Alison Byrnes (Cunningham, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am so excited to get a tour of the new Illawarra regional multicultural centre in Coniston tomorrow. During the 2025 election, I committed $5 million for the MCCI to develop this critical multicultural hub, and I am absolutely thrilled to see this funding now delivered. The Illawarra region is incredibly proud of our multicultural community. We have more than 70 multicultural associations, and they contribute so much to our vibrant social fabric. Whether through events, dance, food, music, art or more, our multicultural communities are a celebrated and embraced part of our local spirit.

For the last 50 years, the Multicultural Communities Council of Illawarra, otherwise known as MCCI, has been working to support these diverse groups, and they are a much-trusted and relied-upon source of guidance and care for so many. With such an extensive array of cultures, religions and traditions, it's no wonder that there is a growing need for inclusive and accessible infrastructure to support the many events throughout our social calendar. That's where the Illawarra regional multicultural centre will come in. This will be a one-stop shop for our community's major and minor multicultural gatherings, a hub of connection, celebration, diversity and inclusion, embracing all that the Illawarra region's diversity has to offer.

With future plans for cooking and outdoor facilities as well—and I'm still working on the barbeque there—I know not only that this regional centre will play a pivotal role in the lives of so many people in our community but also that it will become the new headquarters for MCCI's team, providing a fit-for-purpose, modern and accessible space for its staff, with some meeting areas, training rooms, a service centre for people who need a helping hand and much, much more. I was so impressed when I attended the MCCI workshop with Ras Frisk from ArkiLab Designs. Ras is a Danish architect who has a unique way of working with organisations to bring their group vision for working and community spaces to life.

To see all of the MCCI staff and our community engaged so enthusiastically with this process was really inspirational, and I'm so excited to finally see the concept plans that ArkiLab has produced. They are seriously impressive. I have no doubt that this centre will become the shining example of what can be achieved when community works together to build something for themselves with heart, with inclusion and with all the community spirit that the Illawarra is well known for.

I want to say a very big thank you to MCCI's CEO, Chris Lacey; chairperson, Tom Begic; and the entire MCCI team, and I want to thank you for your incredible work in getting this centre off the ground and for the work that you do every single day supporting our vibrant multicultural community.

I have also been really pleased recently to support another fantastic local community organisation helping people in need in my electorate. Southern Youth and Family Services is a fantastic not-for-profit organisation that works to support disadvantaged families and young people across the Illawarra. SYFS, as it is known, provides a range of services including accommodation, counselling, mediation and programs targeted at improving outcomes for at-risk local families. That's why I was so very pleased to support the work SYFS is doing with $15,000 for the Cringila learning resource support program with the help of the Australian Neighbourhood Houses and Centres Association under the Strong and Resilient Communities Activity grants program. The Cringila learning resource support program aims to equip disadvantaged young people with the tools that they need to re-engage with education and employment, succeed academically and feel a sense of belonging. Providing essential back-to-school supplies as well as connecting families with wraparound support services, SYFS aims to address the complex challenges that lead to disengagement and disadvantage. I recently visited the Cringila Community Centre to see firsthand the fantastic supplies that the funding has helped to make available for local families. It was great to hear from Amanda Giles, the principal at Cringila Public School, and Paula Thurgate, the community liaison officer at Warrawong Public School, about the difference that these supplies have made to their students. I'd sincerely like to thank the CEO of Southern Youth and Family Services, Narelle Clay, as well as Persa Atkins and Gorana Deljanovska from Cringila Community Centre and their entire team members. (Time expired)

See this speech in context