By Neeraj Nanda
Melbourne, 15 May: The Victorian government has announced a share of $ 500,000 for the Indian Cultural Precinct out of the budget allocation of $ 11 million over four years to maintain or build community infrastructure and to enhance cultural precincts including establishing Victoria’s first Indian precinct.
A media release says : “The 2015-16 Victorian Budget will provide $500,000 to establish an Indian Cultural Precinct. The Indian Cultural Precinct will recognise the important contribution the Indian community makes to Victoria. It will further strengthen Victoria’s reputation as the multicultural capital of Australia, and will be a place to hold festivals, a hub to support business, a drawcard for tourism, and a meeting place for the entire community.”
Victoria has Australia’s largest Indian community, with more than 110,000 Victorians born in India, representing 40 per cent of Australia’s Indian population.
Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Robin Scott said, “Victoria’s Indian community is long-established and well-respected, and this new cultural precinct will be a welcome meeting place for the community to call its own.”
“The precinct will tell the story of Indian migration to Victoria, and will be home to a number of significant events for the Indian community. We’re funding community infrastructure and cultural precincts because multiculturalism makes us all stronger,” he said.
The Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Robin Scott, has established an Indian Cultural Precinct Advisory Panel to assist with finding a suitable location for the precinct. The panel will consult with representatives of Victoria’s Indian community and other relevant experts.
An independent feasibility study of possible locations will be conducted to inform the Panel’s advice to the Minister. The Panel is expected to conclude its work by the end of August this year.
– SAT News Service
