Tuesday, 30 August 2022

Casey community hubs

Mr MAAS (Narre Warren South) (19:08): (6509) The matter I wish to raise is for the attention of the Minister for Multicultural Affairs and concerns support for Casey community hubs. The action I seek is that the minister provide any information on state government support for the Casey community hubs that serve my electorate of Narre Warren South. I recently had the pleasure of representing the minister at the official launch of the opening of the five Casey community hubs, and indeed I would like to thank Jana and the Smith Family as well as Community Hubs Australia for their warm welcome at the launch.

My electorate is very diverse. It is a really multicultural area, and these hubs support newly arrived migrants. The hubs are part of our assistance for our CALD communities and are integral to connecting people in need of support to education, social networks and essential services. Our CALD members make a wonderful contribution not only to Narre Warren South but to our state. These Casey hubs will work alongside the national community hubs program and especially help migrant women and young children. We see the positive impacts these places have on countless families each day. I really enjoyed hearing the stories of hub members and how hubs have assisted them in their new communities. I know that these hubs are needed, and they are a leading model of support for my constituents. I would appreciate it if the minister could provide any further information on how the state government is assisting the rollout of community hubs and providing support for the CALD members in my electorate, and I look forward to sharing the minister’s response with my community.