CEO message: April
We have been deeply concerned by the growing number of brazen, hate-fuelled public attacks on many in our community, and in particular the impacts these have on young people we work with.
Earlier this month, stronger anti-hate laws were rolled out in Victoria, which will protect more people who have been targeted by hate speech and hateful behaviour because of parts of their identity. CMY actively contributed to advocacy to strengthen these laws, with a focus on protecting multicultural young people facing discrimination based on intersecting identities.
You can find out more about the strengthened laws and your rights in this video explainer and fact sheet from the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission.
CMY is appalled by the disgraceful booing of the Welcome to Country by Bunurong and Gunditjmara elder Uncle Mark Brown at the Anzac Day dawn service in Melbourne on the weekend. Indigenous elders across the country faced similar disrespect at services as they performed their Welcome to Country, and honoured Aboriginal servicemen and women who fought for this country. CMY condemns such hateful behaviour directed towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander elders and community, which has absolutely no place in this state nor country.
CMY recently welcomed the new Victorian Cabinet appointed by the Premier, the Hon Jacinta Allan MP. Our team was pleased to have the opportunity to meet with the new Minister for Youth, the Hon Luba Grigorovitch MP, who took the time to meet with staff and young people from Le Mana Pasifika Project in her first weeks on the job, together with Steve McGhie MP, Member for Melton.
One young Samoan woman reflected, “It was cool to actually be heard today, we hardly have anywhere where we talk and the adults sit and listen.”
CMY would also like to express our deep gratitude to the Hon Natalie Suleyman MP, for her unwavering support of CMY and multicultural young people during her time as Minister for Youth. We wish her well with her new portfolio.
Carmel Guerra OAM
CMY CEO