There is no point having government money to help people if they don’t know how to access it, says Anne Stanley.
The federal member for Werriwa, who was re-elected to a second term last May, is talking to members of the local multicultural community to find out if they are aware of the support available to small businesses and entrepreneurs.
Ms Stanley was appointed by new Labor leader Anthony Albanese to head the Multicultural Engagement Taskforce.
“What Labor is doing at the moment is going out there in the community listening, to see what we need to do,’’ she said.
“This is not the only task force, there’s a jobs task force, there’s a few other things going on.’’
By talking to business people of multicultural background, Ms Stanley says she will be able to find out if the things government provides do the job they’re supposed to do.
“There are certain sections of our society where we need to take account of their particular needs, and that’s what we’re doing.
“Is there something we can do better in government, to help people get access to government services and support,’’ Ms Stanley said.
“A lot of people in my electorate came here as humanitarian refugees and may not have the ability to go through all the forms.
“A lot of our support services are online, and sometimes you need to speak someone face to face, and although you speak English well, if it’s your second language you’re thinking in another language, which makes it hard.
“For me, and I noticed this sometime ago, most of the people who come to my electorate office are in regards to the NDIS, so imagine if English is your second language.
“So we want to improve, do things differently, and if it’s working make it better,’’ Ms Stanley said.
“I want my local community to know about the taskforce, and urge them to make a submission to make sure their voice is heard in our policy.’’
Information translated in key languages is available online and submissions are welcome in any language. Submissions to Labor’s Multicultural Engagement Taskforce can be made to: https://alp.org.au/lmet/en
