NSW Labor Leader Jodi McKay has spent months calling on the Berejiklian Government to provide more support to NSW multicultural community groups who have been on the frontlines helping temporary visa holders and international students since the pandemic started.
Ms McKay said today that while she welcomed any help for multicultural communities in NSW – even at this very late stage – the Government’s package of $500,000 announced yesterday was “too little too late”.
“NSW is now officially in recession and the promise of this help comes months too late. Our multicultural NSW community groups have been feeding people since the pandemic began – and we should thank them from the bottom of our hearts,” Ms McKay said.
Many temporary visa holders and international students in NSW have found it hard to pay for food and other essentials in recent months. Some are at risk of becoming homeless because they were unable to pay their rent.
The Berejiklian Government’s most recent announcement comes three weeks after it belatedly promised a temporary housing scheme and crisis accommodation funding for about 15% of the State’s international students.
Incredibly, despite this announcement being made weeks ago, applications are yet to be open. (Source: https://www.study.sydney/student-welfare/accommodation-and-housing)
“It’s fair to say our multicultural NSW communities, charities, and churches have stepped up because the Berejiklian Government has not.”
