Tasmania's government is being pressed to do more to support the state's culturally-specific groups.
The Multicultural Council of Tasmania says stronger migration policies could help attract more migrants to the state, which has set an ambitious goal to boost its population
Tasmania has quite a presence of Indian sub-continent families, but there are no places of worship for this diverse community.
Tasmania's Sikh community has created an unofficial temple in a rented semi-rural property east of Hobart.
Source: Guru Nanak Society of Tasmania
Similarly Indian Hindu families currently gather at temporary facilities.
Ramesh Narayana of Hindu Society of Tasmania says that major cultural event are very difficult to organise, and people often travel interstate to mark them.
Speaking with Anita Barar, Satinder Pal Singh of Guru Nanak Society of Tasmania says that a permanent site would help many feel more at home.
Source: Satinder Pal Singh
Mr. Singh wishes if there is some kind of subsidy from the government to help acquire a big place of land where our communities (Hindu and Sikhs) could have their own space to worship so that rituals and prayers could be performed. He adds that it is not necessarily be restricted by religion. Anyone and and everyone would be welcomed.
Ms Sakthi Ravitharan, a medical student at University of Tasmania moved there from Victoria.
She says Tasmania is a beautiful place and there is lot of cultural diversity. She adds that there is lack of worship centre. She feels that that improvement in such community facilities would help migrants.
Carnatic singer Sakthi Ravitharan Source: SBS
Mr. Stander Pal Singh says that many students from North India and Punjab are coming to Tasmania University to study. The first place they look around is place of worship. Because, this is the place where their community will be congregating. It gives them a sense of belonging, feel at ease and to interact with their own community.
Source: Satinder Pal Singh
Mr. Singh says that new migrants too have a need to come to their place of worship so as to be with their community. It helps them to settle comfortably at any new place.
He adds that having a place of worship is also important as this is the medium where children too can remain in touch with their mother tongue and learn about their culture.
Source: Satinder Pal Singh
Mr. Singh feels that any community at large needs its own bindings - to share their sorrows and joys with each other only then, it progresses. So a place of worship , a culture centre is very important but this is lacking here.
The Tasmanian Government wants to increase the state's population to 650,000 by 2050. Currently. its population is just over 500,000.
Mr. Singh says that at the moment, there is only one Migrant Resource Centre. Though it conducts frequent , regular meetings and trying to help everyone but those meetings do become very crowded and often small communities' voices are lost.
The Multicultural Council is conducting research on the experiences of migrants to - and from - Tasmania.
Ms Reynolds says preliminary findings suggest migrants move interstate because of perceptions of increased job opportunities, bigger ethnic communities and more cultural facilities.
