Labor has promised to give a Sikh charity about $4.2 million to build community kitchens and multicultural support centres in three states if returned to government on Saturday’s federal election.
Former immigration minister Andrew Giles, who was dumped from the role after releasing hundreds of illegal immigrant criminals into the community, on Sunday revealed Turbans 4 Australia would be given $988,399 to expand in Thomastown, Melbourne, if Labor was re-elected.
“Helping support members of our community experiencing hardship in the north-eastern suburbs, is building on the Albanese Labor Government’s commitment to ensuring no-one is left behind,” he said, and posed for photos with members of the charity.
The announcement came after lesbian foreign minister Penny Wong and Labor MP for Spence Matt Burnell committed $1.6 million for the same charity in Adelaide on April 16.
Ms Wong said the funds would go towards a community kitchen and multicultural support centre in the city’s north, SBS News reported.
“We’re a country that welcomes people from some 300 ancestries, and together we build the Australian community, with all of that diversity and vibrance, with all of the values that we care about – inclusion, diversity and strength in that diversity,” she said.
Amar Singh from Turbans 4 Australia was invited to address parliament by the pair, where he urged the Coalition to match the funding pledge and said parcels put together by the charity on the day would go to a local refugee organisation.
Four days before that Muslim Egyptian-born MP for Cowan in Western Australia, Anne Aly, pledged $1.6 million for Turbans 4 Australia to do the same in her electorate.
“This commitment will expand Turbans 4 Australia’s services into Western Australia to build on their charity work in Sydney and Melbourne,” she said.
“Amar and Turbans 4 Australia do incredible work across Australia, and I am proud that they have chosen to establish their multicultural support centre and community kitchen in Cowan.”
Ms Wong’s funding commitment comes after she promised $1.6 million in November for a technological cooperation deal with India and announced Labor would send the first “first nations” business mission to India later this year.
She said the aboriginal business delegation would help promote “the excellence, ideas and unique offerings of ‘first nations’ businesses to new markets overseas”.
Last month Ms Wong held a Labor community town hall in Melbourne where White Australian ticket-holders were refused entry.
Header image: Left, Penny Wong committing funding in Adelaide. Right, Anne Aly doing the same in Perth (Facebook).
