Victoria’s Multicultural Review

The Victorian Government has announced its response to Victoria’s Multicultural Review.

About the review

The Premier of Victoria announced the Multicultural Review in December 2024. Its purpose was to recommend ways the government could strengthen its support to multicultural and multifaith communities.

Review facts and figures

641 Victorians had their say

57 In person or online consultations

159 Written submissions received

41 Recommendations

Key findings

The review found that our multiculturalism is one of Victoria’s greatest strengths. We all benefit from the cultural, social and economic contributions of our multicultural communities.

Victoria remains one of the most diverse states in Australia, with almost one third of our population born overseas.

Our community represents more than 300 ancestries, 290 languages and 200 faiths.

Victoria has a long tradition of welcoming migrants from all over the world. Skilled migrants, humanitarian migrants, people seeking asylum and international students are all proudly Victorian.

However, the review found there are challenges putting a strain on our communities. These challenges include the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis and global conflicts.

The review found many communities feel under attack, with more incidents of Islamophobia, antisemitism, racism and hate crimes.

The review calls for measures to reinforce unity, inclusion and a refreshed whole-of-government approach to multicultural affairs. It made 41 recommendations for reforms to:

strengthen trust in multicultural institutions
tackle systemic issues such as discrimination
build capacity of multicultural groups
frame social cohesion as responsibility for society as a whole.

Download the report

Government response

The government will take the following actions:

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Establish Multicultural Victoria

This new government body will bring together the Victorian Multicultural Commission and Multicultural Affairs.

Its job will be to:

drive community engagement, advocacy and accountability
develop multicultural policy
deliver programs. Multicultural Victoria will have a Chair, known as the Multicultural Coordinator General and two Deputies. The Chair will lead community engagement, advocacy and accountability functions of Multicultural Victoria.

Develop a multicultural strategy

The Premier of Victoria will lead a new four-year whole-of-government multicultural strategy.

The strategy will include actions for different departments. Departments will report on what they are doing to meet their actions.

Introduce a social cohesion values commitment

Organisations that receive grants will agree to a ‘social cohesion values commitment’.

This means they will need to demonstrate that they champion social cohesion, reject division and contribute to community harmony.

Invest in multicultural organisations

Government will establish a Multicultural Communities Capacity Building Fund**.** This fund will help grassroots organisations strengthen their operations so that they can continue to provide valuable services to their communities.

Invest in multicultural museums

Government will also invest $925,000 in a Multicultural Museums Program. This targeted program will aim to increase community participation in multicultural museums. It will aim to strengthen intercultural and interfaith understanding.

Recognise essential services for multicultural communities

The government will recognise interpreting and translating as essential services for multicultural communities. The government will work to strengthen the quality and sustainability of language services in Victoria.

Consider multicultural impact of policies

Government will require all Cabinet submissions to include an impact statement on multicultural affairs, inclusion and social cohesion. This recognises the unique access and service barriers faced by multicultural and multifaith Victorians.

What’s next

Establishing Multicultural Victoria will require changes to Victoria’s multicultural legislation. This is expected to be introduced into Parliament in 2026.

The social cohesion values commitment will be rolled out in stages. It will apply to Multicultural Affairs grants by the end of 2025. It will then roll out to other government grant programs.

Together, the actions address 7 of the review’s most important recommendations. The government is also considering other recommendations and will provide updates on progress.

Acknowledgements

The review was led by George Lekakis AO with support from an advisory group of community experts. The advisory group included Hass Dellal AO, Carmel Guerra OAM, Miriam Suss OAM and Mark Duckworth PSM.

The Victorian Government thanks Mr Lekakis and the advisory group for undertaking this important review.

We also thank the hundreds of Victorians and organisations who had their say in our consultations.

Your contributions have given us valuable insights into the needs and aspirations of multicultural and multifaith communities.

Download the report and government response