Wednesday, 22 June 2022

 Mr TAK (Clarinda) (09:48): It was my pleasure to join the launch of the Friends of Refugees community garden on Monday. Monday marked the start of Refugee Week and World Refugee Day. Refugee Week is a global celebration of the many ways people from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds enrich our communities and culture. Every year a new theme is set to raise awareness of issues affecting refugees. This year’s theme is about healing, casting a spotlight on how all of our community can come together to heal from shared hardships, to learn from each other and to move forward.

Victoria typically has the largest refugee intake and the highest number of asylum seekers in Australia, with around 4000 people settling in Victoria each year through the humanitarian program. Friends of Refugees is a vital resource for so many refugees and asylum seekers in Melbourne’s south-east. CEO and founder Sri Samy is a tireless advocate for the community, as are committee members Jinny, Naresh, Andre and Mitch and of course my good friend former mayor Roz Blades AM. Your work is inspiring, and the Victorian government is extremely proud to support this important work for a stronger and fairer Victoria.