Bunbury migrant services under threat

Migrants in Bunbury may be left isolated if the Multicultural Service Centre of WA fails to maintain its Federal funding.

The centre has been running in Bunbury for five years and is the only organisation helping migrants to locate services south of Perth, deal with language barriers and the challenges of integrating into regional communities.

Funded through the Settlement Grants Program, the last round of Federal funding was allocated three years ago for the Bunbury arm of the centre and it will expire on June 30.

Multicultural Services Centre WA executive director Ramdas Sankaran said he was concerned that any future funding had not yet been confirmed.

“Grants are advertised in October, and generally by now they would have let the applicants know if they were successful, ” he said.

“The possibility of closure can’t be ruled out and the uncertainty is a concern.”

He said the centre enhanced integration between migrants and the community and its closure would not only impact migrants, but would cause other service providers in the area struggle to work around the problem of language barriers.

Daravann Meek from the Bunbury branch of the centre said she expected to close the doors of the Wittenoom Street office at the end of June.

“With more multicultural people in the South West, it doesn’t make sense to not fund us, ” Mr Meek said.

“We are a one stop shop and without us migrants will have to go to a lot of different agencies for a little bit of information.

“We generally help migrants with low English proficiency to settle in the South West.”

Mrs Meek started a petition to garner support from the community in favour of further funding that she would take to the Department of Social Services.

“We have close to 200 names and anyone who feels strongly can drop in and sign it, ” she said.

The closure of the centre would be the end of programs like helping children from migrant backgrounds with homework.