Victoria's Multicultural Review

About the review

In December 2024, the Premier of Victoria, Jacinta Allan, announced several measures to address social cohesion challenges and to strengthen community harmony.

One of the measures announced was Victoria’s Multicultural Review which will examine how the Victorian Government’s multicultural mechanisms can:

deliver on their legislated/agreed functions and objectives

address and prevent racism and discrimination

promote community harmony and reject division in the context of local and global events

rebuild interfaith dialogue

address local issues and community crises in a timely and strategic way

engage the broader Victorian community in matters relating to social cohesion.

Victoria’s Multicultural Review is being led by George Lekakis AO, a respected multicultural leader, supported by a targeted advisory group of community experts, including Hass Dellal AO, Carmel Guerra OAM, Miriam Suss OAM and Mark Duckworth PSM.

The review will provide recommendations to the Victorian Government to ensure Victoria’s policies, institutions and programs better reflect and support the needs of our multicultural and multifaith communities, now and into the future.

What is being reviewed

The policies, institutions and programs that will be reviewed as part of the Victorian Multicultural Review include:

The Multicultural Affairs portfolio supports the Victorian Government to achieve its multicultural vision and priorities.

The portfolio works with the Minister for Multicultural Affairs and the Victorian Multicultural Commission (VMC) to foster an inclusive, engaged and harmonious multicultural Victoria.

This is guided by various frameworks and guidelines, including the:
- Victorian Multicultural Policy Statement
- Victorian Government Report on Multicultural Affairs
- Multicultural Affairs grant program guidelines
- Multicultural communications better practice guide
The Victorian Multicultural Commission (VMC) was established in 1983 under the Victoria Multicultural Act 2011.
The VMC is a key conduit between multicultural communities and the Victorian Government to strengthen cultural diversity in Victoria through consultation, advocacy, celebration and promotion.
They are led by twelve Commissioners, who are appointed by the Governor-in-Council for terms of up to four years.
More information is available by visiting the VMC website: multiculturalcommission.vic.gov.au

How to participate

We encourage diverse multicultural Victorians to take part in shaping the review by participating in consultation sessions and submitting written feedback.

Your experiences are vital to ensuring Victoria’s Multicultural Review is informed, inclusive and reflective of the diverse needs of multicultural Victorians.

In-person consultation sessions

Suburb	Location	Date	Time	Registration
Springvale	Springvale Supper Room, 18 Grace Park Avenue, Springvale VIC 3171	Monday 28 April 2025	4 pm – 5:30 pm	Eventbrite registration
North Melbourne	Kensington Town Hall, 30-34 Bellair Street, Kensington VIC 3031	Tuesday 29 April 2025	6 pm – 7:30 pm	Eventbrite registration
Wyndham	Holiday Inn Werribee, 22 Synnot Street, Werribee VIC 3030	Monday 5 May 2025	6 pm – 7:30 pm	Eventbrite registration
Brunswick	Brunswick Town Hall, 233 Sydney Road, Brunswick VIC 3056	Tuesday 6 May 2025	11 am – 12:30 pm	Eventbrite registration
Shepparton	Community Events Space (Room 210), La Trobe University – Shepparton Campus, 210 Fryers Street, Shepparton VIC 3630	Tuesday 6 May 2025	6 pm – 7:30 pm	Eventbrite registration
Craigieburn	Hume Global Learning Centre - Craigieburn, 75-95 Central Park Ave, Craigieburn VIC 3064	Wednesday 7 May 2025	6 pm – 7:30 pm	Eventbrite registration
Geelong	Cultura Northern Community Hub, 25-41 Arguna Avenue, Norlane VIC 3214	Thursday 8 May 2025	6:30 pm – 8 pm	Eventbrite registration
St. Albans	Bowery Theatre and St Albans Community Centre, 33 Princess Street, St Albans VIC 3021	Thursday 15 May 2025	6 pm – 7:30 pm	Eventbrite registration
Casey	Cranbourne West Community Hub, 4 Flicka Blvd, Cranbourne West VIC 3977	Monday 19 May 2025	4:30 pm – 6 pm	Eventbrite registration

Date	Time	Registration link
Friday 23 May	1:00 pm – 2:30 pm	Eventbrite registration

Information in your language

If you wish to access further information on Victoria’s Multicultural Review in your language, please contact VITS LanguageLoop on 03 9280 1941.

VITS LanguageLoop provide interpreter and translation services in over 190 languages, and can support you by:

translating this webpage,
translating the written submission form, or
interpreting for you at an in-person consultation session.

Targeted advisory group

A targeted advisory group consisting of community experts has been established to support Victoria’s Multicultural Review.

The Review is being led by George Lekakis AO, a respected multicultural leader, supported by a group of community experts, including Hass Dellal AO, Carmel Guerra OAM, Miriam Suss OAM and Mark Duckworth PSM.

George Lekakis AO is a long-standing champion of multicultural communities, with decades of experience advocating for the political, social and economic inclusion of diverse multicultural people.
As the longest serving Chairperson of the Victorian Multicultural Commission (VMC) and former Chairperson of the Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria (ECCV), his leadership was instrumental in shaping key multicultural policies, including the Racial and Religious Tolerance Act 2001. He has forged strong partnerships across sectors, elevated diverse voices, and continues to be a driving force for equity and representation. Now leading the Whole of Government Review of Multicultural Affairs, George brings a deep commitment to ensuring every community has a seat at the table and a voice in shaping Victoria’s future.
Dr Bulent (Hass) Dellal AO is the Chair of the Australian Multicultural Foundation, Former Executive Director of the Australian Multicultural Foundation (1989-2024) an organisation established in 1989 to promote a strong commitment to Australia as one people drawn from many cultures.
Former Chair of SBS Television (Special Broadcasting Service) and the Australian Multicultural Council and served as Panel Chair for the Commonwealth’s Multicultural Framework Review, May 2023.
He has over 30 years of experience in multicultural affairs and serves on a number of boards and councils including the Australian National Maritime Museum, Emeritus Patron of the Islamic Museum of Australia, is Co-Chair of the Victoria Police Multifaith Council and is a fellow of the Williamson Leadership Program.
Internationally, he established the European Multicultural Foundation. He also introduced the biannual Diversity Matters Conferences for Commonwealth Nations and has promoted the Australian multicultural experience internationally on many occasions.
Carmel Guerra OAM is the founding CEO of the Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY), the first organisation in Australia to work exclusively with migrant and refugee young people. CMY is recognised both within Australia and internationally as an industry leader on multicultural youth and family issues, which are now at the forefront of national social policy agendas.
For over 30 years, Carmel has built and strengthened partnerships between young people, support services and local communities across Victoria. She has led the development of innovative ways of meeting challenges in the community and established MYAN Australia, the national body for multicultural youth issues. She has been recognised through numerous accolades including: a Deakin Honorary Doctorate, a Medal of the Order of Australia, the Victorian Premier’s Award for Community Harmony, the Harvard Non-Profit Fellowship, and the Victorian Women’s Honour Roll. 
With over 30 years of experience as a social worker and community development professional, Miriam Suss OAM has dedicated her life to supporting others. Today, she continues to give back through her leadership and service as a Board Director, including Jewish Care Victoria, LanguageLoop and the University of Melbourne Social Work Alumni Associations, championing inclusive and compassionate communities.
Mark Duckworth PSM FIPAA (Vic) works at Deakin University as the Associate Director of the Centre for Resilient and Inclusive Societies and a Senior Research Fellow at the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation and in the Faculty of Health.
Before joining Deakin University in 2019, Mark had more than 30 years’ experience in the Victorian and New South Wales public sectors.
He held many senior executive roles including as Executive Director of Governance, Security, and Intergovernmental Relations and as Chief Resilience Officer in the Victorian Department of Premier and Cabinet and as Executive Director of the Emergency Management Division in the Victorian Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources. He previously worked at The NSW Cabinet Office, Sydney University Law School and the Victorian Law Reform