What are the networks that influence policy and advocacy for migrant and refugee issues?
These national and Victorian networks present opportunities for you to meet experts in their area. They may represent and advocate for refugee and culturally diverse communities in general, or in specific areas and topics.
Victoria
Back to top
| Category | Service | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Victorian | Victorian Inclusion Agency (VIA) Networks | The Victorian Inclusion Agency (VIA) networks bring together early childhood educators and services across Victoria to share practice, access peer support and promote inclusive approaches through local and virtual forums. |
| Victorian | Multicultural Community Collective | The Multicultural Community Collective brings professionals, community leaders and advocates together to enhance culturally responsive practices within the child and family services sector. It is an initiative of the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare Tas/Vic. |
| Victorian | Multicultural Youth Network | The Multicultural Youth Network is a platform for members to advise the Victorian Multicultural Commission and government departments on matters affecting multicultural young people, including multicultural affairs, mental health, employment, racism and discrimination. |
| Victorian | Multifaith Advisory Group | The Multifaith Advisory Group comprises 27 religious leaders from various Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, Jewish and Bahá'í communities. The Group is chaired by the Chairperson of the Victorian Multicultural Commission. |
| Victorian | Network of Asylum Seeker Agencies Victoria | The Network of Asylum Seeker Agencies Victoria (NASaVIC) is a network of Victorian agencies involved in supporting and advocating for people seeking asylum. The network is chaired by the Refugee Council and holds monthly meetings to facilitate communication, information sharing and collaboration between agencies. |
| Victorian | Refugee Advocacy Network | The Refugee Advocacy Network is a coalition of Victorian organisations who have come together to advance a more just, humane approach to refugees and asylum seekers in Australia. The network promotes news, and events relevant to supporting refugees. |
| Victorian | ECCV Statewide Disability Network | The Ethnic Communities Council of Victoria established a Statewide Disability Network in 2021 to help identify key advocacy issues and support COVID-19 recovery for people with disability from migrant and refugee backgrounds. Key focus areas include the vaccine rollout, lack of accessible health information, digital literacy and emerging health, social and psychological challenges caused or exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The network engages with various levels of government, health professionals and key agencies across Victoria to advocate and inform policies and processes. |
| Victorian | Victorian Multicultural Commission (VMC) - Regional Advisory Councils | Regional Advisory Councils provide advice to the VMC about issues that matter to multicultural communities. They are made up of community members and leaders from different communities who share their experiences of accessing services and programs. These insights help the VMC understand complex issues from the perspective of service users. |
| Victorian | Victorian Local Government Multicultural Issues Network | The Victorian Local Government Multicultural Issues Network (VLGMIN) is made up of Victorian council staff interested in multicultural services and policy development. The network’s aim is to improve access to social and economic opportunities to people from migrant and refugee backgrounds in the places they live and to enhance the inclusiveness of local government services. |
| Victorian | Victorian Refugee Health Network (and Local Networks) | The Victorian Refugee Health Network provides a platform for collaboration, service coordination, training and advocacy to address the health needs of people from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds. Membership includes representatives from health and community agencies, settlement services, government and non-government sectors. Local Refugee Health Networks focus on regional priorities, improving referral pathways, health care delivery and community engagement. |
National
Back to top
| Category | Service | Description |
|---|---|---|
| National | Australian Multicultural Health Collaborative | This national body, supported by the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA), advocates for the health and well-being needs of Australia's multicultural communities, including research and policy development. Membership includes multicultural consumers, health services, researchers and organisations focused on multicultural health. |
| National | Australian Multicultural Women’s Alliance | The Australian Multicultural Women’s Alliance (AMWA) is the national voice for women from migrant and refugee backgrounds in Australia. The AMWA advocates for gender equity, representation, and inclusion - working to remove structural barriers, improve access to services (e.g. health, economic security, support for unpaid care) and ensure multicultural women’s voices are heard in policy, decision making and leadership. |
| National | Mental Health Professionals’ Network | The Mental Health Professionals’ Network’s purpose is to improve multidisciplinary and collaborative practices between mental health professionals in Australia. Their website features a ‘Find a Network’ directory which includes a search filter under ‘Network Special Interests - culturally and linguistically diverse and transcultural’ for finding ethnic-specific and multicultural networks in your local area. |
| National | Multicultural Health Advisory Group | Provides expert advice to the Australian Government on health, disability and aged care policy for multicultural communities, promoting culturally safe and accessible services. |
| National | Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network (MYAN) | The Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network (MYAN) is Australia’s peak body representing the rights and interests of young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds. MYAN facilitates a nationally coordinated approach to policy and advocacy on multicultural youth issues through affiliated state/territory organisations and networks. |
| National | National Refugee-Led Advisory and Advocacy Group | The National Refugee-Led Advisory and Advocacy Group (NRAAG) is a refugee-led entity that envisions to create spaces, platforms and voices led by people from refugee backgrounds and people seeking asylum in key decision-making tables, policy, public and media discourse. |
| National | Refugee Communities Advocacy Network | The Refugee Communities Advocacy Network (RCAN) is a network of people from refugee backgrounds that meet to discuss, prioritise and advocate on local, state and national migration and settlement related issues. |
| National | Refugee Health Network of Australia | The Refugee Health Network of Australia (RHeaNA) brings together key representatives from each state and territory working within the policy, clinical and public health aspects of refugee health. Established following the inaugural National Refugee Primary Health Care conference in 2008, the RHNA collaborates with representatives from each state and territory to exchange information on local issues and trends, challenges, service innovations and research during quarterly executive teleconferences. |
| National | Refugee Nurses of Australia | The Refugee Nurses of Australia (RNA) network brings together Refugee Health Nurses from across Australia. The RNA has a national focus, providing an opportunity for nurses working with people from refugee backgrounds to share information and resources, advocate, contribute to clinical guidelines and participate in community of practice opportunities. |
| National | SETSCoP | SETSCoP is a collaboration of settlement service providers across Australia, who support migrants and refugees under the Settlement Engagement and Transition (SETS) program. SETSCoP is facilitated by the Social Policy Group (Migration Council Australia) and its purpose is to foster sector engagement, capacity building and the sharing of best practice to support better outcomes for migrant and refugee communities. |
| National | RACGP Special Interest Groups | The Royal Australian College of General Practitioner have a 'Migrant, Refugee and Asylum Seeker Health' special interest group. Email the chair to join. |
Have feedback? Email us at enquiries@ceh.org.au
