Two individuals from Victoria were named last month as part of the Filipino Ministerial Consultative Committee (FMCC) initiated by the Australian Government. Ms Melba De Guzman Marginson and Mrs Marisa Vedar join the other ten Filipino community leaders drawn from around Australia who had their inaugural meeting on 30 October 2012 at the Parliament House, Canberra.
Ms Marginson is from Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Women’s Coalition and Victorian Women’s Trust while Mrs Vedar is former president of the Filipino Communities Council of Australia and Director of Gawad Kalinga Australia. They are joined by Ms Carmelita Baltazar from Western Australia, Mrs Norma Hennessy who represents South Australia and eight Filipino members from New South Wales namely, Mr Ruben Amores, Ms Lina Cabaero, Miss Benjie de Ubago, Mr Roberto Lastica, Mr Jose Relunia, Jr, Mrs Emily Rudd, Mr Arturo Sayas and Mr Marco Selorio.
Representatives from Victoria consider it a privilege to be appointed to the committee. Ms Marginson, who wrote the Filipino Chapter of the 2001 Australian People’s Encyclopedia, validates the important contribution of the Filipino migrants to Australia.
“Since they arrived in Australia in the 1850s, the Filipino community has had significant influence in the Australian society through their leadership in socio-political issues that contributed to pushing the boundaries in the areas of multiculturalism, immigration, cultural diversity, community arts, women’s rights and workplace reforms,” she explains in an interview.
Furthermore, Ms Marginson assured fellow Filipino-Victorians that she will not be a silent voice in the FMCC. “I am happy to engage policymakers on issues that Filipino-Australians are concerned about as well as those that they are actively involved in solving and the contributions they are making to make Australia a better home for all migrants,” she conveys.
The committee is headed by the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Chris Bowen MP, the Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Senator Kate Lundy and co-chaired by Member for Werriwa, Laurie Ferguson MP, and Member for Chiefly, Ed Husic MP.
Mr Bowen said that the creation of the committee is a new initiative to inform the Government of the views of the growing Filipino community.
For her part, Senator Lundy expressed how the Government recognises the valuable and robust contribution of the Filipino community to the nation.
The committee will meet twice a year with Ministers Bowen and Lundy and regularly with the co-chairs. An annual forum shall also be held to facilitate access to the Prime Minister and other senior Government ministers.
