Re-elected Baird government urged to deliver on multicultural policy

(Transcript from SBS World News Radio)

The government of re-elected New South Wales premier Mike Baird is being urged to deliver on its commitment to the state's migrant and refugee communities.

Biwa Kwan has more.

(Click on the audio tab above to hear the full report)

Privatisation of electricity had been the focus for much of the election campaign - but that's something multicultural groups would like to see changed post-election.

Harry Danalis is president of the Greek Orthodox Community of New South Wales.

He says it is disappointing to see the political parties give such little attention to multicultural issues during the election.

"I think that there is a very wide variety of issues out there about what are the important issues in the state and I seem to get the impression that unless the politicians think the issue is going to grab a headline or give them some kudos, they don't particularly want to cover them. So you had a virtually this election turned on the privatisation of poles and wires where some of the other issues, I think, got sidelined."

Mr Danalis says there are a number of issues to be addressed

"Infrastructure, education, health and I think these are the issues that we will be looking forward to - to see that they do get addressed. Because there is no doubt that there is a crisis in both hospitals, education and transport."

Peter Doukas is the Chairman of the Ethnic Communities' Council of New South Wales.

He says the issue of ongoing core funding for ethnic community councils in urban and regional areas of the state has been a concern.

"Questions about funding, questions about integration about new and emerging communities. Settlement for newly arrived migrants. We've got a conference at the end of the year whereby the other ethnic communities will be coming to Sydney to celebrate the success of multiculturalism and noting the challenges ahead."

Mr Doukas says he is looking forward to meeting with the Multicultural Affairs minister under the re-elected Baird government to highlight the needs of multicultural communities.

"It's pretty self-explanatory that multiculturalism is part of the political process and both parties embraced this internally and externally. 40 per cent of the state has at least one parent born overseas so it's a part of the political dialogue now that multicultural groups have to be reached out to."

This election featured a number of candidates from multicultural communities, particularly in Western Sydney - home to almost two million residents.

One third of the residents in the area are been born overseas and 50 per cent are first or second generation Australians.

It is a strategy that has paid off for the political parties, according to senior lecturer in politics at the University of Western Sydney, Doctor David Burchell.

But he says challenges still remain for politicians and policymakers responding to the area's changing demographics.

"I mean western Sydney is a big place. One of obvious fact which is why anxieties about ethnic issues are often highest in Western Sydney is because it is the number one destination for those coming from troubled places overseas - and it has been for a long time. And they're people who often need a lot of care and a lot of social services and the nature of migration has changed. There have been a lot of refugees from sub-Saharan Africa. It's true the ethnic communities are changing and the kind of public policies issues are changing as well."