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18 JUNE, 2024
Celebrating refugees
Sara Mohamed will MC the Refugee Week celebration at the Sydenham Neighbourhood House. (Damjan Janevski) 411999_01
Running from June 16-22, the theme for Refugee Week this year is ‘Finding Freedom’, focussing on the vital role of family bonds in the refugee journey. In Brimbank, the Sydenham Neighbourhood House will host a special event, ‘Our stories of finding freedom: Family’, on June 21. Community members will share their refugee stories as part of the event. There will also be performances from local cultural dance groups. Attendees are encouraged to wear cultural attire to celebrate the diversity and creativity of refugees in the community. Brimbank mayor Ranka Rasic said Brimbank is a refugee welcome zone and proudly one of the most culturally diverse municipalities in Victoria. “It has a long history of welcoming refugees and has benefitted enormously from the contributions they make to our community,” she said. “Refugee Week in Brimbank this year is an opportunity to learn more about the challenges refugees have faced when seeking safety in Australia, and better understand how we can support them in finding freedom for their families.” The event will run from 7-9pm at 1 Station Street, Taylors Lakes. Register at https://www.trybooking. com/CSGKK or by calling 9249 4224.
Letter pleads for Calder By Gerald Lynch Pleas for funding continue to ring out from Calder Freeway users as they face the harsh reality left as a result of withdrawn funds. The Calder Action Group has written a letter to the federal opposition, urging its leader, Peter Dutton, to commit to funding a much-needed upgrade. The federal government had allocated $50 million in funding in 2019, with the state government announcing it would also allocate $50 million to the project in 2021. Since then, both funding allocations have been abandoned. As reported by Star Weekly, the federal government released its long-awaited
national infrastructure review in November 2023, revealing the withdrawal of the funding. In May, the state government then confirmed its decision to pause the freeway upgrade as it works with the federal government to “understand the impact” of its decision to withdraw its funding. In the letter to Mr Dutton, Calder Action Group president Russell Mowatt said the group wanted to express its “deep disappointment and concern over the federal government’s decision to cut funding for the Calder Freeway upgrade”. “This decision is a travesty for the local community, and we are seeking a review of this decision,” he said.
“We have been working tirelessly with federal and state governments, local councils, government agencies, transport authorities, and local stakeholders to push for improvements to this critical road. “We believe that the federal government’s decision to cut funding does not reflect the view and mood of the community at large and devalues the efforts of all stakeholders over the last 12 years. “The Calder Freeway is one of Victoria’s most dangerous roads, and it is in urgent need of safety improvements. It is also expected to be Melbourne’s second-most congested road by 2031.” Mr Mowatt urged Mr Dutton to review the government’s decision and to reveal the
opposition’s plans for future funding for the Calder Freeway, Mr Dutton said funding for the Calder Freeway was extremely important. “The Calder Freeway upgrade was funded by the Coalition in 2019 to reduce congestion, increase safety, and improve travel times for people in Melbourne’s fast-growing outer north,” he said. “The Coalition remains committed to supporting infrastructure projects in outer northern Melbourne that ease congestion and improve the efficiency of our road network. “We will be announcing specific infrastructure funding commitments as we approach the next election.”
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