Advance Diversity Services

Hansard ID: HANSARD-1323879322-112287

Hansard session: Fifty-Seventh Parliament, First Session (57-1)

Advance Diversity Services

Mr MARK COURE (Oatley) (18:56):

:43 I recognise the great work of a fantastic community organisation called Advance Diversity Services. When I think of an organisation that really does it all, Advance Diversity Services comes to mind. From assisting migrants to providing aged care services and supporting those with a disability, this organisation has truly been at the forefront of providing help to those from all walks of life. Advance Diversity Services provides services to culturally and linguistically diverse communities and recognises the difficulties that may be faced by those in our multicultural society who may have issues obtaining appropriate support services. Since its creation in 1981, Advance Diversity Services has provided direct individual support as well as assistance in community development, local initiatives and assistance to those who identify as LGBTIQA. This organisation is truly active, forward thinking and innovative.

I outline some of Advance Diversity Services recent achievements. Recently it announced a partnership with Auburn Diversity Services to workshop and innovate support to Nepalese communities in migrant and refugee settlement. These services will promote social participation, personal wellbeing and community connectedness. I am lucky to have a very active Nepalese community in the electorate of Oatley and it is great to hear of the benefit this partnership will bring to those who may have difficulty settling in Australia. At the end of 2019 Transport for NSW awarded Advance Diversity Services a $50,000 grant—I note the Parliamentary Secretary for Transport and Roads is in the Chamber—for its Learn to Drive Program, which assists recently arrived refugees and migrants in the St George area. While many members in the Chamber today are fortunate enough to have been accustomed to Australian roads and driving from a young age, we can all appreciate the difficulty new migrants would encounter in familiarising themselves with our road rules as well as the costs of training and access to cars. Being able to drive is essential to opening avenues of mobility and economic and social participation. Unfortunately, it is an overlooked element of settlement. It is great to see Advance Diversity Services proactively creating opportunities like these in its community.

This organisation is always actively seeking the views of the community in order to better cater for the support it can provide. In 2019 it produced a report that investigated the needs of newly arrived young people in the St George area. It revealed that key concerns included community connectedness and peer pressure as well as the need for lower‑cost health services that allow for unaccompanied and confidential visits. These findings have been instrumental in Advance Diversity Services providing more accessible, appropriate services to vulnerable young people who are integrating in our local community. This wonderful organisation continues to host its annual Migrant Information Day, which is attended by over 500 residents and 50 stallholders, including Surf Life Saving NSW and TAFE, as well as multicultural HIV and hepatitis services. The theme of last year's information day was "Seeing, knowing and supporting". It provides a comforting message to migrants and refugees to realise that they are not invisible and have a support system to turn to.

In 2018-19 Advance Diversity Services received over 40,000 inquiries for assistance. More than 200 people regularly meet at the centre and the organisation is run by a very active team of 28 volunteers. This is an organisation that has benefitted from partnerships with other services that can provide specialised support, such as Marrickville Legal Centre, Southern Sydney Women's Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Service and the Multicultural Disability Advocacy Association of NSW. It is always great to see organisations coming together to provide the best services for our local community. I recognise the services of chairperson Ruth Fyfe as well as chief executive officer Antoinette Chow and thank them for their leadership and governance. Both women have done an exceptional job of continuing to guide this organisation from strength to strength. I congratulate Advance Diversity Services on its successful efforts so far this year. I look forward to continuing to support the work of the organisation in many years to come.