The Victorian Government helps multicultural communities build confidence, explore new pathways and reach their potential.
In 2024–25 DE continued to fund 26 local councils to take part in the kindergarten Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Outreach Initiative.
Outreach workers addressed barriers to kindergarten access and participation and supported engagement with other early childhood services and transition to school.
Almost 4,000 children were supported to register and enrol in kindergarten in 2024–25 (DE: $2.2 million in 2024–25).
DE’s $20.1 million, 4-year Refugee Education Support Initiative was delivered in partnership with the Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture (Foundation House) and the Centre for Multicultural Youth. It continues to support positive learning and wellbeing outcomes for children, students and families from refugee backgrounds. In 2023–24 the initiative expanded its reach and innovation across 4 program streams:
- The Refugee Education Support Program engaged 38 schools across 7 geographical clusters to build the capacity of school staff in culturally responsive and trauma-informed practice.
- The School Support Program delivered professional development sessions to more than 3,000 school staff. The program also created 12 resources for the flagship School’s in for Refugees website.
- Learning Beyond the Bell delivered more than 140 tailored consultations with learning support programs across the state.
- Learning Beyond the Bell provided professional learning, advice and resources to more than 360 learning support programs across the state.
- The Early Years Program builds the capacity of early childhood education and care services to work effectively with children and families of refugee backgrounds and promote their full inclusion.
In 2024–25 the initiative’s Early Years Program established Communities of Practice in 7 local government areas. These Communities of Practice implemented strategies to improve the inclusion and participation of children and families from refugee backgrounds (DE: $5.4 million in 2024–25).
DE’s Place-based Partnerships to Support School Engagement and Completion Initiative 2024–2026 offers targeted support for at-risk African and Pasifika young people, with the goal of supporting school engagement and completion, helping to prevent youth offending and reducing antisocial behaviour. The initiative funds grants to schools in the south-west, north-west and south-east of Melbourne to deliver targeted supports and free school holiday programs.
26 schools use grant funding to employ community liaison officers who support young people to engage with their education, deliver targeted intervention programs and help strengthen family–school connections. Free school holiday programs are delivered in partnerships with Victory Football Club, North Melbourne Football Club (The Huddle) and Melbourne Storm Rugby League Club (Storm Waka).
In 2025, 3,750 daily participants attended school holiday programs.
The initiative also funds the Pasifika Schools Network and Vaka Pasifika Student Leadership Program. The Vaka program is delivered in partnership with the Pasifika Schools Network, the Oceania Institute, the Pacific Islands Student Association and the University of Melbourne’s Engagement and Partnerships Office. It provides an opportunity for Victorian Pasifika Year 10 students to become familiar with university learning. The program aims to empower students to view higher education as their ‘vaka’ or vessel in navigating career and educational aspirations (DE: $3.5 million in 2024–25).
Case study – Government Schools Principals Conference
On 3 June 2025 DE hosted its annual Government Schools Principals Conference at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, themed ‘Excellence in Every Classroom’. The event brought together more than 3,000 Victorian school leaders for professional learning and networking and included the launch of the Preventing and Addressing Racism in Schools policy, announced by the Minister for Education in his opening address. The statewide mandatory policy communicates a zero-tolerance of racism in government schools and suggests ways to strengthen school culture and practices to prevent and address racism, religious intolerance and racial and religious vilification.
To support the launch, the department presented to school leaders and hosted a panel discussion on racism, featuring diverse perspectives including a young person from a refugee background (a Centre for Multicultural Youth Shoutout speaker), an assistant principal and a Koorie Engagement Support Officer. Through panel discussion and audience engagement, participants reinforced the critical role of school leadership in fostering safe, inclusive environments and the importance of partnering with students, families and communities to promote cultural safety and inclusion — reflecting key elements of the policy.
The panel showcased Braybrook College’s whole-school approach to anti-racism, which centres student voice, staff capability building and community engagement. The school’s student-led Power Collective provides a safe space for students to raise concerns and report incidents of racism, supporting proactive, student-centred prevention and response.
The discussion also underscored the value of strong community partnerships. Through sustained collaboration with local First Peoples communities, the Cardinia Network Marrung Steering Committee delivered its annual Deadly Day event, bringing together students, families, community members and leaders from more than 20 school networks to celebrate, learn from and strengthen connections with First Peoples cultures.
DJISR’s TAFE Student Support Services includes a component for services aimed at supporting access, participation and completion into vocational education for priority cohorts, including multicultural communities. Through this fund, Victoria’s TAFEs support access, participation, education pathways and qualification completion with direct, tailored and culturally appropriate support including:
- English language support
- one-on-one tutoring and learning support
- counselling, welfare and wellbeing support including referrals to internal and community-based services
- advice on recognition of qualifications and training gained overseas
- career and job support.
TAFEs also use part of this funding to build and embed systems to improve outcomes for priority cohorts, including multicultural communities, through policy development, student-led consultation, student inclusion groups, resource development, improvements to enrolment and learning processes, and partnerships with local community groups (DJSIR: $57 million in 20259).
DJSIR’s Asylum Seeker VET (ASVET) Program 2024–25 supports refugees and asylum seekers to access free or subsidised training, helping them to gain meaningful employment and build new lives in Victoria.
The 2024–25 ASVET program provided access to skills and training for people forced to flee their home countries, helping them succeed in Victoria. By supporting refugees and asylum seekers to enrol, the program gave them access to vocational training like Free TAFE and Skills First courses.
Since December 2024 the Victorian Government has supported more than 950 asylum seekers to study at TAFE, supporting their job search and financial independence.
The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre has supported more than 250 people in the past year to study at a TAFE, university or training provider (DJSIR: $80,000 in 2024–25).
Delivered through TAFEs, Learn Locals and community service organisations across Victoria, DJSIR’s ReconnectProgram helps Victorians overcome barriers to education, training and employment. It also provides support into further study or employment pathways.
Tailored, one-on-one support services include counselling, mentoring, housing support, education opportunities, health and wellbeing services, and foundation and employability skills.
Since the program began in 2016, Reconnect has supported thousands of people to transition into further study, complete pre-accredited and accredited training, and achieve sustainable employment.
Across 2024–25 the program supported 1,444 participants. Of these:
- 42% were from a multicultural background
- 50% engaged in education and training
- 4% engaged in employment.
(DJSIR: $12 million in 20259)
Case study – African Australian Student Conference
In 2025 DE delivered the third annual African Australian Student Conference in partnership with African Youth Alliance and Safe Space Media, with strong contributions from African-Australian professionals and community leaders.
The African Australian Student Conference is funded under VACAP, alongside complementary education initiatives including the School Community Liaison Officer initiative and Homework Club Grants, which together support engagement, aspiration and educational success for African-Australian students and families across Victoria.
More than 500 African-Australian students from about 30 Victorian government and Catholic schools came together over 2 days for the 2025 conference, with the theme of ‘Dreaming Out Loud: Our Future in Focus’. The conference supported students to build career aspirations, broaden their understanding of diverse and non-traditional pathways and imagine bold futures grounded in purpose, confidence and possibility.
The conference was held at Mission Whitten Oval in Footscray (October) and Bunjil Place in Narre Warren (November). Students brought high levels of energy, curiosity and engagement, actively participating in workshops, presentations and discussions throughout the day.
Through interactive workshops and presentations, students heard directly from African-Australian speakers working across a range of industries. The sessions highlighted the importance of representation, showing that success across diverse pathways is both visible and achievable.
DJSIR funds pre-accredited training via the Adult Community and Further Education board. This training includes accessible education programs for adults and communities across the state. It strengthens foundational skills and builds the educational capacity of culturally and linguistically diverse Victorians.
Programs are delivered through Learn Local providers, offering inclusive, community‑based learning opportunities. The programs develop literacy, numeracy, English language, digital and employability skills and support pathways to further study, work and community life.
In 2024, 28,200 learners took part in pre-accredited training, with 14,120 (50%) from multicultural backgrounds and another 500 (2%) identifying as First Peoples (DJSIR: $29.3 million for 2024–25).
DFFH continued funding to 6 Community Support Groups (CSGs) through 2024–25. The CSGs support multicultural young people through individual support, group activities and referrals to community services and relevant agencies. CSGs are community co-designed and lead locally targeted prevention and early intervention initiatives. CSGs employ bicultural youth and social workers from the communities they work in.
Case study – Junubi Wyndham Community Support Group
Junubi Wyndham CSG is one of 3 South Sudanese CSGs established in 2018. The CSG model is unique in that it takes a place-based and community partnership approach. Bicultural staff work locally with community members, local councils, service providers, schools and community organisations. Junubi operates in Melbourne’s west, engaging and supporting South Sudanese young people and their families in the Wyndham area. It employs bicultural workers who come from the communities the CSG supports.
Junubi delivers targeted supports designed to prevent and address youth disengagement before it becomes more serious. They also complement the work of youth justice staff by providing culturally appropriate support to youth justice clients and their families.
In 2024 Junubi supported a young man in contact with the youth justice system who had disengaged from school. He was not returning home and had missed several court appearances. Junubi’s bicultural youth worker helped the young man to access legal advice and transported him to court multiple times to ensure he met his legal obligations.
Through the youth worker’s intensive one-on-one mentoring and family engagement support, the young man reconnected with his family and eventually returned home. He began to engage in Junubi’s youth programs, including a basketball program. This helped him develop positive social connections to his community and minimised his risk-taking behaviour.
Junubi continues to support the young man by helping him engage positively with his youth justice care team and map his education and employment goals. This highlights the importance of culturally appropriate support for young people and their families to reduce the risk of offending and reoffending.
The CSGs work with young people to address disengagement and antisocial behaviour that can lead to offending. They do this through delivering:
- sports and recreation activities
- community and cultural activities
- educational engagement programs
- youth leadership programs
- youth-led advisory groups.
In 2024–25 the CSGs supported more than 2,500 Afghan, Somali and South Sudanese young people (DFFH: $6.7 million for 2024–25).
The VACAP10 Homework Clubs and School Community Liaison Officers are funded and delivered through DE. Homework Clubs deliver culturally tailored education support to African young people and their families. School Community Liaison Officers support bicultural workers in schools to keep students and their families engaged with their education.
In 2024–25 these programs supported more than 5,380 African students and their families (DPC/DE: $300,000 in 2024–25).
Case study – Good Practice Guide
Victoria’s multicultural business precincts are hubs of economic activity shaped by successive waves of migration, business and government investments and sustained community effort.
The Good Practice Guide offers practical advice to assist business associations, local councils and other partners to strengthen these precincts.
As the first of its kind in Australia, the guide encourages collaboration to attract visitors, increase trade and create more vibrant and welcoming places for everyone to enjoy.
It showcases the many ways this can be achieved, drawing on real examples from across metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria, including areas renowned for strong multicultural businesses such as Coburg, Footscray, Lalor, Mildura, Richmond, Springvale, St Albans, Sunshine and more.
Engagement with businesses associations, councils, local businesses and government agencies involved in precinct development and activation informed the guide.
Filled with useful insights and real-life case studies, the guide helps shape and activate business precincts. It focuses on ways to create and build enduring partnerships, how to boost activity in business precincts and ways business associations and councils can achieve common aims for a precinct’s success.
Footnotes
9 TAFE budgets are set by calendar year.
10 The 2024–25 State Budget provided $17 million over 4 years for VACAP.
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