ECCWA Hails Budget Gains for Social Cohesion and Care but Warns Multicultural Australia Needs Deeper Commitment
The Ethnic Communities Council of Western Australia (ECCWA) has welcomed key elements of the 2025 Federal Budget while warning that more ambitious action is needed to fully meet the needs of multicultural Australia. In a detailed response developed with the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA), the organisation says the budget marks a positive step on social cohesion and care, but leaves critical gaps in areas such as anti‑racism, migration and language access.
Multiculturalism and social cohesion
ECCWA notes that the budget aligns closely with the recent Multicultural Framework Review, reinforcing multiculturalism as a core national value and supporting programs that build inclusion and inter community understanding. The council stresses that bipartisan political commitment is vital to lock in long term policy coherence and ensure multicultural communities remain central to Australia’s future.
Targeted investments to protect human rights, particularly for refugees and in culturally safe service delivery, are described as encouraging but incomplete. ECCWA and FECCA are calling for stronger mechanisms to ensure culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities are directly involved in shaping laws and policies that affect their rights, safety and participation.
Anti racism and community safety
The budget’s $178.4 million social cohesion package, including grants for multicultural organisations and community infrastructure, is welcomed as a significant boost for frontline work in local communities. ECCWA highlights the importance of funding for security upgrades at Jewish and Muslim community sites, acknowledging heightened risks faced by these communities.
However, the council warns that the absence of a comprehensive national anti‑racism strategy leaves a structural gap in the response to discrimination and hate. It argues that without a coordinated framework, ad‑hoc measures will struggle to address the deeper drivers of racism that affect many multicultural Australians in daily life.
Migration, settlement and language support
While ongoing support for refugee settlement services is recognised as essential, ECCWA describes the unchanged humanitarian intake as a missed opportunity for leadership amid unprecedented global displacement. The organisation says a more generous and flexible humanitarian program would better reflect Australia’s obligations and the aspirations of its diverse communities.
Additional language support in the health system is seen as a practical and welcome measure that will improve access for non‑English speaking patients. Yet ECCWA points out that similar commitments are lacking in aged care, disability and housing, where language barriers continue to limit equitable access to services and information for many CALD Australians.
Health, Medicare and community programs
The budget’s $8.5 billion investment in Medicare, including expanded bulk billing and higher rebates for diagnostics, is strongly endorsed as a direct relief for multicultural families facing cost‑of‑living pressures. Funding to improve public dental services, lower the PBS co‑payment to $25, and trial pharmacy‑based treatment for urinary tract infections and cheaper contraceptive access is also welcomed as targeted support that will be felt in households across Australia.
ECCWA highlights the Health in My Language program, which receives an extra $5.4 million, taking total investment to $24.3 million, as a proven model for delivering trusted, culturally safe health information to migrant and refugee women in their own languages. Continued funding for multicultural peer navigation and HIV prevention pilots is praised for improving early detection, treatment access and health literacy in communities where stigma and lack of awareness remain major obstacles.
Aged care, women and equity
On care, the $2.6 billion commitment to wage rises for 60,000 aged care nurses is described as a critical step in stabilising a workforce that includes a high proportion of migrant workers. ECCWA notes that better pay, alongside culturally appropriate assessments and services under the new Aged Care Act, is essential to deliver dignity in ageing for people from CALD backgrounds and their families.
The budget’s $573.3 million women’s health package, including support for endometriosis care, menopause services and broader reproductive health, is welcomed as a long‑overdue recognition of women’s diverse health needs. New Medicare items for perimenopause and menopause assessments, funding for 33 Endometriosis and Pelvic Pain Clinics, and investments in awareness campaigns and clinician training are all expected to improve standards of care for multicultural women nationwide.
Safety measures, including $21.4 million to strengthen the justice system’s response to sexual violence and expand trauma‑informed and culturally appropriate services, are described as vital but not sufficient on their own. ECCWA stresses that specialist CALD services remain under‑resourced and require sustained, long‑term funding if women and children from diverse backgrounds are to be properly protected and supported.
Social cohesion investments and multicultural media
ECCWA particularly welcomes the $178.4 million over five years dedicated to strengthening social cohesion, including $10 million for independent multicultural media and $44.8 million in community project grants. The council says this investment recognises the central role of multicultural media in informing communities, countering misinformation and amplifying diverse voices in the national conversation.
Additional support for African Australian organisations, refugee settlement initiatives and upgrades to cultural institutions is viewed as timely recognition of the cultural, social and economic contributions of migrant and refugee communities. ECCWA underlines that these measures, if implemented in partnership with community leaders and organisations, can help build a more inclusive, confident and connected Australia for all.
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