Cade Lucas
Celebrations were held in Footscray last week to mark the 35th anniversary of a program which has helped a generation of migrants make themselves at home in Melbourne’s west.
In 1989, the Migrant Liaison Officer Program (MLO) started with a small group of part time staff to help migrant and refugee communities connect with government services.
Now known as the Multicultural Service Officer (MSO) program, dozens of former staff and clients gathered at the Service Australia offices in Footscray on October 24 to acknowledge the huge difference the program has made to Footscray and other communities with high migrant populations.
One of those staff members was immediate past Maribyrnong mayor Cuc Lam, herself a refugee, who worked as a Multicultural Services Officer for 34 years.
“I’m still very touched and emotional to look back on my career at Services Australia, because of my own awareness of how difficult it is for the migrant and refugees,” Ms Lam said.
“They display such strong courage and motivation and I am honoured to have helped so many people.”
Ms Lam became an MSO a year after the program was established and when it was undergoing rapid expansion.
So popular did it prove, that within two years the MSO program went from having 30 part time staff to 43 full time staff.
Today there are Multicultural Service Officers based in every state and territory around the country.
Fraser MP, Dr Daniel Mulino said the great work of these officers in their communities was the key to the program’s longevity.
“When people arrive in Australia, there’s no doubt it can be very stressful,” Dr Mulino said.
“These wonderful Services Australia staff help them navigate their path but, more than that, give them confidence in government services. We’re here to build that trust, because in many of the places from which migrants and refugees have come, trust in government has been eroded.”
Dr Mulino said despite the program existing for more than 30 years and multiculturalism becoming an entrenched part of Australian life, MSO’s remained as important as ever.
“Currently there are 1.67 million Services Australia customers that identify as being from a culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) background and 460,000 of them require an interpreter when talking to our services,” he said.
For more information on the Multicultural Service Officer Program visit: servicesaustralia.gov.au/multicultural-service-officers
