Hello and welcome to the November edition of our community stakeholder newsletter.
Last night my team and I attended the NSW Premier’s Awards Ceremony. Multicultural NSW were finalists in two categories – Putting Citizens at the Centre, and Recovery and Resilience. I was also humbled to be nominated for Public Servant of the Year.
While we didn’t take home the prizes, we’re so immensely proud of the work we’ve delivered during the COVID-19 pandemic. The nominations are recognition of my team and my colleagues right across NSW Government and most importantly, for YOU, the community we aimed to support. The last few years have been difficult but as a community, we have shown that we really are stronger together.
In other news this month, we have invested $8 million into 21 major cultural festivals and events run by 15 local councils across Sydney, the Hunter and Newcastle, and the Illawarra. By partnering with these councils over the next two years, we’ll boost local cultural celebrations to cater for bigger crowds so tourists can experience everything their city has to offer. You can read more about the council partnerships here.
This year we’ve also funded more than 200 community groups through our community Festivals and Events and Project Grants programs. These grants are all about supporting organisations and projects that strengthen community connectedness and celebrate cultural diversity.
Settlement service providers and NGOs also received additional funding this month to continue caring for people seeking asylum and other vulnerable temporary visa holders. This takes the NSW Government funding for these organisations to more than $20 million over the past two years, allowing them to continue to support some of society’s most vulnerable people.
Lastly, I’m excited to announce that tickets are now available for the 2023 Premier’s Harmony Dinner. The gala event celebrates the significant contributions made by our community leaders and I hope to see you all there.
To learn more about Multicultural NSW and the organisations we support, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Thanks for your continued support.
Joseph La Posta
CEO, Multicultural NSW
