Latest news with #AnneAly
Epoch Times
7 days ago
- General
- Epoch Times
Labor Announces New ‘Office for Multicultural Affairs'
In response to an increase in anti-Semitic and anti-Palestine incidents, the Albanese government will set up a new Office for Multicultural Affairs within the Home Affairs Department. Multicultural Minister Anne Aly and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke jointly announced the initiative on June 3, calling multiculturalism 'a fundamental aspect of our identity.' The office will oversee services such as settlement support, migrant English programs, and interpreting services, while also revamping grant programs to better reflect modern multicultural needs. Modern Australia is a Multicultural Australia: Minister Burke and Aly said the new office would consolidate key responsibilities within Home Affairs, to allow for a more cohesive national strategy to deal with social cohesion. 'The new Office will drive a national approach to a multicultural Australia, providing leadership across the three tiers of government,' they said in a joint statement. 'Modern Australia and multicultural Australia are the same thing,' Burke declared, highlighting the importance of embedding multicultural values across the Australian Public Service. The Epoch Times has contacted the Home Affairs Department on further details regarding how the body will operate alongside the existing multicultural minister's office. The announcement also comes amid Labor's pre-election pledge to invest $25 million in more than 600 community language schools across Australia, supporting over 90,000 students studying 84 languages. As part of the same pledge, $5 million was earmarked for a specialised Asian languages stream to help students—regardless of background—learn Asian languages through to Year 12. The move comes amid an ongoing spate of major anti-Semitic issues stemming from the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel.
SBS Australia
03-06-2025
- General
- SBS Australia
"It's a step in the right direction" New multicultural office established
With a new Multicultural Affairs Minister in place, there's a new office to come with it. Anne Aly will be the Minister responsible for the Office for Multicultural Affairs, after being elevated into cabinet last month. "It's going to be an office within the Department of Home Affairs that is specifically focused on the multicultural interests for Australia." Programs like the Adult Migrant English Program, grants for humanitarian entrants and other eligible migrants and communities, as well as translation and interpreting services, and multicultural affairs policy are expected to be part of the office, although exactly what's included will be confirmed in the coming weeks. The office is expected to start operating before the new parliament sits in late July. The plan falls short of an urgent recommendation made to the government last year, to establish a standalone Department of Multicultural Affairs, Immigration and Citizenship with a dedicated minister. Chair for the Multicultural Framework Review, and Chair of the Australian Multicultural Foundation, is Hass Dellal. "It's not the full recommendation of a dedicated department that included immigration and citizenship as well, but however, this is a step in the right direction. The fact that we have an office now that's being established that sits within cabinet that will have the ear of the Prime Minister and cabinet itself. And I think that's an important feature that wasn't there before." Last year's review raised concerns about the Department of Home Affairs, with communities feeling like they were being monitored or managed, rather than supported. Since then, the department has been expanded to include additional law enforcement and security agencies, with the Australian Federal Police and Australian Security Intelligence Organisation moved into Home Affairs after the election. Dr Dellal says the government must ensure there is separation from those operations in the department. "It's really important to ensure that, although it is sitting within Home Affairs that we ensure that there is more of an inclusive approach and more celebratory approach, rather than giving the feeling or the sense that there is an approach of monitoring or creating marginalisation." Alongside the security and enforcement agencies, the Home Affairs department is responsible for immigration, citizenship, border control and enforcement, offshore detention, cyber crime, and counter terrorism. Dr Aly says there have been long standing concerns about how diaspora communities are treated. "We've heard those concerns from multicultural communities, and I must say, you know, I heard those concerns before I was a member of parliament as a professor and a researcher. It's something that I've written about myself and expressed my own concerns about that securitisation of multicultural communities and securitisation of Multicultural Affairs. That's why we've established this office to carve out Multicultural Affairs and to give it a spotlight within the department and within the caucus and within the government more generally as well." Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke will still hold the Immigration and Citizenship portfolios. Dr Aly says she wants to change how multicultural issues are viewed. "For too long, multiculturalism has been about citizenship and immigration. I want to make multiculturalism about all Australians. I want to make all Australians proud of our multicultural character, our multicultural nature. I want it to be more than about celebrating diversity. I want it to be about valuing diversity in all its forms. And this is the opportunity to do that." The multicultural program in the Department of Home Affairs almost exclusively focused on social cohesion and the Israel/Hamas war during Labor's first term. Since the start of war in 2023, more than $30 million in grants for 'community funding to support social cohesion initiatives' have been awarded. Anthony Albanese also created a special envoy for social cohesion last year, although the role will not continue in the new Parliament. Dr Aly says she respects the need for social cohesion. "Social cohesion, I believe, is a worthwhile pursuit in its own right, and we should pursue social cohesion. We should be vigilant about social cohesion." But says the combination of the two issues has impacted multicultural communities. "Multiculturalism isn't solely about social cohesion and multicultural communities aren't solely responsible for social cohesion. Social Cohesion is about everybody. Making multicultural communities solely and wholly responsible for social cohesion, I think, has added to that perception of multicultural communities being over securitised, being responsible for things like social cohesion"
The Advertiser
01-06-2025
- Business
- The Advertiser
Who's responsible for small businesses surviving disasters?
My heart breaks for the communities currently devastated by floods across NSW. But it aches even more for the small-business owners and farmers trying to stay afloat - again. In disaster after disaster, they are among the first to be affected and the last to recover. While saving lives is always the top priority, we need to talk seriously about livelihoods. A lost business or farm isn't just an economic loss, it's a personal tragedy, a collapse of purpose and, in some cases, a precursor to additional loss of life. Without livelihoods, communities struggle to recover. The 2011 National Strategy for Disaster Resilience introduced the concept of "shared responsibility" in Australia's approach to emergencies. But what does that mean in practice when it comes to small businesses and farms? And have we progressed any further since 2011? Let's be honest: the primary responsibility for continuity lies with the business or farm owner. But the reality is, most small-business owners aren't risk analysts or continuity planners. A pub owner in a regional town is likely managing shifts and stock, not developing a flood risk management plan. MORE OPINION: A farmer running a multi-generational cattle property may be juggling drought, debt, and livestock, not drafting an evacuation or recovery blueprint. A hairdresser in a small coastal town is thinking about customers and payroll, not business impact assessments. So, whose job is it to ensure these vital parts of our community survive and bounce forward after disasters? The answer should be: all of us. Small businesses and farms are the social and economic backbone of Australia's regions. According to Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson, they employ nearly half the private sector workforce. Yet the average small business operator earns below minimum wage. They're investing everything - often including their family homes - to keep going. It's unconscionable that these stakeholders remain a blind spot in national disaster policy and practice. Will the newly appointed Minister for Small Business, Cowan MP Dr Anne Aly, prioritises disaster resilience for this sector? Or does the responsibility fall to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the body charged with driving national resilience? Perhaps it's both. And what about the state governments, who are closer to the ground? In this complex landscape, the NSW Reconstruction Authority offers a compelling example of what "good" looks like. Their collaboration with certified social enterprise Resilient Ready in the Business Beyond Disasters Northern Rivers program demonstrates how small business resilience expertise can be effectively deployed through targeted government investment. This kind of partnership is exactly what's needed - programs developed by people who understand the real challenges small operators face and can meet them where they are. But timing is critical. We keep talking about the need for a window between disasters to work on preparedness. That window no longer exists. In our new reality of compounding and cascading disasters, we must prepare as we recover. Resilience isn't a nice-to-have anymore, it's an operational necessity. We must do disasters differently. That means embedding resilience thinking into every layer of recovery funding and programming. It means funding practical, place-based support for small businesses that focuses not only on rebuilding but rethinking how to reduce risk. It also means creating space for peer-to-peer learning, local storytelling and connection because resilience grows through relationships. Responsibility is not just on the business owner or farmer. Work delivered with the Torrens Resilience Initiative for the South Australian grape and wine sector last year very clearly showed there's much more to be done. The government must better understand how and why small businesses and farmers are key to community resilience. The Productivity Commission's 2023 report into natural disaster funding called for a rebalancing toward mitigation and risk reduction, not just response and recovery. That rebalancing must include tailored support for small businesses and farmers. Let's stop pretending these operators should fend for themselves. Let's recognise that their survival is not only their responsibility but a shared national priority. Because when small businesses and farms fall, whole communities fall with them. We must enable them to connect, survive and thrive, not just endure. That's not only a smart investment in Australia's economic future, it's the right thing to do. My heart breaks for the communities currently devastated by floods across NSW. But it aches even more for the small-business owners and farmers trying to stay afloat - again. In disaster after disaster, they are among the first to be affected and the last to recover. While saving lives is always the top priority, we need to talk seriously about livelihoods. A lost business or farm isn't just an economic loss, it's a personal tragedy, a collapse of purpose and, in some cases, a precursor to additional loss of life. Without livelihoods, communities struggle to recover. The 2011 National Strategy for Disaster Resilience introduced the concept of "shared responsibility" in Australia's approach to emergencies. But what does that mean in practice when it comes to small businesses and farms? And have we progressed any further since 2011? Let's be honest: the primary responsibility for continuity lies with the business or farm owner. But the reality is, most small-business owners aren't risk analysts or continuity planners. A pub owner in a regional town is likely managing shifts and stock, not developing a flood risk management plan. MORE OPINION: A farmer running a multi-generational cattle property may be juggling drought, debt, and livestock, not drafting an evacuation or recovery blueprint. A hairdresser in a small coastal town is thinking about customers and payroll, not business impact assessments. So, whose job is it to ensure these vital parts of our community survive and bounce forward after disasters? The answer should be: all of us. Small businesses and farms are the social and economic backbone of Australia's regions. According to Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson, they employ nearly half the private sector workforce. Yet the average small business operator earns below minimum wage. They're investing everything - often including their family homes - to keep going. It's unconscionable that these stakeholders remain a blind spot in national disaster policy and practice. Will the newly appointed Minister for Small Business, Cowan MP Dr Anne Aly, prioritises disaster resilience for this sector? Or does the responsibility fall to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the body charged with driving national resilience? Perhaps it's both. And what about the state governments, who are closer to the ground? In this complex landscape, the NSW Reconstruction Authority offers a compelling example of what "good" looks like. Their collaboration with certified social enterprise Resilient Ready in the Business Beyond Disasters Northern Rivers program demonstrates how small business resilience expertise can be effectively deployed through targeted government investment. This kind of partnership is exactly what's needed - programs developed by people who understand the real challenges small operators face and can meet them where they are. But timing is critical. We keep talking about the need for a window between disasters to work on preparedness. That window no longer exists. In our new reality of compounding and cascading disasters, we must prepare as we recover. Resilience isn't a nice-to-have anymore, it's an operational necessity. We must do disasters differently. That means embedding resilience thinking into every layer of recovery funding and programming. It means funding practical, place-based support for small businesses that focuses not only on rebuilding but rethinking how to reduce risk. It also means creating space for peer-to-peer learning, local storytelling and connection because resilience grows through relationships. Responsibility is not just on the business owner or farmer. Work delivered with the Torrens Resilience Initiative for the South Australian grape and wine sector last year very clearly showed there's much more to be done. The government must better understand how and why small businesses and farmers are key to community resilience. The Productivity Commission's 2023 report into natural disaster funding called for a rebalancing toward mitigation and risk reduction, not just response and recovery. That rebalancing must include tailored support for small businesses and farmers. Let's stop pretending these operators should fend for themselves. Let's recognise that their survival is not only their responsibility but a shared national priority. Because when small businesses and farms fall, whole communities fall with them. We must enable them to connect, survive and thrive, not just endure. That's not only a smart investment in Australia's economic future, it's the right thing to do. My heart breaks for the communities currently devastated by floods across NSW. But it aches even more for the small-business owners and farmers trying to stay afloat - again. In disaster after disaster, they are among the first to be affected and the last to recover. While saving lives is always the top priority, we need to talk seriously about livelihoods. A lost business or farm isn't just an economic loss, it's a personal tragedy, a collapse of purpose and, in some cases, a precursor to additional loss of life. Without livelihoods, communities struggle to recover. The 2011 National Strategy for Disaster Resilience introduced the concept of "shared responsibility" in Australia's approach to emergencies. But what does that mean in practice when it comes to small businesses and farms? And have we progressed any further since 2011? Let's be honest: the primary responsibility for continuity lies with the business or farm owner. But the reality is, most small-business owners aren't risk analysts or continuity planners. A pub owner in a regional town is likely managing shifts and stock, not developing a flood risk management plan. MORE OPINION: A farmer running a multi-generational cattle property may be juggling drought, debt, and livestock, not drafting an evacuation or recovery blueprint. A hairdresser in a small coastal town is thinking about customers and payroll, not business impact assessments. So, whose job is it to ensure these vital parts of our community survive and bounce forward after disasters? The answer should be: all of us. Small businesses and farms are the social and economic backbone of Australia's regions. According to Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson, they employ nearly half the private sector workforce. Yet the average small business operator earns below minimum wage. They're investing everything - often including their family homes - to keep going. It's unconscionable that these stakeholders remain a blind spot in national disaster policy and practice. Will the newly appointed Minister for Small Business, Cowan MP Dr Anne Aly, prioritises disaster resilience for this sector? Or does the responsibility fall to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the body charged with driving national resilience? Perhaps it's both. And what about the state governments, who are closer to the ground? In this complex landscape, the NSW Reconstruction Authority offers a compelling example of what "good" looks like. Their collaboration with certified social enterprise Resilient Ready in the Business Beyond Disasters Northern Rivers program demonstrates how small business resilience expertise can be effectively deployed through targeted government investment. This kind of partnership is exactly what's needed - programs developed by people who understand the real challenges small operators face and can meet them where they are. But timing is critical. We keep talking about the need for a window between disasters to work on preparedness. That window no longer exists. In our new reality of compounding and cascading disasters, we must prepare as we recover. Resilience isn't a nice-to-have anymore, it's an operational necessity. We must do disasters differently. That means embedding resilience thinking into every layer of recovery funding and programming. It means funding practical, place-based support for small businesses that focuses not only on rebuilding but rethinking how to reduce risk. It also means creating space for peer-to-peer learning, local storytelling and connection because resilience grows through relationships. Responsibility is not just on the business owner or farmer. Work delivered with the Torrens Resilience Initiative for the South Australian grape and wine sector last year very clearly showed there's much more to be done. The government must better understand how and why small businesses and farmers are key to community resilience. The Productivity Commission's 2023 report into natural disaster funding called for a rebalancing toward mitigation and risk reduction, not just response and recovery. That rebalancing must include tailored support for small businesses and farmers. Let's stop pretending these operators should fend for themselves. Let's recognise that their survival is not only their responsibility but a shared national priority. Because when small businesses and farms fall, whole communities fall with them. We must enable them to connect, survive and thrive, not just endure. That's not only a smart investment in Australia's economic future, it's the right thing to do. My heart breaks for the communities currently devastated by floods across NSW. But it aches even more for the small-business owners and farmers trying to stay afloat - again. In disaster after disaster, they are among the first to be affected and the last to recover. While saving lives is always the top priority, we need to talk seriously about livelihoods. A lost business or farm isn't just an economic loss, it's a personal tragedy, a collapse of purpose and, in some cases, a precursor to additional loss of life. Without livelihoods, communities struggle to recover. The 2011 National Strategy for Disaster Resilience introduced the concept of "shared responsibility" in Australia's approach to emergencies. But what does that mean in practice when it comes to small businesses and farms? And have we progressed any further since 2011? Let's be honest: the primary responsibility for continuity lies with the business or farm owner. But the reality is, most small-business owners aren't risk analysts or continuity planners. A pub owner in a regional town is likely managing shifts and stock, not developing a flood risk management plan. MORE OPINION: A farmer running a multi-generational cattle property may be juggling drought, debt, and livestock, not drafting an evacuation or recovery blueprint. A hairdresser in a small coastal town is thinking about customers and payroll, not business impact assessments. So, whose job is it to ensure these vital parts of our community survive and bounce forward after disasters? The answer should be: all of us. Small businesses and farms are the social and economic backbone of Australia's regions. According to Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson, they employ nearly half the private sector workforce. Yet the average small business operator earns below minimum wage. They're investing everything - often including their family homes - to keep going. It's unconscionable that these stakeholders remain a blind spot in national disaster policy and practice. Will the newly appointed Minister for Small Business, Cowan MP Dr Anne Aly, prioritises disaster resilience for this sector? Or does the responsibility fall to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the body charged with driving national resilience? Perhaps it's both. And what about the state governments, who are closer to the ground? In this complex landscape, the NSW Reconstruction Authority offers a compelling example of what "good" looks like. Their collaboration with certified social enterprise Resilient Ready in the Business Beyond Disasters Northern Rivers program demonstrates how small business resilience expertise can be effectively deployed through targeted government investment. This kind of partnership is exactly what's needed - programs developed by people who understand the real challenges small operators face and can meet them where they are. But timing is critical. We keep talking about the need for a window between disasters to work on preparedness. That window no longer exists. In our new reality of compounding and cascading disasters, we must prepare as we recover. Resilience isn't a nice-to-have anymore, it's an operational necessity. We must do disasters differently. That means embedding resilience thinking into every layer of recovery funding and programming. It means funding practical, place-based support for small businesses that focuses not only on rebuilding but rethinking how to reduce risk. It also means creating space for peer-to-peer learning, local storytelling and connection because resilience grows through relationships. Responsibility is not just on the business owner or farmer. Work delivered with the Torrens Resilience Initiative for the South Australian grape and wine sector last year very clearly showed there's much more to be done. The government must better understand how and why small businesses and farmers are key to community resilience. The Productivity Commission's 2023 report into natural disaster funding called for a rebalancing toward mitigation and risk reduction, not just response and recovery. That rebalancing must include tailored support for small businesses and farmers. Let's stop pretending these operators should fend for themselves. Let's recognise that their survival is not only their responsibility but a shared national priority. Because when small businesses and farms fall, whole communities fall with them. We must enable them to connect, survive and thrive, not just endure. That's not only a smart investment in Australia's economic future, it's the right thing to do.
9 News
26-05-2025
- Politics
- 9 News
Extended interview with Anne Aly, Australia's first female Muslim cabinet member
Nine News federal politics reporter Claudia Vrdoljak has sat down for an extended interview with Australia's first female Muslim national cabinet member, Anne Aly.
The Age
26-05-2025
- Politics
- The Age
Extended interview with Anne Aly, Australia's first female Muslim cabinet member
National Nine News federal politics reporter Claudia Vrdoljak has sat down for an extended interview with Australia's first female Muslim national cabinet member, Anne Aly.
