2026 Victoria State Election Box Hill Candidates Forum
2026维州大选博士山候选人论坛
Join us at the Box Hill Candidates Forum to learn how to be an informed voter, hear what the candidates have to say about their policies for the forthcoming State Election, and have your questions answered.
Connecting Memories Through Art: Melbourne Communities Come Together for Remembrance and Peace (以艺术连接记忆 墨尔本举办艺术展共话历史与和平)
More than 120 people from diverse communities and cultural backgrounds across Melbourne came together on Saturday, 19 September 2026 for Connecting Memories Through Art, an exhibition dedicated to remembrance, human dignity, understanding and peace.
The event brought together community members, artists and people from diverse backgrounds, creating a space for reflection, dialogue and greater understanding. Through art, storytelling, music and the Chinese Statue of Peace, participants were invited to reflect on difficult chapters of history, share experiences and perspectives, and build connections across communities.
The exhibition was jointly organised by the Chinese Australians for Peace Association and the Friends of “Comfort Women” in Melbourne. At its centre stood the Chinese Statue of Peace, displayed alongside artworks featured in the exhibition. The statue carries the memory of victims of wartime suffering while representing a shared aspiration for dignity, justice, peace and hope.
The afternoon began with guests viewing the exhibition, followed by the official programme at 4:30 pm. The programme was warmly and ably hosted by Christine Kim, who guided the audience through the afternoon’s speeches, presentations, performances and award announcements.
In his opening remarks, Jimmy Li reflected on the relationship between history and memory, noting that while history tells us what happened, memory reminds us why it still matters. He described Connecting Memories Through Art as more than an exhibition. It was an invitation to reflect, to listen and to better understand the experiences of others. Art, he said, can often express what words cannot, helping people across different cultural and linguistic backgrounds connect through shared human experiences.
A particularly moving part of the programme was a presentation by Georgina Banks, who shared the story of the Bangka Island Massacre and spoke about her book Back to Bangka. On 16 February 1942, 21 Australian Army nurses were killed by Japanese troops on Radji Beach, Bangka Island, after surviving the sinking of the SS Vyner Brooke, a passenger and cargo steamship evacuating people from Singapore. Vivian Bullwinkel was the only one of the 22 nurses to survive the massacre. Georgina’s contribution added another dimension to the exhibition’s exploration of wartime experiences, resilience and remembrance.
Participating artists also introduced their artworks and shared the stories, experiences and ideas behind them. Their personal reflections were particularly touching, giving visitors an opportunity to understand the artworks not simply as pieces on display, but as deeply personal expressions of memory, dignity, human rights, peace and hope.
Artists from different cultural backgrounds were invited to respond to themes including memory, dignity, human rights, peace and solidarity. The selected competition entries were displayed alongside the Chinese Statue of Peace, bringing people with different experiences and cultural backgrounds together in the same space to meet, listen and exchange perspectives.
In addition to the competition entries, the exhibition featured works by Carol Ruff and Alisa Tanaka. Ruff’s Landscape of a Lost Childhood, a series of three paintings, reflects on a return journey to Java with her mother, Jan Ruff O’Herne, and memories of a young life profoundly affected by war. Tanaka’s The Bird Girls offered a visual response to women killed by acts of violence in Australia, bringing another perspective on memory, human experience and contemporary social issues to the exhibition.
Music brought another dimension to the afternoon. Baeyi Kim performed on the gayageum, a traditional Korean instrument, while Stephanie Chen gave a flute performance. Together with the artworks, storytelling and personal reflections, the performances highlighted the many ways in which art can communicate feelings and memories that may be difficult to convey through words alone.
Winners of the Connecting Memories Through Art art competition were announced during the official programme. Following the formal close, guests continued to view the exhibition, meet the artists and engage in conversations with other participants.
The issue of wartime “comfort women” has long attracted public attention and, at times, political controversy. At its heart, however, it concerns human dignity and fundamental rights. Remembering this history is about respecting survivors and victims while encouraging continued reflection on the relationship between history, justice and peace. By approaching difficult historical subjects through art, the exhibition sought to make them more accessible and create opportunities for reflection, dialogue and understanding.
Organisers hope that Connecting Memories Through Art will be more than a single exhibition and will contribute to an ongoing conversation between communities about historical memory, human rights and peace. They also hope to build broader community understanding and support for finding a permanent home for the Chinese Statue of Peace.
Jimmy Li expressed the hope that Melbourne, as one of the world’s most multicultural cities, could be a place where a monument dedicated to peace, human dignity and historical understanding finds a permanent home.
Ultimately, the exhibition carried a simple but important message: remembering history is not about perpetuating hatred or pain. It is about learning from the past, building connections through understanding, safeguarding peace through shared memory, and helping to build a better and more peaceful future with compassion, inclusion and mutual respect.
Victoria to Establish New Government Body for Multicultural and Multifaith Communities
维州将成立“多元文化与多信仰维州”新政府机构
Victoria is set to establish Multicultural and Multifaith Victoria, a new statutory government body that will commence on 1 October 2026 following the passage of the Multicultural Victoria Amendment (Multicultural and Multifaith Victoria) Bill 2026 through the Victorian Parliament on 8th September 2026.
The new body will bring together community engagement, policy and grants functions previously delivered by the Victorian Multicultural Commission and the Multicultural Affairs Division within the Department of Premier and Cabinet. It will also have responsibility for community engagement, policy advice, grant delivery and whole-of-government reporting on multicultural affairs.
The reforms also provide for the establishment of a Multicultural Community Advisory Group, regional engagement groups across Victoria, strengthened whole-of-government reporting, and the development of Multicultural Action and Inclusion Plans by government departments.
The legislation follows recommendations from the Victorian Government’s Multicultural Review and includes recognition of language services as an essential means of accessing government services.
Recent public discussion arising from media reporting about a prominent and respected Chinese-Australian interpreter who has served Australia, diverse communities and successive Australian governments over many decades has prompted concern and unease within our community. The discussion has also highlighted broader concerns about how Australians of Chinese heritage may be viewed with suspicion because of their cultural background and connections, regardless of their contributions and service to Australia.
While public scrutiny of potential security risks is both legitimate and necessary, many Chinese Australians are concerned when cultural, academic, professional or community connections are portrayed in ways that may imply suspicion or divided loyalty without evidence. Such narratives risk creating fear that ordinary cultural, academic, professional and community engagement may be unfairly interpreted as evidence of divided loyalty, leaving some Chinese Australians feeling that they are viewed with suspicion because of their cultural background rather than their conduct, contributions and long service to Australia.
The Chinese Community Council of Australia, Victoria Chapter (CCCAV) supports Australia’s national security institutions and recognises the importance of protecting our country from foreign interference and other security threats. At the same time, we believe concerns about any individual should be based on evidence and conduct, not assumptions arising from ethnicity, ancestry or lawful associations. Australia’s multicultural success has been built on fairness, mutual respect and the understanding that people from different backgrounds can participate fully in a shared national community while maintaining pride in their cultural heritage.
Australians of Chinese heritage should not be expected to continually demonstrate their loyalty. Any expectation that Australians demonstrate their loyalty because of their ethnicity, ancestry or cultural connections is not only unfair, it undermines the principle of equal belonging and fosters an environment that has no place in a fair and inclusive society. It also risks sending the message that some Australians are afforded a lesser sense of belonging and are held to a different standard of acceptance than others.
Equal belonging means that no Australian should face suspicion because of their background, and that the same presumption of good faith, respect and inclusion should apply to everyone.
Participants Wanted for Research on Dementia and Music Therapy
墨尔本大学失智症与音乐治疗研究招募参与者
A University of Melbourne study on dementia and music therapy is seeking participants from the Chinese and other culturally diverse communities.
The study is looking for people living with dementia or cognitive decline, together with their family carers, to take part in a series of home-based music therapy sessions and share their experiences.
The research aims to better understand how music therapy can support people from culturally diverse backgrounds and help ensure their voices are represented in dementia care research.
