The Prime Minister lavished well-earned praise on migrants in a speech to the Italian National Day Ball in Sydney on Friday, while those attending raised money for a much-need dementia helpline to provide information, support and counselling for the Italian-Australian community.
Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, Shadow Minister For Ageing and Shadow Minister for Mental Health said it was bordering on hypocritical of the Prime Minister to attend in the same week that the mental health needs of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities were having funding stripped.
In her speech on Friday evening (copy attached), Senator Fierravanti-Wells told the Prime Minister and the over 500 people attending:
“Tonight, Prime Minister we are here to support Co.As.It.'s work for a dementia hotline to provide information, support and counselling for the Italian community. With over 50% of the community in NSW aged 65 years and over, the need is certainly there.
This said, Prime Minister it is distressing for many in the CALD community to learn just this week of the withdrawal of funding to Multicultural Mental Health Australia, which is the only national program funded to look at the mental health needs of CALD communities in Australia.
At a time of growing need, this withdrawal of funds will inevitably result in loss of experience and expertise in an already stressed area of need. Many have grave concerns that the mental health needs of Australia's CALD communities will not be represented and supported as they have been for many years.
“Now that the Prime Minister has heard first hand about the funding being withdrawn she is in a better position to do something about it.”