$2.7 million funding announced for Hindu and Sikh temples

Assistant Minister for Customs, Community Safety and Multicultural Affairs, Jason Wood has announced special funding for places of worship such as Temples and Gurudwaras, as part of the ‘Safer Communities Fund’ in infrastructure and Northern Territory stream grants.

Source: Supplied

Highlights

• 3 Hindu and 2 Sikh Temples to get $2.7 million funding
• Funding will be used for fencing, gates and CCTV camera
• Australian Hindu Temples Council welcomed the announcement

Three Hindu temples, two Sikh gurudwara and an Indian Australian community centre will receive this funding, the Minister told SBS Hindi.  

Assistant Minister Wood said, “I have visited most of these places. They are doing a great job for our local communities but it's heart-wrenching to see them being attacked by thugs.”

“These grants are going to keep our communities safer by boosting the efforts of local councils, schools and pre-schools, places of religious worship and community organisations to address crime and antisocial behaviour in their area,” Minister Wood added.

He said many communities who were successful in receiving the funding, have experienced a great deal of distress caused by racial and religious intolerance, or other anti-social behaviour, from within their local areas.

Assistant Minister Jason Wood at Swaminarayan Temple in Melbourne. Source: Supplied

SMVS, a Swaminarayan temple in Melbourne’s West, which has been vandalised at least ten times in the last three years, told SBS Hindi this fresh set of funding will enable them to put better gates and fencing with CCTV cameras to protect the temple from unwarranted attention.

Biren Joshi, the president of the management committee at SMVS Swaminarayan temple located in Tarneit suburb of Melbourne said, “This funding of $4,50,000 will help us put in place appropriate security infrastructure such as CCTV cameras, fencing, and alarm systems.”

"Every time a religious place faces vandalism, it shatters the sense of safety and puts the whole community under stress," Mr Joshi said.

The safer communities fund infrastructure stream will see 89 projects share in $31 million.

Source: Supplied

Sikh Gurudwara in Craigieburn will also receive $4,50,000 to improve its safety infrastructure.

Gurdeep Singh Matharoo, Secretary of Craigieburn Sikh Gurudwara told SBS Hindi, “Whole community would like to thank the federal government for looking after the Sikh community. We had a theft last year in the Gurudwara where they took away our donation box. Now we will raise our boundary wall and put better lighting around it.”

Australian Hindu Temples Council’s member Manoj Mansukhani said it was a great outcome for all communities.

“We have been advocating for security infrastructure for a long time. This will make these community organisations, feel cared and looked after.”

Tune into SBS Hindi at 5 pm every day and follow us on Facebook and Twitter