An Albanese Labor Government will deliver funding for a community hub at the Sri Vakrathunda Vinyagar Temple in The Basin, in Victoria’s eastern suburbs.
Announced on Saturday by Shadow Attorney-General and Member for Isaacs, Mark Dreyfus, an Albanese Labor Government will deliver $1.5 million towards the development of a central location for community members to access services, programs and gather to socialise.
In The Basin to announce the commitment today, Mark Dreyfus said Labor’s funding commitment acknowledges the value and needs of the fast-growing local Hindu community in Melbourne’s East.
“Melbourne is a truly multicultural society and Labor is proud to support the local community in sharing and celebrating its diversity,” said Mr Dreyfus.
The new community hub will be a significant expansion of the limited community space at the temple which is bursting at the seams, recognising Labor’s ongoing commitment to the more than 130,000 Hindu Victorians, and 75,000 devotees who attend the temple annually.
The hub will be a central point where community members, including from the broader non-Hindu community, can access services, language teaching and cultural activities, with activities for senior citizens, parents and young people.
Labor’s Shadow Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Andrew Giles said: “We have been listening to Victoria’s Hindu Community and understand how important this hub will be to the preservation of Hindu and Indian culture.”
“This announcement is part of Labor’s plan to deliver a better future for multicultural communities,” Mr Giles said.
