2021 marks 20 years of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) being a Home of Hope for people seeking asylum. What started in 2001 as a small community-funded food bank led by a group of passionate TAFE students in Footscray became the ASRC, Australia’s largest independent human rights organisation providing support to people seeking asylum. For two decades, the ASRC has stood as a force for change and a beacon of hope and decency. Today the ASRC continue to champion the rights of people seeking asylum and mobilise a community of compassion to create lasting social and policy change. Learn more about the last 20 years of the ASRC here.

From the Heart are fewer than 700 signatures away from their goal - Speak to a friend, colleague, someone in your family or your community and ask them to sign their support for a Voice to Parliament enshrined in the Constitution. Click here to sign and learn more.

The NDRP 2021 Research Funding Round is designed to fund disability research that will deliver new findings and test and refine the NDRP processes. Research must be done by and with people with disability, align with the NDRP Guiding Principles and address an area of demonstrated importance to people with disability. Applications are accepted from any incorporated association in Australia. Learn more here.

CYDA and Every Child are encouraging people to sign the National Child and Youth Wellbeing Commitment to help every child and young person succeed and be safe. The National Child and Youth Wellbeing Commitment requires government to: Endorse and invest in a 6-point framework as a nation-building priority; and report on the delivery and the coordination of services across the six core areas. Learn more and sign here.

Unity – The way forward.

The volatility of life in recent times has shown unequivocally that we need to work together often merely to survive, let alone to thrive and progress. Let’s take the opportunity to start afresh and rebuild our lives together. To count our blessings and to put them to work. Existing and emerging communities. Working together.

The powerful potential of Unity. The special brew of ideas from all over the world that created our great way of life can continue evolving if we work together. Let’s not stop now, let’s move forward unified.

In 2021, help build a more cohesive community during Refugee Week. Whether hosting a local meal, a community event or attending an online event to hear from people all over the world, join the spirit of unity as we recover from the isolation we have all endured in 2020.

Stronger. Safer. Healthier. Happier. Together.

The Federation of Ethnic Communities' Councils of Australia (FECCA) is working closely with the Federal Government to support multicultural community groups provide important COVID-19 health messages to their communities. Under a Commonwealth-funded Small Grants Fund, FECCA will work with multicultural communities to assist them deliver critical health information and advice on the coronavirus pandemic and vaccination rollout. The small grants program is supported by the Settlement Council of Australia (SCOA), Migration Council Australia and the Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network (MYAN).

FECCA Chief Executive Officer, Mohammad Al-Khafaji, said the program will support culturally appropriate and relevant information regarding COVID-19 and the vaccination delivery.

“This program will deliver small grants to community groups to undertake and lead targeted communication activities on COVID and the vaccinations at the grass roots level,” Mr Al-Khafaji said.

A report has been developed by the Lowitja Institute to look at how the cultural determinants of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and well-being can be implemented in current and emerging policy frameworks. It explores culture as an essential part of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander identity and a protective factor of health and wellbeing that is often neglected in government  approaches.  The  new  Agreement  on  Closing  the  Gap  and  the upcoming refresh of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan (NATSIHP) offer a unique window of opportunity to implement  the  cultural determinants and raise awareness across government for the need to invest in cultural determinant-driven policy through a whole-of-government framework. Read the Culture is Key: Towards cultural determinants-driven  health policy report here.

• The Settlement Council of Australia (SCoA) and the Forcibly Displaced People Network (FDPN) invite you to join tomorrow's Refugee Week webinar, which will discuss LGBTQI inclusion in our sector, the relevant issues, challenges, and how to implement best practice programs in the sector - 24 June 2021  - Click here for more information and to register

• Everyone has the potential to become an everyday advocate for and with older people. In the How to be an Everyday Advocate webinar, the panel of experts will discuss the role of aged care advocacy in championing older people's rights, empowering older people to self-advocate, and what we can do to become everyday advocates in the communities where we live - 24 June 2021 - Click here to learn more and to register

• Tickets are now available for Good Things Foundation Australia’s Digital Nation: Building a Connected, Capable, Confident Country conference. The online-only event includes engaging presentations, Q&As, and workshops covering the latest digital inclusion issues and research from across Australia. Announced line-up of digital inclusion leaders and advocates include eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman-Grant, The Smith Family Head of Policy & Programs Wendy Field, Professor Michael Dezuanni from Queensland University of Technology Digital Media Research Centre, and more - 4 August 2021 - Click here to register and learn more

• The latest edition of the COVID-19 vaccines multicultural audiences stakeholder pack has been released, developed by the Department of Health. The pack contains in-language communication resources and information about the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, the AstraZeneca vaccine, vaccine eligibility and vaccine safety. Click on the links in the stakeholder pack to access translated COVID-19 vaccines information. Resources include posters, fact sheets, audio files, and social media content. Access the pack here.

There are calls for sweeping changes to Australia's child support system. In some cases, primary caregivers, most of them women, are receiving no child support, but are owed thousands, advocates say. Officially, the current scheme shows nearly $1.7 billion is outstanding, though researchers say that figure is severely underestimated. Features Terese Edwards, National Council for Single Women and Their Children.

Australian government lacks ‘political will’ to repatriate women and their children detained in Syrian camps, says Save the Children’s Mat Tinkler.

“We received reports an 11-year-old Australian girl collapsed due to malnutrition and had to be attended to by ambulance medics,” the deputy chief executive of Save the Children Australia, Mat Tinkler, said.

“There are also increasing reports of violence. We fear it’s a matter of time before an Australian child dies.”

Employment Minister Stuart Robert will move ahead with the sweeping changes, the largest in a decade, after a Senate Committee cleared the Bill on Friday, despite dissenting reports from Labor and the Greens. Australian Unemployed Workers Union (AUWU) have already formed a number of concerns though.

We are alarmed that @NationalFVPLS have been excluded from the Advisory Group designing the plan to end family violence in Australia.

Family violence prevention & legal services work on the frontline with First Nations women. Their expertise is crucial! @MarisePayne @Anne_Ruston https://t.co/4CutQApJMw

— Change the Record (@Change_Record) June 22, 2021