CCCAV launched a media release event on the 1st Aug, 2012, in the Parliament House. Over 30 media representatives and other guests, including community leaders, attended the event, which finished later after planned schedule.
Presentation Highlights:
The President of the Victorian Chapter of the Chinese Community Council of Australia (CCCAV), Dr Stanley Chiang, opened the event.
He introduced the Victorian Chapter and explained its role in delivering the second national conference in Melbourne. Dr Chiang highlighted that many Chinese Australians are realising the need for change, especially erasing the public notion that they are part of Chinese Australian (CA) community that has no public profile.
He revealed that the conference will continue explaining the transforming journeys of Chinese Australian settlers and will propose a call to action for building the CA public voice. Doing nothing will mean being the largest and oldest Asian migrant group without a public profile, which exposes every Chinese Australian to risks that can compromise their civil rights and social equity as the Chinese Australian population continues to grow.
Dr Chiang invited the press representatives to attend the conference to understand the underlying details and follow-up actions that will be revealed in the Call to Action presentation on the second/last day of the conference.
MP Hong Lim, Chair of CCCAV Advisory Committee, also explained the “business case” for the need to build the CA voice.
He shared the latest census statistic facts of the Chinese Australian community and explained that other established migrant communities, such as the Jewish, Greek, Italian and even newer ones like the small Arabic community, are so better supported by governments and ironically the CA community is not. In matters of public service access and equity, such as access to funded community welfare workers, MP Hong Lim said the CA community is very short-changed and for a very long time.
One contributing reason is that the CA community did not and still do not publically voice their issues and concerns, misleading other Australians and governments to think that all Chinese Australians are affluent, self-reliant and have no social issues as a community. Therefore, they are perceived not to need welfare and community development support. Another reason is the Chinese Diaspora and the long-standing inability of different groups to come together as one collective Chinese Australian community to voice their common and different interests, viewpoints and concerns in public forums.
MP Hong Lim reminded the audience that in the era of the Asian Century (the emerging new phase of globalisation), the CA community needs to resolve their inhibiting barriers and must realise the need for change. The urgency for change is NOW, if they are to be better supported in their community development and be ready to lead and contribute to Australia’s globalisation in the Asian Century. CCCAV is resolved to catalysing the community’s coming of age and change to be more engaging and publically vocal in Australian society.
Dr. Stanley Chiang and MP Hong Lim stressed the uniqueness of the conference, that:
- It has the participation of two federal ministers in the conference – Senator Hon Kate Lundy, Minister for Multicultural Affairs who will be officially opening the Conference on behalf of the Prime minister, and the Minister for Trade, Dr Craig Emerson who will be the Special Guest speaker at the conference dinner.
- The conference is a first precedent in Australia, supporting its non-English speaking senior attendees with real-time translation into Cantonese and Mandarin.
They remind the media that the conference will be on at 9 am, Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 August on the 11th Floor of the Victoria University City Campus, 300 Flinders Street, Melbourne.
澳華社區議會維州議會於8月1日在在維州議會大廈舉行新聞發布會。本次新聞發布會共有三十多名媒體代表及社區領袖、特邀嘉賓出席。而新聞發布會也因為與會代表們的熱烈反映而不得不延長時間。
新聞發布會亮點：
澳華社區議會維州議會主席蔣天麟醫生致開幕辭。
蔣天麟醫生介紹維州議會基本情況及其在第二次全國會議籌辦工作中的重要地位。並強調許多澳洲華人都意識到了變革的必要性，特別是改變社會對澳大利亞華人社區中沒有足夠公眾人物這一現狀的陳見。
蔣天麟醫生透露，本次會議將繼續闡明華人在澳洲逐漸變化的定居之旅，並呼籲大家採取行動，共建之音。無所做為，將意味著作為沒有公眾人物的最大及最古老的亞洲移民群體的一員，每個人的公民權利和社會平等權都會隨著華人人口的持續增長面臨風險。
他邀請新聞界代表參加會議，了解會議主題細節及協會將在會議第二天的行動倡議環節上說明後續行動。
澳華社區議會維州議會顧問諮詢會的主席林美豐州議員，還解釋了建設澳華之音的必要性。
林美豐議員提供了澳洲最新人口普查中關於華人社區的統計數據並說明其他諸如猶太，希臘，意大利，甚至新的像阿拉伯語社區這樣人數遠少於華人的移民社區卻諷刺性的比華人享受到了更多的政府支持。林議員指出，在獲得政府提供的社工等公共服務和獲取平等權益方面，華人社區更是在很長一段時間內被嚴重忽視。
林美豐州議員指出造成這種狀況的原因之一是華人社區在過去及現在都沒有公開表達他們的問題和關注的事宜，導致社區誤導其他澳洲同胞及政府認為澳洲華人不但富裕，而且能夠自力更生，更沒有社會問題。因此，他們認為華人社區並不需要福利和社會發展的支持。另一個原因則是澳洲華人的不同群體長期無法走到一起，作為一個集體表達他們的共同或不同的利益、觀點及對公共論壇領域的關注。
林美豐州議員提醒與會代表，在亞洲世紀的時代裡（正在興起的全球化新階段），華人社區必須解決抑制社區崛起的障礙，必須認識到變革的必要性。如果我們希望自己的社區在社區發展方面得到更好的支持，並準備在亞洲世紀全球化進程中領導澳洲、作出貢獻，我們的改變必須從現在開始。澳華社區議會維州議會決心促使社區對即將到來的時代做好準備，變得更關注公共領域且更為公眾所知。
蔣天麟醫生及林美豐州議員強調了會議的獨特性：
•有兩個聯邦部長在會議的參與-代表總理的多元文化事務部長參議員凱特•倫迪（Sen. Hon. Kate Lundy）致開幕辭，及貿易部長克雷格•愛默生博士(Dr Graig Emerson)作為會議晚宴致詞的特別嘉賓。
•這次會議在澳洲首開先例，為與會代表提供廣東話和普通話同聲傳譯。
蔣天麟醫生及林美豐州議員提醒媒體，這次會議將於，8月18日、週六及8月19日、週日上午9時在維多利亞大學市區校區11樓，墨爾本市弗林德斯街300號(300 Flinders St)召開。
