing, dancing and a light lunch. The ultimate purpose of this festival is to share cultures, celebrate diversity and promote harmony in the community. Cynthia will send a flyer to MSC members within the next few weeks.

MSC Minutes September 2011 2 Everyone is welcome to attend (the cost is $12 per person except those with a disability and their carers will only pay $6.00 each to cover their lunch). This Mask Festival is the LMCC annual fundraiser. William Barak project (Chris Cosgriff) –. Work on steering committee to organise the re- enactment of the mid 1800 William Barak walk from Healesville to Melbourne continuing. (William Barak’s walk covered the territory of 6 municipalities). Expected to take 12 months to get ready.

7. MSC Calendar 2011: meeting focus and forums.

MEETING FOCUS DATE/ FORUMS/ACTIVITIES MONT and working groups H Settlement Services (IHSS, CCS; AMEP; 04 Feb SGP) in Victoria: Leah Nichles, Director, Settlement and Multicultural Affairs, DIAC 04 Harmony Day METEC: Neill Sheldon March Refugee and Immigration Legal Centre 01 (RILC) – The work of RILC and April developments in immigration law David Manne (RILC) New settlement services program: Jenny 06 May Interfaith: working group – local government: Richards, DIAC. Ramesh Kumar, HSS AMES Vivian (City of Whitehorse), CCOEI. Consortium in attendance. Family violence forum: Meg (EACH), Glenis (CCOEI), Jeska (VicPol), Leonie (ECLC), Jasmina (Foundation). Overview: DIAC’s Community Liaison 03 June Refugee Week: focus on youth. Convenor Mervat Officers , Josh Presser and Alice Bettie, (MIC), Jeska (VicPol), Chris (CCOEI), Heather CLOs DIAC State Office (AMES Box Hill), Nick (CMY), Janet (Swinburne University), Robyn (MIC), Leonie (ECLC), Joseph (Department of Justice), Vivian (City of Whitehorse)

Employment workshop/forum (Swinburne Croydon campus) 3 June. Focus: refugees. Convenor Sally (Centrelink), reps from Swinburne, CCOEI, Centrelink Career Information Centre No meeting 01 July Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA) 05 Aug Carers / Aged Care. Working group: CCOEI, MIC Louise Olliff, Settlement Policy Coordinator, (suggested speaker – Sharon Porteous. Cynthia RCOA will discuss with Sharon) City of Boroondara, CALD Outreach Project, City of Boroondara, Fiona Brown, Senior Policy and Project Officer, City of Boroondara. Launch of the Learner Driver Handbook – 02 Refugee Health forum 15th September. Possible METEC. Neill Sheldon. Sept theme: social determinants of health (employment, language, housing etc.) and refugee entrants. Working group to be convened by Meg (EACH), reps from Refugee Health Nursing Service, OEPCP, CCOEI, Merilyn (EACH), Robyn (MIC), Jacky Close, Lena D.

International Students Working Group: Leonie and/or Vivian convenor, Pip Smith (Knox City), Vivien (CAV), Cynthia (Louise, CCOEI) Refugee Health Services – Meg Scolyer 7 Youth programs across AMES – Margot Hennessy

MSC Minutes September 2011 3 Victorian Multicultural commission – where 04 Nov Employment, Education and Training is it at? expo/forum at Swinburne Wantirna campus, 11 November. Focus: skilled migrants and refugees. MSC review 2011 and planning 2012 Working group: Convenor from Centrelink (Mark?), Serena, Belinda, Swinburne and CCOEI reps. No meeting 2 Dec Other areas of interest for future meetings: youth; family support programs and services (organisations delivering services: Uniting Care, Anglicare, Family Relationships Australia); Volunteering and mentoring: a focus on CALD. Provisional spouse entrants: access/lack of access to services (speakers from Immigrant Women’s Domestic Violence network) (Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (explore MSC to visit/meet at the centre)

8. Forum reports MSC Refugee Health Forum (Meg) Various presentations from providers. Lots of interest and have had to put a limit to number attending. Possibility of running the same program again given the overwhelming interest. Catering by Sorghum Sisters (an AMES catering enterprise).

9. Agency Reports AMEP Box Hill (Shahan)  Currently there are about 700 AMEP clients enrolled at Box Hill AMES  Refurbishment of 36-40 Prospect Street has started and is hoped to be completed by mid November. This will cause some inconvenience, but no disruption to classes  In Term IV planning Youth – Young Adults class. This class will be full time and will include General English, English for Learner Driver Licence and one day a week at TAFE. A survey of students will determine the training program to be offered.

AMEP – Swinburne Croydon and Wantirna (Bwe Thai) – Noted the start of AMEP term 4 classes on October 10 and the Employment Pathways programs (SLPET) across a number of AMEP sites (focus on employment and vocational study). Centrelink (Sue Taylor). Informed MSC of a major change to Family Tax Benefit. Sui Ting Tse (LMCC and CCOEI): expressed deep-felt gratitude to CCOEI for the valuable work being done by a totally volunteer organisation. Noted the website re court case on the Malaysian case for the attention of members. http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/cth/HCA/2011/32.html

CCOEI (Chris and Glenis)  Vote of thanks to Julie Lyons for organising the refurbishment at Mahoneys Road Forest Hill (the new home pf CCOEI). Flowers for Julie from CCOEI and MSC  Fair Work Australia pamphlets have been received in various languages and available.

Victoria Police Multicultural Liaison Unit (Liz)  140 youth went to the free Collingwood versus Brisbane Lions football match at the MSG (40 from Maroondah, as well as 40 Egyptian background youth from Manningham - Coptic Church in Bulleen) and also Sudanese youth.  Manningham Pakistani community attending mosque in George St Doncaster – good contact with youth Moslems.  Presentation at Oakleigh AMES for recently arrived adult migrants and refugees  Zhu Shi foundation – supporting homeless youth and adults – please promote this initiative.  Cross cultural training day with Monash City Council staff. Interest has been expressed in conducting other such sessions in other areas, e.g. Latrobe Valley.  Carla scoping what information is available on community contacts – MSC suggested contacts are available from Councils and VMC. Members of the MSC also offered to provide contacts. Centrelink MLOs also an important source as are the DIAC CLOs.

Consumer Affairs Victoria (Vivien) - Working with communities from Burma (including Zhomi ethnic group).

EACH (Meg) – refer to projects above.

MSC Minutes September 2011 4 MIC (Rebecca)  Driver’s course (refer to projects section above);  Social inclusion work with Women’s Health South East to engage communities from Iraq and Iran;  Green Town Project: environment assessor from Burmese background. A partnership with Environment Victoria who have funding from Department of Sustainability. Volunteering as a pathway to work strategy and help own community.

Sheriff’s Office Ringwood (Kiri) – Information session scheduled for September 20 with Afghan men.

Louise Multicultural Centre (Cynthia) – see reference to project above

DIAC (Daisy)  Settlement Update (Sam has circulated electronically to MSC). Attention drawn to applications for various grants (refer to Settlement Update). Funding Grants closing on 23rd September.  Daisy encouraged MSC to use Settlement Needs in Your Area form to notify DIAC of unmet needs, and also to make use of the CLOs in connecting with various communities.  High Court decision with regard to the Malaysian solution is available on DIAC website.

Local Government: City of Maroondah (Penny Moore)  Successful funding for Karen Kitchen. Funding grant will be coordinated by the MIC on behalf of the Karen Kitchen.  In October City of Maroondah partnering with Victoria Police on a project.

Local Government: City of Manningham (Kirsten) – multicultural festival will be held in November.

Next Meeting: Friday 7th October 2011 Focus: Observations/reflections on the Refugee Health Program Forum (Meg Scolyer, EACH Health Promotion Officer) Youth programs across AMES in Melbourne (Margot Hennessy, AMES Youth Services Coordinator)

MSC Minutes September 2011 5