EVOCA

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Community Action for a Multicultural Society network
CAMS Update
from Lalita Lakshmi
Disaster and Recovery Management
With CAMS workers situated in communities across the state from Cairns to Toowoomba,
few have not been affected by the natural disasters we have experienced recently. Many
CAMS workers and their organisations have worked directly with CALD communities
assisting them to prepare for the emergency, and assisting with recovery. CAMS workers
hope to work together to document this and provide feedback and advice around best
ways to support CALD communities during and after disaster situations. Although we are only at the start of this
process, it would seem that the lack of translated materials, availability of audio materials, and appropriate
support in recovery centres have been some of the issues identified.
CAMS Advocacy Priorities
The CAMS network continues to work jointly on many advocacy priority areas. This work is being done through
established statewide working groups including Queensland Accessing Interpreters Working Group, Employment
Advocacy for Cultural Diversity and Queensland Pacific Islanders Workers Network. These working
groups are all convened and actively supported by members of the CAMS network. CAMS workers have also
made the following priority areas a focus of joint work: ESL and culturally inclusive education; cultural
responsiveness working with the Department of Communities; Pacific Islander issues; and police and justice
issues.
ESL and culturally inclusive education: the CAMS network will continue to consult with local communities
including teachers, schools and parents to ascertain what the situation is for CALD students and families and
what increased support is needed. The CAMS working group’s first task of the year will be to respond to the
Federal Government’s Review of Funding for Schooling. The working group hopes to use and build on work that
CAMS and our organisations have undertaken.
Cultural responsiveness: the working group is aiming to further evidence and support increased cultural
responsiveness of local NGO’s funded by the Department of Communities. The working group continues to
collect case studies and hopes to provide a thematic analysis of these. They also plan to research examples of
how other state government communities and human service departments implement cultural responsiveness
and write a report on best practice, practices in other jurisdictions and data analysis. A first draft has been
completed. Working group members are also mapping the culturally inclusive aspects of the Community
Standards, and how they are applied to an NGO.
Pacific Islander issues: the working group is looking at undertaking some research and is designing a draft
research template and format. They hope to include a regional perspective and examine the effect of the
Trans-Tasman agreement.
Police and Justice: the working group hopes to focus on improvements to interpreter access; internal QPS
cultural competencies; and QPS and CALD community relationships.
Keeping up to date with regional CAMS
Several CAMS workers in local regions have recently commenced their own regional email newsletters which
include news of local CALD communities. If you would like to be added to their email lists its best to contact
them directly at:
• Sunshine Coast: contact Naomi Wiley, Multicultural Coomunity Worker, Nambour Community
Centre at mcw.ncc@flexinet.com.au
• Logan: Feli Lacorte-Gayat, CAMS Officer, ACCES Services Inc at felig@asi.org.au
• Caboolture: Nooreen Harris, CAMS Multicultural Worker, Neighbourhood Centre Caboolture at
camsnhc@tpg.com.au
Established CAMS newsletters are:
• Toowoomba: David Barton, Multicultural Community Worker, Mercy Family Services at
david.barton@mfsq.org.au
• Gold Coast: Nao Hirano, Multicultural Community Development Officer, Multicultural Community
Council, Gold Coast at naoh@mccgc.com.au
For more information on the CAMS program visit www.camsqld.org.au or contact Lalita on 3844 9166 ext 109.
Lalita Lakshmi is ECCQ’s Statewide Coordinator for
the Community Action for a Multicultural Society Program
which is funded by the Department of Communities
Evoca: Issue 157 - February/March 2011