The Federation of Ethnic Communities' Council's (FECCA) national conference has heard that Australia's diversity is set to rise, but government support for the sector isn't keeping up.
Migrants and their families are a plus to society, experts say.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
"By the time we get to the second generation the contribution is greater than the Australian born,' says Professor Graeme Hugo, Director of the National Centre for Social Applications of Geographical Information Systems at the University of Adelaide.
And the FECCA leadership argues migrants deserve a greater voice.
"We need to be able to affect policy and program design. We need to be able to affect resource allocation," FECCA chair Pino Migliorini tells SBS.
With migrants and diversity on the rise - the demand for services is rising too - and SBS is amongst those seeking government support to expand its reach.
"Arguing for services to not only be expanded but bolstered to help take SBS to the next level so it can be more relevant to more Australians," says Michael Ebeid, SBS Managing Director.
