MAV Annual Report 2023

Acknowledgement of Country

Photo by Georgia Metaxas

With the deepest respect MAV acknowledges that we live, work and celebrate on unceded Aboriginal land.

We thank all Elders, past and present, for their care, knowledge and generosity, as custodians of the world’s oldest continuing culture. We pledge our support towards truth telling, reparation and decolonisation.

We open our hearts and minds to deep listening, learning, sharing and connecting – in solidarity with First Peoples here in Australia and around the world.

About Multicultural Arts Victoria (MAV)

MAV is a dynamic organisation advocating for multiculturalism and multicultural arts. Initiated as The Festival of All Nations in 1973, MAV is rooted in organising community to celebrate the diversity of cultures, stories, and traditions through creative arts. 50 years on, MAV has become a stalwart of resources, support and agency in the arts sector.

We recognise that we stand on mighty shoulders; the shoulders of MAV’s past leaders, contributors, funders and stakeholders, as well as a long list of exceptional multicultural artists and creatives who have contributed to writing history and 65,000 years of storytelling on these lands.

Folkloric Dance Groups, 1970’s. Festival of All Nations.

Who We Are

• We champion culturally diverse artists and communities to create systems of cultural production and participation that uphold equity and self-determination.

• We make art as a visceral response to the forces of bigotry and intolerance, which seek to undermine the hard-fought battle for pluralism.

• We make art to understand who we are as migrants on Indigenous land.

• We make art to draw attention to the work that is still needed to future proof our identity as a society that deeply values its diversity.

La Descarga Band performs as part of MAV’s Newprint program. 2023.

We value:

• Diversity. We privilege non-western ways of doing, knowing and being, to tell stories that illuminate our humanity and improve intercultural understanding.

• Equality. We strive for cultural democracy, sharing our knowledge and skills with partners across the arts and cultural sector to build platforms for engagement and visibility.

• Trust. We make art to understand who we are as migrants on Indigenous land.

• Courage. We make art to draw attention to the work that is still needed to future proof our identity as a society that deeply values its diversity.

Goals:

• To champion the development of artists and artform practices that speak to who we are as Australians, embedding pluralism and diversity as a fount of artistic and cultural innovation;

• To build the case for diversity as one of our greatest cultural assets, through the generation of critical and compelling new work; and

• To lead transformation in our sector, contesting the marginality of diverse artistic practices through the application of contemporary lenses and frameworks.

Our People

OPERATIONAL STAFF 2023

ACTING CEO

Lauren Mullings from June 2023

CO-CEO/EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Andy Miller until November 2023

CO-CEO/CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Lauren Mullings until November 2023

CO-CEO/CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Zii Nzira until August 2023

FINANCE OFFICER

Hung Nguyen until August 2023

PROGRAM MANAGER

Renata Zimbarg

MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

Theresa Angela

MARKETING CO-ORDINATOR

Sneha Varma until February 2023

ARTIST DEVELOPMENT CO-ORDINATOR

Miriam Abud

CULTURAL AGENCY CO-ORDINATOR

Damon Paraha

CULTURAL AGENCY CO-ORDINATOR

Vida Sunshyne until October 2023

CULTURAL AGENCY CO-ORDINATOR

Dorcas Maphakela until May 2023

ADMINISTRATOR Jose Tortabu

DIGITAL MEDIA OFFICER

Nyarath Gatkouth

CREATIVE PRODUCERS

Ane Fotu

Akimera Akimera

James Emmanuel Mckinnon

Oscar Jimenez

ACCOUNTING ASSISTANT

Adriana Garcia

FINANCE CONSULTANT

Shadi Habash/Paxinos Habash Arts Tax

IT SUPPORT

Matt Careri

BOARD OF MANAGEMENT 2023

BOARD CHAIR

Linda Catalano

BOARD DEPUTY CHAIR

Neda Rahmani

BOARD VICE CHAIR

Ursula Dyer Lepperoli

BOARD SECRETARY

Michael van Vliet

BOARD TREASURER

Sandeep Agrawal

BOARD DIRECTORS

Aditi Razdan

Amarantha Robinson

Ayesha Bux

Chidambaram Srinivasan

Emiliano Zucchi

Kylie Crane

Siu Chan

BOARD OBSERVER

Alaa Karrar

PATRONS 2023

Jason Yeap OAM

Hon. Ted Ballieu AO

Chair Report

Linda Catalano, Board Chair

In 2023, we celebrate 50 years of Multicultural Arts Victoria (MAV). This significant milestone offers a timely opportunity to reflect on MAV’s rich history, the origins and importance of multicultural arts, and why our current work championing culturally diverse artists and communities remains as vital as ever. As we embark on our next 50 years, we do so with a strong commitment to ensuring MAV continues to be a critical voice for the empowerment of diverse creatives and their communities.

We are delighted to welcome Lauren Mullings to MAV as Acting CEO. Lauren brings boundless energy, immense creativity, and thoughtfulness to her role, and we are grateful for her leadership. Following the departure of Andy Miller as Co-CEO/General Manager, Lauren stepped up to take on the role of Acting CEO. We thank Andy for 9 years of dedicated service and commitment to MAV, including his leadership over 2 years as CoCEO.

The board makeup shifted in 2023. I was honored to be elected as MAV’s first female Chair this year, taking the reins from Michael van Vliet, who continued to serve on the board as Secretary. We welcomed new board members Ayesha Bux, Emiliano Zucchi and Kylie Crane, joining existing board members Neda Rahmani (Deputy Chair), Ursula Dyer Lepporoli (Vice Deputy Chair), Sandeep Agrawal (Treasurer), Siu Chan, Amarantha Robinson, Aditi Razdan, Srini Srinivasan, and Alaa Karrar (Board Observer). We said goodbye to Shankar Kasynathan and thanked him for his service.

Amarantha Robinson, Aditi Razdan, Michael van Vliet and Srini Srinivasan will end their terms with the board at the AGM. I thank them for their contributions as directors, office bearers and passionate arts advocates. Special thanks to Michael van Vliet for his extraordinary service and commitment to MAV over nine years, including five as Chair, and to Srini Srinivasan for his 12 years of association with MAV and six years on the board. Their long service has made a lasting impact.

I extend my heartfelt thanks to the volunteer board members for their enthusiasm, knowledge, and dedication.

I believe it is important to acknowledge the distress caused by conflicts across the globe and the impact these conflicts have on the multicultural communities we serve. The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the war in Gaza are profoundly affecting many in our communities. Our hearts are with those who are suffering or grieving the profound loss of friends and loved ones as a result of these conflicts and others too numerous to mention around the world.

Finally, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to our funders Creative Australia and Creative Victoria, as well as Darebin Council, City of Melbourne and City of Shepparton, our venue partners and presenters, members, funders, and supporters who continue to back our programs. Your support is invaluable and deeply appreciated. It is an enormous privilege to lead MAV, and I look forward to the exciting journey ahead.

Newprint 2023. Photo by Blacklisted Visions.

CEO Report

Lauren Mullings, acting CEO

As the incoming Acting CEO at MAV, I take deep pleasure in sharing our journey over 2023 with you, our valued community of artists, supporters, and friends.

If there was a theme for 2023, it was emergence. Emergence out of a pandemic state, out of our temporary home at Darebin Arts Centre, into new leadership, and new perspectives. We worked tirelessly to plant the foundational seeds that would guide us boldly out of 2023, and into the future.

2023 was a sustained effort to ensure artists and communities and their livelihood remained at the centre of every conversation possible, and that the incredible lessons learnt and plans laid post-pandemic were not lost. That multicultural artists remained connected to and counted on these lands.

MAV embraced a new approach to programming in 2023, building on the outstanding programs delivered both at home and abroad. Key highlights include Sangam, a festival of diverse performances; Future Reset, in partnership with Vic Health; and the Newprint program, which supported emerging live event producers from culturally diverse backgrounds. We collaborated interstate through the tour of Purbayan Chatterjee and across the shores in South Africa, as Beyond Words sought market intelligence and brought a fresh exchange of knowledge with artists on Yorta Yorta country.

And on one unforgettable day in July six culturally significant Artists Of Colour - Vicki Kinai (PNG), MzRizk (Lebanon), Katherine Gailer (Colombia), Julie Ann Minaii (Japan/ Hawaii), Irihipeti Waretini and Bella Waru (Aotearoa) - wove their sacred art forms into one incredible performance featuring 50 live performers, disrupting the Melbourne Museum with their movement, song, ceremonial collaboration, feasting, film and immersive art.

Newprint 2023. Photo by Felipe Paz.

Produced from within the cultural support of a burgeoning Diasporas community, Resonance was not just visually arresting but a triumph; a tapestry of mapping ancestral journeys to the sacred Kulin lands the artists now call home.

Despite post-COVID barriers, MAV remained a backbone of service delivery in Victoria’s creative sector, embodying values around cultural equity and delivering social impact through services such as our Cultural Agency, Auspicing and Avenues of Support. We rode the waves of many challenges, understanding that recovery will take time and well-targeted resources. We learnt through difficult moments and sometimes burnout that our wellbeing must be considered to connect meaningfully with our artistic community.

We secured our future through a new round of multi-year funding beginning in 2025 with a newly rebranded Creative Australia. Our programs have initiated numerous works in 2023, providing critically underrepresented artists with essential resources, guidance, and mentorship to hone their craft and establish their careers in the industry. We worked closely with new and emerging communities to connect them with opportunities that increase participation and economic opportunities while cultivating our legacy communities.

We remain optimistic about the future, while acknowledging and addressing the barriers our culturally diverse artists face and continuing to challenge our very own critical thinking. We must continue to lean toward practices that uplift and empower, that actively dismantle white supremacy and racist systems of oppression on these lands.

We must continue to ‘stand on business’ and build trust. Access to resources across the arts funding landscape remains a serious challenge, and especially brutal for intersectional artists. Unpredictable and extreme weather continues to impact the livelihoods and well-being of local and global communities, disproportionately impacting marginalised communities, refugees, women and First Nations peoples. Our web of trust, cultivated in our shared love of art, is our is our essential toolkit for survival.

Art and artforms that advocate for truth and First Nations representation and promote immigration as a key asset are actually our networks of support, as communities experience displacement, flee war and persecution, or are systematically silenced. We must continue to be driven by this profound commitment to exceptional artists, whose art is crucial to sowing these experiences into our vision of who we want to be as a society.

We are deeply grateful to our funders, partners, sponsors, and donors who enable us to create such positive social impact and visibility for critically underrepresented artists, not just through financial means, but through connection, networks, care, advice and opportunities to further our vision. Thank you to the MAV Team for your hard work and dedication. It is through your safeguarding of artistic expression, care for artists, and ability to hold space that MAV continues to grow and redefine the role of multicultural artists in the creative sector and in history.

Sector Development

MAV continued to support artists and communities whose creative practices, incomes, and mental health were impacted by the continuing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, lockdowns and enormous cultural shifts of the last 5 years.

The ongoing recovery with cultural care underpinned MAV’s intentional adaptability and response to the relational needs of the community and sector.

PROGRAMMING

Our programming in 2023 continued to champion the development of creative art forms and practices that support and promote diversity as cultural and artistic innovation.

Both the Newprint and Future Reset programs emerged in response to the cultural and social impacts of the pandemic and lockdowns. Designed to revive Victoria’s live music scene, the Newprint program is a fusion of live music events and professional development. In its second iteration, Newprint 2 was led by seven CALD and BIPOC creatives, each producing two live music events to celebrate and uplift their communities and shared cultures.

Our partnership with VicHealth’s youth-led Future Reset initiative continued with the activation of six projects, led by emerging cultural leaders. Covering an expanse of communities in Hampton Park, Dandenong, Tarneit, Point Cook, Melton, and Ballarat, these projects were designed to engage multicultural youth through music and video production workshops, dance and talent quests, theatre-making, podcasts, and more.

Designed to disrupt systems of cultural production in a pre-COVID world, MAV’s Diasporas program evolved into its second year as Resonance.

Led by six creatives of colour, Resonance immersed audiences in the culture of five diasporic lineages, telling sacred stories through ceremony, dance, music, art, food and joy.

Guided by an Advisory Group composed of elders and BIPOC-identifying creative leaders, the production process maintained a high degree of integrity, transparency, and reverence, allowing the artists to produce truthful work that stunned and awed audiences.

Through this practice, and of centring the cultural narratives that diverge from the mainstream, conventional hierarchal systems of production were disrupted. Revealed was the transformative power of art and community needed for these times.

“Our identity as Australians is diverse; MAV plays a key role in establishing this historical fact.”

- Language service provider and MAV collaborator

THE CULTURAL AGENCY

MAV’s brokerage arm, The Cultural Agency, promotes and brokers opportunities for diverse talent that is representative of our multicultural society.

In 2023, MAV connected work opportunities offered by a plethora of clients across all industries, to a variety of extraordinary talent. This included events from small private functions to large-scale programs. This included events from small private functions to large-scale programs such as NGV’s free audio series for Melbourne Now.

MAV EVENTS

In 2023, MAV supported 36 events. This included co-presentations with Melbourne Recital Centre, Darebin FUSE, and the Purbayan Chattergee tour.

MAV supported emerging and established producers in developing capacity-building, producing, budgeting and finance, funding and grant-making, marketing, audience development and tour management skills.

MAV AUSPICING

Auspicing is a vital service that MAV offers to support the realisation of artists’ and communities’ own visions and their capacity to participate in the cultural life of our society.

MAV also works with Auspicious Arts to improve access and processes for the benefit of artists, and advocate for this across the industry in artist representative bodies and funding organisations.

RESOURCE & KNOWLEDGE SHARE

MAV regularly updates its Avenues of Support webpage. This is a listing of current grants, commissions, fellowships, residencies, free professional development workshops and opportunities relevant to culturally diverse artists, creatives and organisations.

This is shared directly to artists and community through one-on-one networks, and digital channels.

CULTURAL RESPONSIVENESS

In respect to the holistic approach required for true cultural care, MAV continued to respond to the needs of artists, arts workers, operational staff and board through consultation with community elders, and wellbeing services.

MAV’s team completed a Mental Health First Aid training with Girraway Ganyi Consulting, and culturally responsive and intersectional therapy led by Pola Practice was offered to staff and artists working directly with MAV.

DIVERSE LEADERSHIP

To reflect self-determined culturally diverse communities, 90% of MAV’s Board and Staff identify as culturally diverse.

This public commitment to diverse leadership in all key roles at MAV underscores the foundational value placed on lived experience in advocacy work.

NEWPRINT 2023. Photo by Cuerpo Negro

Community Development

Community Programs: Common Ground, Future Reset and Shepparton Culture Kitchen.

Community Workshops: Leadership for Community Organising

Communities Engaged: Ballarat, Brimbank, City of Casey, City of Greater Dandenong, Greater Melbourne, Greater Shepparton, Melton, Wyndham.

Shepparton Culture Kitchen 2023. Photo by Liz Arcus.

SHEPPARTON CULTURE

KITCHEN

January - July 2023

Co-produced by MAV and Greater Shepparton City Council, SCK explores the diverse food cultures of Shepparton’s diaspora communities and the vital role they play in addressing significant issues of health inequity and disadvantage facing the region. Despite food production and food processing being primary industries in Shepparton, many residents are at risk of food insecurity.

SCK takes an artistic and storytelling lens to a growing, thriving community post floods, cultivating relationships and connection through video and online content, and attracting economic opportunities such as catering appointments for its community.

Shepparton Culture Kitchen 2023 engaged six local diverse women as Community creatives: Ying Zhou, Dilrukshi Peiris, Muzhgan Qazikhil, Sibel Kaymak, Shaza Alsmaik/ and Rusminiwati Rose. The program offered an upskill of creative storytelling through food, leadership experience, how to plan and run a food stall at festivals, and completion of a Food Handling Certificate.

The women hosted a day of eating, cooking, storytelling and food workshops to local community, and celebrated over a shared evening feast.

“The best opportunity I got in Shepparton. I met lots of new friends and was able to try tasty foods. I learnt a lot and improved my cooking skills. I was also very happy to share my culture with others, and it felt like family. I happy I had the opportunity and did not want it to end.”

- Dilrukshi

Common Ground

January 2023

Common Ground was established in 2013 to create a space for young people from two faiths that are often religiously and racially vilified (Sikhism and Islam) to come together and use spoken word and poetry as a medium for dialogue, friendship, and interaction.

Today, it is an inter-faith spoken word program of workshops and performances driven by young people and exploring the role faith and identity play in our lives. It has provided young people with opportunities to connect with each other, to develop new creative ideas around their diverse faiths and identities and to promote social cohesion and mutual understanding.

In 2020, Common Ground pivoted to an online program that offered 14 writers and poets an 8-week workshop series that would result in a live performance of spoken word poetry. After a prolonged delay due to disruption, MAV hosted The Legends of Common Ground, with past participants and new poets joining the stage to tell their stories at The Bowery Theatre in St. Albans.

Common Ground 2023. Photos by Imran Kashem.

LEADERSHIP FOR COMMUNITY ORGANISING

JULY 2023

MAV partnered with Community Coalition Victoria to offer a series of workshops for Community Organising. Led by Denisse Sandoval, Nimo Hersi and Danica Mass, the workshops were designed to provide training for community leaders in effective campaigning and strategising to create social change.

This included:

• Understanding what community organising is.

• How to network and practice meetings with intention and sustainability,

• Learning about different types of community relationships and how to navigate them.

• Understanding power in societies.

• Writing your own personal narrative, or elevator pitch in as an advocate for your community.

• How to negotiate on behalf of a collective.

• How to facilitate large group meeting.

• How to remain motivated and motivate others.

With both weekend workshops booked out, the training proved invaluable to a diverse range of community leaders working across a variety of sectors.

Leadership for Community Organising 2023. Photo by Danica Mass.

FUTURE RESET

2023 - 2025

In partnership with VicHealth, MAV has continued to deliver the Future Reset program alongside the Future Reset Arts Collective (Regional Arts Victoria, Arts Access Victoria, Next Wave, Yirramboi Festival, The Push, Arts Mildura, Footscray Community Arts, Western Edge).

This initiative is focused on improving the mental wellbeing and social connectedness of young people throughout the state through arts and creativity. This deeply collaborative project aims to respond to the global inequities amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic. By centring on the voices of young people and deeply engaging with their desires for their communities, MAV hopes to catalyse a future shaped by their vision for society.

A critical aspect of the MAV Future Reset program was the employment of a young creative lead to lead the design, development, and delivery of the program.

By consulting with the community, the artists engaged through the initial co-design were identified as leaders working on projects that already spoke to the aims and intentions of Future Reset.

MAV’s intention here was to support and uplift the work that was already been done, responding to needs at a local level.

The program’s fundamental objective is to harness the transformative influence of community-based arts projects to enhance and uplift social connectedness and promote well-being amongst young people. This will lay the foundations for artists in community to continue their significant contribution to the cultivation of a more equitable and inclusive community and society.

MAD Fest. 2023. Photo by Theresa Angela.

After a long and fruitful period of co-design throughout 2022-2023, with the collective, artists and young people in community, and other stakeholders, MAV’s program launched in early 2023.

The co-design period enabled the project to move at the speed of trust with community, and for project budget and timelines to be created in consideration of time and capacity. Creating programs for young people designed with and by young people is fundamental to impactful engagement.

Over the last 2 years, led by artists in community, and designed and developed with the young creative lead, MAV has supported and funded the following programs:

Diversity in Motion

led by Deng Tebir in Melton Engaging multicultural youth in Tarneit and Point Cook through immersive dance workshops, mentorships, and talent quests, with the overarching goal of enhancing participants’ dance proficiency and fostering a sense of unity within the vibrant Melton region.

BeFree HipHop Workshops

led by Damon Paraha in Point Cook Empowering young talents in Wyndham and Western suburbs through Hip Hop and RnB music production. Guided by experienced artists Nomad and Vina. These workshops offer hands-on experiences, mentorship opportunities, and collaborative platforms to nurture participants’ musical acumen and confidence.

Higher Vision Filmmaking Program

led by Titan Debirioun in Tarneit/Point Cook Providing filmmaking skills to African youth in Werribee and Tarneit under the tutelage of acclaimed artist Titan Debirioun. This program encourages participants to explore their creative potential, articulate their unique perspectives, and amplify their voices through compelling storytelling on screen.

MAD Festival led by Connection Art Space in Dandenong Celebrating music, arts, and dance in Dandenong among culturally diverse youth, organized by Lara Juab and Connection Art Space (CAS). The festival serves as a platform to showcase talents, foster community cohesion, and facilitate professional development in event management and artistic expression.

Cultivate - Tasi Taa led by May Saba Sabet in Hampton Park Tasi Taa engage with young multicultural families and kids in Hampton Park neighbourhood to develop stories and produce music theatre workshops and performances.

Tiaal Mi Goa Podcast- Thrive Cast led by Centre for Multicultural Youth Ballarat Offering mental health support through podcasts in the Central Highlands & Wimmera regions, spearheaded by CMY Ballarat and Headspace Ballarat. This initiative amplifies the voices of culturally diverse youth, destigmatises mental health challenges, and encourages candid conversations within the community. A critical aspect of this program is upskilling and empowering young people in Ballarat to tell their own stories.

The Future Reset program is moving through the rest of its program throughout 2024 and will wrap up in early 2025 with the evaluation.

Future Reset symbolizes a transformative shift toward a future where art, culture, and youth empowerment converge to build healthier, more connected communities. It puts into practice our commitment to the self-determination of young people of colour, advocating social equity and supporting sustainable relationality through the arts and well-being initiatives.

Artist Development

Artist Development Programs Ahead of the Curve, Beyond Words, Diasporas, Newprint.

Audiences Engaged: 100, 265 reach in person and online.

Artforms:

Music, performance art, dance, visual art, theatre, weaving, costume, food, film, animation.

Taeana performs at Red Door Block Party for NEWPRINT 2.

Photo by Felipe Paz.

Beyond Words 2023. Photo by Niasha.

January - July 2023

Newprint emerged as an initiative in the revival of Victoria’s contemporary music landscape, particularly for CALD and BIPOC communities grappling with the fallout of COVID-19 impact. Serving as a beacon of inclusivity and opportunity, this program is dedicated to bridging the gap in the music industry for CALD and BIPOC creatives and artists and celebrate multicultural communities.

As a dynamic fusion of live music and professional development, MAV collaborated with 7 CALD/BIPOC producers (Nomad, Yungkily, Otorongo, Srirachi, Kush Tut, Titan Debirioun, Maira Monroy) to amplify their voices and talents.

Together, they orchestrated 13 vibrant shows across 5 localities (Cities of Darebin, Yarra, Maribyrnong, Melbourne, and Merri-bek) in 2023, empowering communities and fostering cultural leadership.

With venues like Howler, The Gasometer, and Northcote Social Club as vibrant stages, NEWPRINT 2 showcased the rich diversity of Victoria’s music scene, with five sold-out events and four free performances, marking a significant milestone in the journey towards greater representation and opportunity for their communities within the music industry.

MAV provided unwavering support to producers with four comprehensive workshops covering Project Planning, Event Programming and Production, Digital Marketing, and Media Promotion. Additionally, one-on-one consultations and administrative assistance were provided, with each producer receiving approximately 14 personalised 1.5-hour support sessions. These sessions focused on enhancing professional development, refining budgeting skills, contract management, event programming, and networking with venues and promoters.

The project stimulated economic activity within Darebin, City of Yarra, Maribyrnong, City of Melbourne, and Merri-bek, generating a collective gross income exceeding $40k for producers.

Cherry Chola performs at the Gasometer for NEWPRINT 2.

Photo by Teo.

Events created paid opportunities for 88 artists and 39 creative industry professionals (including photographers, videographers, designers, fashion practitioners), while drawing an audience of 2,489 attendees from diverse local communities and reaching 78,000 online through social media.

Beyond these achievements, NEWPRINT 2 spurred employment opportunities and facilitated the establishment of a business collective in the creative industries. Some producers continued organising events, while others transitioned into event promotion roles.

The program served as a platform for artists and producers to increase visibility within the local scene, connecting them with artists from other localities and internationally. Producers explored new ways of delivering events with live music performances that included dancers, comedians, and various artistic expressions. Other producers collaborated with local influencers to promote events and even employed local graffiti artists for compelling promotional video content.

Supported by Creative Victoria and City of Maribyrnong, NEWPRINT 2 made a substantial impact on Victoria’s music scene, fostering community engagement, not only economic growth recovery, but community development and representativity in Naarm/ Melbourne’s music industry.

“I realised how much energy it takes to do this and how much time you need to do it. I had training wheels on during the program, and by the end, I picked up on so much and learned what I’ll do differently next time.”

- Titan Debirioun NEWPRINT 2 Producer

Artist Development

Soli Tesema performs for Crescendo at Howler. NEWPRINT 2. Photo by Naverra Ari.

DIASPORAS/RESONANCE

January - July 2023

Diasporas is a visionary initiative set up to dismantle systems of power within the arts industry that stifle creatives of colour. At its core, Diasporas seeks to elevate and amplify the voices of diverse and marginalised artists, fostering new networks, sustainability in the arts, and the cultivation of a vibrant arts ecosystem.

RESONANCE, the culmination of the second iteration of in 2023, was a celebration of creativity, culture, and community. Six talented artists from diverse backgrounds—Vicki Kinai, Irihipeti Waretini, MzRizk, Bella Waru, Katherine Gailer, and Julie Ann Minaai—came together to weave a tapestry of stories and ceremonies, bridging cultures and generations. From Papua New Guinea to Lebanon, Japan to Aotearoa, their performances illuminated the ancestral journeys that led them to the sacred Kulin lands of Naarm at the memorable Melbourne Museum, offering glimpses into the past, present, and future of cultural expression.

The impact of RESONANCE extended far beyond its audience of 195 attendees. It was a testament to the power of art to unite, inspire, and transform. As one participant remarked, “RESONANCE opened my eyes to the beauty of diversity and the richness of our shared humanity.” The event not only showcased the talents of 50 associated artists but also fostered connections and collaborations that will continue to ripple through the arts community.

Underpinning the success of RESONANCE was the guidance and expertise of an Advisory Group, composed of eight influential BIPOC artists within the industry. This group played a pivotal role in selecting the participating artists and defining the scope of the project, ensuring that it remained true to its core values of economic sustainability, cultural maintenance, storytelling integrity, food sharing, and environmental care. Their insights and contributions were instrumental in shaping the program’s direction and impact.

RESONANCE at the Melbourne Museum. Diasporas 2023. Photo by TJ Garvie.

Feedback from both artists and attendees alike was overwhelmingly positive, with many praising the program’s commitment to economic sustainability, cultural evolution, and environmental care. As shared by an artist:

“Diasporas is more than just a program; it’s a movement—a movement towards a more inclusive and equitable arts sector.”

Looking ahead, Diasporas is poised to build on its success, with plans to expand its reach, deepen its impact, and further amplify the voices of marginalised artists.

With the support of our partners at the City of Melbourne, Creative Victoria, and Creative Australia, Diasporas will continue to be a driving force for change in the arts community in 2024, championing diversity, equality, and cultural integrity every step of the way.

BEYOND WORDS

July - October 2023

Beyond Words is an international exchange that recognises improvisation has long created a space for communication and collaboration where cultural boundaries dissolve.

The program included panels presented with Melbourne Jazz Festival, songwriting workshops and performances at WOMAD South Africa and a ceremonial cultural exchange with 7 artists in Shepparton on Yorta Yorta country and featured artists such as Sylent Nqo, DRMNGNOW, Ceeko, NIASHA and more .

Capitalising on the global participation in and African roots of jazz, Beyond Words is a cross collaboration that has spawned new genres and sounds, that hascreated direct conversation between Yorta Yorta and African diaspora musicians (Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Africa) from the Australian continent and overseas.

RESONANCE at the Melbourne Museum. Diasporas 2023. Photo by TJ Garvie.

AHEAD OF THE CURVE: DIGITAL COMMISSIONS 2021 - 2023

The Ahead of the Curve Commissions was a call out for young and emerging artists of colour living around Melbourne, to create new digital artworks that responded to social challenges. Including COVID-19.

These commissions empowered young storytellers, makers and creators within our diverse communities to create works that; show strength and resilience in the face of adversity, explore health and wellbeing, and draw from lived experience.

The new digital works were presented on the MAV website as a permanent gallery and documentation of how the pandemic compounded inequity and disadvantage for communities of colour in Victoria.

In total 24 digital works were commissioned, ranging from visual art pieces, to podcasts to short films and more.

“I learned a lot about myself as an artist and my creative process through the Ahead of the Curve commissions and workshops.”

- Ahead of the Curve commission recipient.

Image left: “Mutual Aid Is Love“ illustration and poster by Judy Kuo. Ahead of the Curve Commission recipient.

Saluhan’s Silog Project. Photo by Mischa Wang.

Cultural Agency

Auspices Provided: 40 Artist Bookings: 36

Artforms: Publishing, weaving, textile work, dance, food, printmaking, filmmaking, comedy, live music, theatre and immersive lecture presentions.

MAV’s Auspicing Service

MAV continue to actively promote opportunities to our communities through the Avenues of Support page on the MAV website, and sharing on social media. These are valuable tools for people to explore resourcing for many types of projects and professional development.

We work to connect artists with resources and partners that develop their practice. We also work with Auspicious Arts to improve access and processes for the benefit of artists, and advocate for this across the industry in artist representative bodies and funding organisations.

The arts funding landscape is in a worsening drought, and this is compounding the access disadvantage experienced by many of our artists. For example, the mid-year Creative Ventures program had a success rate of 4%, with no dedicated stream, additional support or reserved allocation for culturally diverse artists.

In 2023, MAV supported 40 auspiced applications by artists, collectives and groups, to 16 different grant rounds and funding bodies.

Auspiced projects completed in 2023 include:

Yarn For Hands, a group exhibition at the City Library curated by Yunuen Perez (City of Melbourne Arts funding). This two week exhibition was part of Craft Contemporary 2023, and brought together six artists from the Latin-American diaspora as a bold response to the impact of fast fashion vs a slow-time approach to textilemaking. Artists included Carla Risco, Carmen Novoa, Isabel AvendanoHazbun, Paula doPrado, Viviana Arango and Yunuen Perez. Visitation was approximately 15,825.

Yarn for Hands 2023.

Image credit: Yunuen Perez and Isabel Avendano-Hazbun

Corona Bharatanatyam dance performance during Mahashivratri, by Usha Sripath and the Natyalayaa Dance School (Multicultural Festivals and Events funding). This performance by 20 teenagers and adults, had an audience of 500 in Carrum Downs in February 2023.

Ceremonial Necklaces Workshops were held at Tarneit Community Learning Centre and facilitated by esteemed weaver and PNG Cultural practitioner Vicki Kinai (City of Wyndham funding). These 8 sessions were free and open to the public, with approximately 200 attendees over all sessions.

Silog was a project of Saluhan collective (City of Darebin funding). It honoured the role of adaptation and fusion in migrant and diasporic communities through knowledgesharing, cooking, and printmaking led by artists MJ Flamiano and Rio Ramintas. 24 people attended the 2 workshops, from across generations, including culturally diverse and gender diverse people.

Using the theme of ‘silog’ - a portmanteau and traditional breakfast dish celebrating the role of fusion and adaptation in Filipino,

diasporic, and migrant cultures - in workshop 1, participants created their own silog-inspired dish using ingredients purchased from Preston Market and cooked in the kitchen at Bridge Darebin (Thornbury), and learnt how to make atchara, a traditional pickled dish which is complementary to silog. In workshop 2, participants were shown different screenprinting and printmaking techniques and made up to 3 designs to create their own silog-inspired tea towel.

More Than Melanin a zine conceived and managed by Kanika Chopra Kanika Chopra (Youth Affairs Council HEY funding). This zine aimed to examine life and mental health from a post-2020 understanding of the world through a satirical and comedic lens.

It centres voices of youth from racially marginalised communities, especially the voices of queer people and women from these spaces. It was launched at the Melbourne Young Writers Studio with support from Bodriggy Brewing and the Carlton Wine Room, on August 11th.

Cultural Agency

More Than Melanin Launch. Photo supplied by creative.

AfterMath, a video installation by Jade Prasad (City of Melbourne funding). This work emphasises the fabrication of the antithesis to the White American dream. The creation of a boogey man to justify a witch hunt in the form of the targeted subjugation of Black Americans via weaponized propaganda. Jade as a multidisciplinary artist extended his practice to a new format in this project, which involved coordinating with 17 young artists. It was screened at the Kathleen Syme Library in December 2023.

Adult-erers is a comedy online video series by Chido Mwat (City of Hume and Creative Victoria Creative Projects funding). Chido’s 6 x 30 second to 1 minute mock reality web-series is about a pair of professional adults solving the problems of “adulting” in young adults’ lives. The show was made by a group of diverse creatives with the aim of bolstering community, providing comic relief to common situations young adults find themselves and providing golden pearls of wisdom on adulting. It was launched on 4th May 2024.

The Sarajevo Haggadah was a project originally conceived between cultural practitioners Dr Elijas “Eli” Tauber, Mrs Mirjam Tauber and the Bosnian- Australian musician Nela Trifkovic in 2017-2018. The project aims were: to shed light on the littleknown Sephardic-Jewish heritage in Bosnia and Herzegovina; and to strengthen the endangered voices of pluralism and coexistence of the Bosnian diaspora. In its original form the project was to be executed in Melbourne and Canberra, as a series of multidisciplinary manifestations developed and directed by Dr Tauber and Trifkovic

The manifestations were to include a public lecture, delivered by Dr Tauber and musically accompanied by Trifkovic’s ensemble SARAY Iluminado, visually underpinned by an exhibition of relevant historical prints and selection of artifacts, including a replica of the Sarajevo Haggadah. The lecture would conclude with a multi-lingual public Q and A session with the audience. The project was originally scheduled for March- April 2020,

prior to Passover with presentations at the Jewish Museum of Australia, The Abbotsford Convent and the Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Canberra.

The project was finally realised as a digital adaptation on Sunday April 2nd 2023. This digital adaptation included three components: a screen lecture by Dr Tauber, a live performance from the Jewish Museum by the ensemble SARAY Iluminado and a zoom Q and A session with Dr Tauber and the museum audience.

Dr Tauber explored two aspects of the Bosnian- Jewish heritage: an overview of the Jewish arrival (both Sephardic and Ashkenazi) to Bosnia and Herzegovina; and his insight into the fascinating journey and history of the Sarajevo Haggadah believed to have been created in the mid-14th century. The lecture was primarily delivered from Tauber’s academic studio in Sarajevo and underpinned by “in-situ” footage from

the National Museum in Sarajevo, as well as by the archival footage dating back to close to 100 years ago. At the conclusion of the lecture SARAY Iluminado performed a short concert of Sephardic songs, thematically associated with various stages of the presentation.

The in-person event was sold out in advance, and online attendance was also significant. The project was supported by grants from Gandel Philanthropy and the Australian Cultural Fund, in kind support from the Jewish Museum of Australia and Haggadah Sarajevo, with auspice management and logistical support from MAV. It was a great achievement to finally present the program after the huge impacts of the pandemic, although the artistic direction and the relationship between the oration and the performances were affected by the change to a digital format.

SARAY Illuminado. Image supplied by creatives.

Sangam Lights. 2023 was the conclusion of the three years City of Casey Arts Development funding for Sangam Lights. This provided seed funding which strengthened applications to many other grants and bodies, resulting in support from Creative Victoria, Creative Australia and City of Dandenong.

This aided in developing each year’s programs and outcomes to grow them into more significant projects, by providing appropriate fees to participants, a longer rehearsal period, and more professional outcomes.

This multi-art form project celebrated the various meanings of “Light” by diverse communities during the time of the Diwali Festival, something that is celebrated across South and Southeast Asia. Over the project’s life, it engaged 10 emerging artists to create new works of varying mediums with support and direction from Sangam Artistic Directors Priya Srinivasan, Hari Sivanesan and Uthra Vijay.

These events featured South Asian and other diverse local creatives and moved them into self-directed, self-represented modes of presenting artistic works of excellence.

The final year included a show, followed by a forum and networking held around addressing violence against women through the arts which was absolutely inspirational, thought provoking and a unique contribution to the South Asian landscape in the South East.

In 2024, Artistic Director Priya Srinivasan was awarded Creative Australia’s Impact Award, an award which recognises artists who have made significant impacts on communities and audiences in Asia or the Pacific. Through Sangam, Priya has showcased over 300 South Asian creatives towards self-representation and artistic excellence.

The Cultural Agency

MAV’s brokerage arm, The Cultural Agency continued to support a diverse range of talent to clients seeking to program entertainment.

Sangam Lights 2022. Photo by Arun Munoz.

In 2023, this included contemporary musicians, spoken word poets, henna tattooists, muralists and visual artists. MAV’s facilitation of brokerage prioritises cultural safety awareness, and the needs required of the artist to deliver their work proudly and sustainably.

Brokered events in 2023 included:

Studio J and Sapphire Dancers for the Darebin Intercultural Centre Open Day. Hosted by The City of Darebin, this event allowed participants to explore the new, shared space and enjoy interactive experiences and performances showcasing how the centre can be utilised.

Tumburumba Trio, Melbourne School of Tarantella, and Sounds of Polynesia for City of Melton’s Harmony Day. Bringing captivating performances to the event, the artists enriched the celebration with culturally rich music and dances.

Karina Lehman for the Victorian Honour Roll of Women Ceremony. A rising star in the music industry, Karina’s distinctive blend of smooth vocal loops, Afro Latin rhythms, and electronic beats brought a vibrant energy to the event, enhancing the celebration of women’s achievements.

JXCKY and Robert Baxter for the LGBTQI+ Fair Day as hosted by The Australian GLBTIQ Multicultural Council. Their lively dance numbers and musical performances energised the crowd and brought a lively atmosphere to the event.

Tumburumba Trio, Melbourne School of Tarantella, and Sounds of Polynesia for Djerriwarrah Festival. Hosted by Melton City Council, these artists performed a high energy, culturally rich set entertaining crowds at the Melton Civic Centre.

Elohim Gospel Band for the Arts Centre Melbourne’s Christmas Melodies. Their performance at Hamer Hall added a spirited and engaging touch to the festive season. This was also a nervous, but exciting opportunity for the children of the Elohim Gospel Band to perform on a large stage to a wide audience.

Melbourne School of Tarantella at City of Melton’s Harmony Day 2023.

Out of The Park Picnic, FUSE Darebin. Photo by Wild Hardt.

Elle Shimada ft. Co-Dreamers

Melbourne Recital Centre, 16 February 2023

Presented in partnership with Melbourne Recital Centre and YO CiTY, a kinetic succession of dance beats and abstract compositions was on show by multiinstrumentlist, Elle Shimada. Fluidly fusing Tokyo’s futuristic underground scene, Melbourne’s mellow jazz, and influences from house and traditional music around the world Shimada utilises the uniting power of music to cultivate a danceflooractivism that is inclusive, honest and raw.

Events

In 2023 MAV supported a variety of events, from productions of festivals, workshops, picnics, live music co-presentations and touring.

Out of the Park Picnic

Edwardes Lake Park, 12 March 2023

Presented in partnership with FUSE and supported by Darebin Arts, Out of the Park Picnic launched the FUSE AUTUMN Festival, a free family-friendly event delivering a culture-blast of live music and performance crafted locally. Featuring food trucks and pop-up activities, the program line-up included Emma Donavan, Shabba of African Dance Star, Queen Acknowledgements, DJ Jumps and Dorsal Fins. Programmed artists were of Indigenous, Ghanaian, Australian and Indian Backgrounds. Translations were provided to help audiences understand languages being sung prior to performances. An Auslan interpreter was also on site for lyrical performances.

Jali Buba Kuyateh and Afro Diyaa

Melbourne Recital Centre, 18 May 2023

Presented in partnership with Melbourne Recital Centre and YO CiTY, Jali Buba Kuyateh and Afro Diyaa took audiences on a journey of migration and finding a sense of home in Australia. Reflecting the tradition of griots in Western Africa, Jali weaved the sounds of the kora, bass guitar and drums with story, and beats with a western undertone.

Melbourne Now: Intersect

The Ian Potter Centre, 26 March - 20 August 2023

A co-presentation with Yo CiTY, Intersect was a series of free audio experience every Sunday afternoon during the National Gallery of Victoria’s (NGV) Melbourne Now exhibition.

The line-up included some of Melbourne’s best musicians, DJs and spoken word artists. The line up for each month as follows:

APRIL: Karina Lehman, a ChileanAustralian singer-songwriter; Brotha Asanti and Soulectric, fierce storytellers fusing house music and Afrobeats. Yusupha Ngum, a singer-songwriter from Gambia who fuses Mbalax, folk, jazz and Afro music; Sweet Coco, a duo formed by Maria Lozano on oboe and vocals, and Fabian Aravales on acoustic guitar; Tyra Lewis, a soul singer and songwriter with Tongan roots.

MAY: Karina Lehman and Fabian Araveles; Thabani Tshuma, a Zimbabwean spoken word poet; The Experience, a jazz band led by rapper and poet Zii; Mel Taylor a singer-songwriter; and Stefania and Bisho, a Colombian and Egyptian duo with an enthralling Afro-Carribean repertoire.

JUNE: Jake Trio, a keyboardist fusing jazzy tones with driving house and broken beat; Liana Perillo, a jazz harpist and vocalist; Abrahm and Bell, a multi-instrumental duo with mesmerising harmonies; and N’Fa Jones freestyling over beats by Sensible J.

JULY: Elaura, an RnB neo-soul singer and spoken word poet; Perolas with a sonic exploration of South American rhythms, Rose Paez, a singer-songwriter infusing Latin American rhythm, V!NA, a neo-soul guitarist and vocalist; Alcides Neto and Keshav Yoganathan combining the sounds of guitar, percussion and vocals.

AUGUST: Jarabi Band blending traditional and contemporary music from Guinea; Nardia Rose Brancatisano a singersongwriter; Soulectric combining jazzy house with contortionist performer Soliana and movement artist Kathleen Gonzales.

Liana Perillo at Melbourne Now.: Intersect. Photo by YO CiTY.

Kwabo Africa Day

Arts Centre Melbourne, 28 May 2023

Supported by MAV, Kwabo Africa Day was a jam-packed afternoon of live music featuring DJs, free Afrodance workshops, and dance performances by Gracieuse Amah, Passion Crew, Melbourne Afrodance Crew and Ama & Mael. Kwabo means welcome, setting the tone of this festival to invite individuals from all walks of life, cultural backgrounds, experience and skill levels to experience African culture.

Iaki Vallejo - Arisen

Melbourne Recital Centre, 27 June 2023

Presented in partnership with Melbourne Recital Centre and YO CiTY, a harmonious collaboration between the soulful voice of Iaki Vallejo and virtuoso pianist Martin Pang led an unforgettable night of music. Performing songs from her latest compositions, Iaki also invited Chilean bass player Sebastian Barahona to push the boundaries of sonic exploration and meet where traditional and contemporary music coverge.

Purbayan Chatterjee & Jay Dabgar Tour

Multi-venue, 4 - 13 August 2023

MAV supported local independent producer and musician Jay Dabgar, to tour eastern Australia with esteemed Indian sitar maestro Purbayan Chatterjee, in August 2023. Purbayan and Jay played a series of 4 concerts, in Melbourne (Drum Theatre, Dandenong), Sydney (Casula Powerhouse), Brisbane (Queensland Multicultural Centre, Kangaroo Point) and Adelaide (The Church of the Trinity), to an audience of over 500 nationally.

Based in Mumbai, India, Purbayan Chatterjee is one of the finest contemporary Sitar players performing Indian Classical music. Purbayan belongs to the famous Senia Maihar Gharana, the musical school established by, Baba Allauddin Khan. In addition to his mastery of North Indian

Purbayan Chatterjee and Jay Dabgar.

raga music, he also performs with musicians from the South Indian raga tradition and participates in various fusion projects with jazz. His music has been appreciated by jazz greats, such as Chick Corea, Bella Fleck, and Pat Metheny, as well as by world musicians all over the globe.

Jay Dabgar comes from a family of Tablamakers in India and brings with him the legacy of the famous Benaras Gharaana style of Tabla-playing. He has performed extensively with many renowned musicians including Grammy Award winner Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Grammy Award nominee Ustad Shujaat Khan, Pandit Sugato Naag, Smt Manju Mehta, and many renowned musicians in India and abroad.

In Melbourne, the concert program was titled PaaNi, “Where the Rivers Meet”. This included an opening of classical Indian music repertoire by the touring duo, followed by an international musical collaboration between Purbayan, Jay, and some of Australia’s finest contemporary musicians. The highly accomplished local musicians were: Amadou Suso on kora; Jonathan Dimond on bass; Luke Koszanski on acoustic guitar; Kane Watts on drums; and Aurora Darby on vocals. Through collective efforts, the musicians fused the sounds of the traditional North Indian, South Indian, West African and contemporary Western Jazz and Blues music-styles. This concert was supported by the Melbourne Hindustani Classical Music Society and Drum Theatre

Brisbane, Sydney and Adelaide enjoyed the complete Classical Indian music performances. Venue and promotional support from BEMAC in Brisbane and Casula Powerhouse in Sydney facilitated successful performances, with valuable community engagement by publicist Bushra Hasan across the tour.

This project encouraged new connections between presenters in the different states, with the ambition of starting a supportive network to enable easier and culturally safe access to venues and audiences for independent artist/producers.

East of West and SARAY Illuminado

Femme Trio

Abbotsford Convent, 29 October 2023

Supported by MAV and The Boite, East of West and SARAY Illuminado Femme presented an afternoon of Balkan, Mediterranean and Sephardic Jewish music at Good Shepherd Chapel within Abbotsford Convent.

Queensland trio East of West performed their new Balkan and Mediterranean influenced compositions, while SARAY Illuminado Femme showcased their haunting and powerful reimagining of Sephardic Jewish Romances and Sevdalinka songs.

YO CiTY Connect: AFRO FUTURE

Abbotsford Convent, 9 December 2023

Supported by MAV, YO CiTY produced a day festival celebrating African culture, literature, music, food and dance.

Amainstage of live music featured Ausecuma Beats, Soulectric, Cool Out Sun, Jali Buba,

Cool Out Sun, Le Soul and Alariya DJ’s Kgomotso, PK & Chris Ng were on the decks providing beats in between sets.

The festival also launched AFROLITERATURE. Curated by Guido Melo, a panel talk and series of workshops featuring award winning authors, Maxine BenebaClarke, Cath Moore, Denise Chapman, Thabani Tshuma, Sisonke Msimang, and Effie Nkrumah.

Stall holders included Bahaar Henna Tattooing, an Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony with Atakilty ‘Ata’ Woreita, art prints by Rukaya Springle, and face painting with Airyfairy Faces.

Festivalgoers were able to feast on offerings by food vendors Tastes of Senegal, Zangers Bangers and Bodriggy Brewery.

Guido Melo and Maxine Beneba-Clarke at AFROLITERATURE talks. AFROFUTURE 2023. Photo by Theresa Angela.

Dancer performs at RESONANCE. DIasporas 2023. Photo by TJ Garvie.

MULTICULTURAL ARTS VICTORIA INC.

A.B.N 99 060 260 414

(Incorporated under the Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2012)

GENERAL PURPOSE FINANCIAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023

MULTICULTURAL ARTS VICTORIA INC.

A.B.N 99 060 260 414 COMMITTEE'S REPORT

Your committee members present the general purpose financial report on the entity for the financial year ended 31 December 2023.

Committee Members

The names of committee members throughout the year and at the date of this report are:

Name Portfolio

Date of Change

Linda Catalano Chairperson Independent From

Michael Van Vliet Chairperson Independent Until

Neda Rahmani Deputy Chairperson Independent

Ursula Dyer Lepporoli Vice Deputy Chairperson Independent From

Amarantha Robinson Vice Deputy Chairperson Independent Resigned

Sandeep Agrawal Treasurer Independent

Michael Van Vliet Secretary Independent From

Linda Catalano Secretary Independent Until

Chidambaram Srinivasan Independent

Siu Chan Independent

Ursula Dyer Lepporoli Independent Until

Amarantha Robinson Independent From

Emiliano Zucchi Independent Appointed

Kylie Crane Independent Appointed

Aditi Razdan Independent Appointed

Alaa Karrar Independent Appointed

Marcus Wong Independent Resigned

Symon Kohut Independent Resigned

Ayesha Mehta Independent Resigned

Principal Activities

The principal activity of the entity during the financial year was:

MulticulturalArtsVictoriaInc.(MAV)operatesinAustraliaasanon-profitorganisationpromotingculturaldiversityinthearts.Theorganisation representsartistsandcommunitiesfromculturallyandlinguisticallydiversebackgrounds.MAV’smainpurposesaretoproduceandpromote anoutstandinghighqualityculturallydiverseartisticprogram;toprovidevitalconnections,supportstructuresandpathwaysthatenable culturallydiverseartistsandcommunitiestocreateexceptionalart;andtoplayacriticaladvocacyroleinprovidingaforum,throughthearts, to ensure acceptance and understanding of cultural diversity.

MAVisamembershipbasedorganisationrepresentingindividuals,groupsandcommunitiesacrossallartforms;music,dance,theatre,film andTV,visualartsandnewmedia.MainservicesprovidingbytheorganisationincludeEventProductionandManagement;Funding SubmissionandManagementservices;BrokeringCulturalArtistsandEvents;MarketingandPromotingculturallydiverseartistsandevents; Advocating for cultural diversity; Touring and Cultural Exchanges.

MULTICULTURAL ARTS VICTORIA INC.

A.B.N 99 060 260 414 BOARD REPORT

Significant Changes

No significant changes in the nature of the Association’s activity occurred during the financial year.

Operating Results

The deficit for the year attributable to the Association amounted to $13,806 (2022: $172,713 - deficit).

Significant Changes in State of Affairs

No significant changes in the Association's state of affairs occurred during the financial year.

No matter has evolved since 31 December 2023 that has significantly affected, or may significantly affect: (a) the Association's operations in future financial years, or (b) the results of those operations in future financial years, or (c) the Association's state of affairs in future financial years.

Signed in accordance with a resolution of the Members of the Board.

Chairperson

Treasurer

After Balance Date Events 2024

Linda Catalano

Sandeep Agrawal

23 May 11 June 2024

MULTICULTURAL ARTS VICTORIA INC.

A.B.N 99 060 260 414

MULTICULTURAL ARTS VICTORIA INC.

A.B.N 99 060 260 414

MULTICULTURAL ARTS VICTORIA INC.

A.B.N 99 060 260 414

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2023

MULTICULTURAL ARTS VICTORIA INC.

A.B.N 99 060 260 414

STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023

Financial Assets at Fair Value Through Other Comprehensive Income

MULTICULTURAL ARTS VICTORIA INC.

A.B.N

CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES

CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES

MULTICULTURAL ARTS VICTORIA INC.

A.B.N 99 060 260 414

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023

Note 1. Statement of Significant Accounting Policies

ThisfinancialreportincludesthefinancialstatementsandnotesoftheMulticulturalArtsVictoriaInc.,anincorporated association, which is incorporated in Victoria under the Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2012.

Basis of preparation

MulticulturalArtsVictoriaInc.appliesAASB1060GeneralPurposeFinancialStatements-SimplifiedDisclosuresforForProfit and Not-for-Profit Tier 2 Entities (AASB 1060).

ThefinancialstatementsaregeneralpurposefinancialstatementsthathavebeenpreparedinaccordancewithAASB1060 GeneralPurposeFinancialStatements-SimplifiedDisclosuresforFor-ProfitandNot-for-ProfitTier2Entities(AASB1060) oftheAustralianAccountingStandardsBoard,theAustralianCharitiesandNotforProfitsCommissionAct2012andthe AssociationsIncorporationReformAct2012(Victoria).TheAssociationisanot-for-profitAssociationforfinancialreporting purposes under Australian Accounting Standards.

AustralianAccountingStandardssetoutaccountingpoliciesthattheAASBhasconcludedwouldresultinfinancial statementscontainingrelevantandreliableinformationabouttransactions,eventsandconditions.Materialaccounting policiesadoptedinthepreparationofthefinancialstatementsarepresentedbelowandhavebeenconsistentlyapplied unless stated otherwise.

Thefinancialstatements,exceptforthecashflowinformation,havebeenpreparedonanaccrualsbasisandarebasedon historicalcosts,modified,whereapplicable,bythemeasurementatfairvalueofselectednon-currentassets,financial assets and financial liabilities. The amounts presented in the financial statements have been rounded to the nearest dollar.

Accounting Policies

a. Income Tax

TheAssociationisexemptfrompayingincometaxbyvirtueofSections50-50&50-52ofthe IncomeTax Assessment Act 1997.

b. Property, Plant and Equipment

Eachclassofproperty,plantandequipmentiscarriedatcostorfairvalueasindicatedless,whereapplicable,any accumulated depreciation and any impairment losses.

Plant and Equipment

Plantandequipmentaremeasuredonthecostbasisandarethereforecarriedatcostlessaccumulated depreciationandanyaccumulatedimpairmentlosses.Intheeventthecarryingamountofplantandequipmentis greaterthanitsestimatedrecoverableamount,thecarryingamountiswrittendownimmediatelytoitsestimated recoverableamountandimpairmentlossesrecognisedeitherinprofitorlossorasarevaluationdecreaseifthe impairmentlossesrelatetoarevaluedasset.Aformalassessmentofrecoverableamountismadewhen impairment indicators are present.

Subsequentcostsareincludedintheasset'scarryingamountorrecognisedasaseparateasset,asappropriate, onlywhenitisprobablethatfutureeconomicbenefitsassociatedwiththeitemwillflowtotheassociationandthe costoftheitemcanbemeasuredreliably.Allotherrepairsandmaintenancearechargedtotheincomestatement during the financial period in which they are incurred.

Gainsandlossesondisposalsaredeterminedbycomparingproceedswiththecarryingamount.Thesegainsand losses are included in the income statement.

MULTICULTURAL ARTS

VICTORIA INC. A.B.N 99 060 260 414

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023

Note 1. Statement of Significant Accounting Policies (continued)

b. Property, Plant and Equipment (continued) Depreciation

Thedepreciableamountofallfixedassets,includingbuildingsandcapitalisedleaseassets,isdepreciatedonthe diminishingvaluemethodovertheasset'susefullifecommencingfromthetimetheassetisheldreadyforuse. Leaseholdimprovementsaredepreciatedovertheshorterofeithertheunexpiredperiodoftheleaseorthe estimated useful lives of the improvements.

The asset's residual values and useful lives are reviewed and adjusted, if appropriate, at each balance date.

Gainsandlossesondisposalsaredeterminedbycomparingproceedswiththecarryingamount.Thesegainsand losses are included in the comprehensive income statement.

c. Leases

Leasepaymentsforoperatingleases,wheresubstantiallyalltherisksandbenefitsremainwiththelessor,are recognised as expenses on a straight-line basis over the lease term.

Forleasesthathavesignificantlybelow-markettermsandconditionsprincipallytoenabletheAssociationtofurther itsobjectives(commonlyknownaspeppercorn/concessionaryleases),theAssociationhasadoptedthetemporary relief under AASB 2018-820 and measures the right-of-use assets at cost on initial recognition.

d. Financial Instruments

Initial Recognition and Measurement

Financialassetsandfinancialliabilitiesarerecognisedwhentheassociationbecomesapartytothecontractual provisionstotheinstrument.Forfinancialassets,thisisequivalenttothedatethattheassociationcommitsitselfto either purchase or sale of the asset (i.e. trade date accounting is adopted).

Financialinstrumentsareinitiallymeasuredatfairvalueplustransactionscosts,exceptwheretheinstrumentis classified'atfairvaluethroughprofitorloss',inwhichcasetransactioncostsareexpensedtoprofitorloss immediately.

Classification and Subsequent Measurement

Financeinstrumentsaresubsequentlymeasuredateitheroffairvalue,amortisedcostusingtheeffectiveinterest ratemethod,orcost.Whereavailable,quotedpricesinanactivemarketareusedtodeterminefairvalue.Inother circumstances, valuation techniques are adopted.

Amortisedcostiscalculatedas(i)theamountatwhichthefinancialassetorfinancialliabilityismeasuredatinitial recognition(ii)lessprincipalrepayments(iii)plusorminusthecumulativeamortisationofthedifference,ifany, betweentheamountinitiallyrecognisedandthematurityamountcalculatedusingtheeffectiveinterestmethod; and (iv) less any reduction for impairment.

Theeffectiveinterestmethod isusedtoallocateinterestincomeorinterestexpenseovertherelevantperiodand isequivalenttotheratethatexactlydiscountsestimatedfuturecashpaymentsorreceipts(includingfees, transactioncostsandotherpremiumsordiscounts)throughtheexpectedlife(orwhenthiscannotbereliably predicted,thecontractualterm)ofthefinancialinstrumenttothenetcarryingamountofthefinancialassetor financialliability.Revisionstoexpectedfuturenetcashflowswillnecessitateanadjustmenttothecarryingvalue with a consequential recognition of an income or expense in profit or loss.

Fairvalue isdeterminedbasedoncurrentbidpricesforallquotedinvestments.Valuationtechniquesareapplied todeterminethefairvalueforallunlistedsecurities,includingrecentarm'slengthtransactions,referencetosimilar instruments and option pricing models.

Note 1. Statement of Significant Accounting Policies (continued)

d. Financial Instruments (continued)

(i) Financial assets at fair value through the profit and loss

Financialassetsareclassifiedat"fairvaluethroughprofitorloss"whentheyareheldfortradingforthepurposeof short-termprofittaking,orwheretheyarederivativesnotheldforhedgingpurposes,orwhentheyaredesignated assuchtoavoidanaccountingmismatchortoenableperformanceevaluationwhereagroupoffinancialassetsis managedbykeymanagementpersonnelonafairvaluebasisinaccordancewithadocumentedriskmanagement orinvestmentstrategy.Suchassetsaresubsequentlymeasuredatfairvaluewithchangesincarryingvaluebeing included in profit or loss.

(ii) Loans and receivables

Loansandreceivablesarenon-derivativefinancialassetswithfixedordeterminablepaymentsthatarenotquoted inanactivemarketandaresubsequentlymeasuredatamortisedcost.Gainsorlossesarerecognisedinprofitor loss through the amortisation process and when the financial asset is derecognised.

(iii) Held-to-maturity investments

Held-to-maturityinvestmentsarenon-derivativefinancialassetsthathavefixedmaturitiesandfixedor determinablepayments,anditistheassociation'sintentiontoholdtheseinvestmentstomaturity.Theyare subsequentlymeasuredatamortisedcost.Gainsorlossesarerecognisedinprofitorlossthroughtheamortisation process and when the financial asset is derecognised.

(iv) Available-for-sale Financial assets

Available-for-saleinvestmentsarenon-derivativefinancialassetsthatareeithernotcapableofbeingclassified intoothercategoriesoffinancialassetsduetotheirnatureortheyaredesignatedassuchbymanagement.They compriseinvestmentsintheequityofotherentitieswherethereisneitherafixedmaturitynorfixedordeterminable payments.

Theyaresubsequentlymeasuredatfairvaluewithanyremeasurementsotherthanimpairmentlossesandforeign exchangegainsandlossesrecognisedinothercomprehensiveincome.Whenthefinancialassetisderecognised, thecumulativegainorlosspertainingtothatassetpreviouslyrecognisedinothercomprehensiveincomeis reclassified into profit or loss.

Available-for-salefinancialassetsareclassifiedasnon-currentassetswhentheyareexpectedtobesoldwithin12 monthsaftertheendofthereportingperiod.Allotheravailable-for-salefinancialassetsareclassifiedascurrent assets.

Financial liabilities

Non-derivativefinancialliabilitiesaresubsequentlymeasuredatamortisedcost.Gainsorlossesarerecognisedin profit or loss through the amortisation process and when the financial liability is derecognised.

Impairment

Attheendofeachreportingperiod,theassociationassesseswhetherthereisobjectiveevidencethatafinancial assethasbeenimpaired.Afinancialassetoragroupoffinancialassetsisdeemedtobeimpairedif,andonlyif, thereisobjectiveevidencethatimpairmentasaresultofoneormoreevents(a"lossevent")hasoccurred,which has an impact on the estimated future cash flows of the financial asset(s).

MULTICULTURAL ARTS VICTORIA INC.

A.B.N 99 060 260 414

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023

Note 1. Statement of Significant Accounting Policies (continued)

d. Financial Instruments (continued)

Inthecaseofavailable-for-salefinancialassets,asignificantorprolongeddeclineinthemarketvalueofthe instrumentisconsideredtoconstitutealossevent.Impairmentlossesarerecognisedinprofitorlossimmediately. Also,anycumulativedeclineinfairvaluepreviouslyrecognisedinothercomprehensiveincomeisreclassifiedto profit or loss at this point.

Inthecaseoffinancialassetscarriedatamortisedcost,losseventsmayinclude:indicationsthatthedebtorsora groupofdebtorsareexperiencingsignificantfinancialdifficulty,defaultordelinquencyininterestorprincipal payments;indicationsthattheywillenterbankruptcyorotherfinancialreorganisation;andchangesinarrearsor economic conditions that correlate with defaults.

Whenthetermsoffinancialassetsthatwouldotherwisehavebeenpastdueorimpairedhavebeenrenegotiated, theassociationrecognisestheimpairmentforsuchfinancialassetsbytakingintoaccounttheoriginaltermsasif the terms have not been renegotiated so that the loss events that have occurred are duly considered.

Derecognition

Financialassetsarederecognisedwherethecontractualrightstoreceiptofcashflowsexpiresortheassetis transferredtoanotherpartywherebytheassociationnolongerhasanysignificantcontinuinginvolvementinthe risksandbenefitsassociatedwiththeasset.Financialliabilitiesarederecognisedwheretherelatedobligationsare eitherdischarged,cancelledorexpired.Thedifferencebetweenthecarryingvalueofthefinancialliability,whichis extinguishedortransferredtoanotherpartyandthefairvalueofconsiderationpaid,includingthetransferofnoncash assets or liabilities assumed, is recognised in profit or loss.

e. Impairment of Assets

Attheendofeachreportingperiod,theassociationassesseswhetherthereisanyindicationthatanassetmaybe impaired.Ifsuchanindicationexists,animpairmenttestiscarriedoutontheassetbycomparingtherecoverable amountoftheasset,beingthehigheroftheasset'sfairvaluelesscoststosellandvalueinuse,totheasset's carryingamount.Anyexcessoftheasset'scarryingamountoveritsrecoverableamountisrecognised immediatelyinprofitorloss,unlesstheassetiscarriedatarevaluedamountinaccordancewithanotherStandard (e.g.inaccordancewiththerevaluationmodelinAASB116).Anyimpairmentlossofarevaluedassetistreatedas a revaluation decrease in accordance with that other Standard.

Whereitisnotpossibletoestimatetherecoverableamountofanindividualasset,theassociationestimatesthe recoverable amount of the cash-generating unit to which the asset belongs.

f. Employee Entitlements

Provisionismadefortheassociation’sliabilityforemployeebenefitsarisingfromservicesrenderedbyemployees tobalancedate.Employeebenefitsexpectedtobesettledwithinoneyeartogetherwithbenefitsarisingfrom wagesandsalaries,annualleaveandsickleavewhichwillbesettledafteroneyear,havebeenmeasuredatthe amountsexpectedtobepaidwhentheliabilityissettledplusrelatedon-costs.Otheremployeebenefitspayable laterthanoneyearhavebeenmeasuredatthepresentvalueoftheestimatedfuturecashoutflowstobemadefor those benefits.

Contributionsaremadebytheassociationtoanemployeesuperannuationfundandarechargedasexpenses when incurred.

g. Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cashandcashequivalentsincludecashonhand,depositsheldat-callwithbanks,othershort-termhighlyliquid investmentswithoriginalmaturitiesofthreemonthsorless,andbankoverdrafts.Bankoverdraftsareshownwithin borrowings in current liabilities in the statement of financial position.

MULTICULTURAL ARTS VICTORIA INC.

A.B.N 99 060 260 414

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023

Note 1. Statement of Significant Accounting Policies (continued)

h. Revenue Recognition

The incorporated association recognises revenue as follows:

AASB 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers

Revenueisrecognisedatanamountthatreflectstheconsiderationtowhichtheincorporatedassociationis expectedtobeentitledinexchangefortransferringgoodsorservicestoacustomer.Foreachcontractwitha customer,theincorporatedassociation:identifiesthecontractwithacustomer;identifiestheperformance obligationsinthecontract;determinesthetransactionpricewhichtakesintoaccountestimatesofvariable considerationandthetimevalueofmoney;allocatesthetransactionpricetotheseparateperformanceobligations onthebasisoftherelativestand-alonesellingpriceofeachdistinctgoodorservicetobedelivered;and recognisesrevenuewhenoraseachperformanceobligationissatisfiedinamannerthatdepictsthetransferto the customer of the goods or services promised.

Grantrevenueisrecognisedinprofitorlosswhentheincorporatedassociationsatisfiestheperformance obligations stated within the funding agreements.

Ifconditionsareattachedtothegrantwhichmustbesatisfiedbeforetheincorporatedassociationiseligibleto retainthecontribution,thegrantwillberecognisedinthestatementoffinancialpositionasaliabilityuntilthose conditions are satisfied.

Events, fundraising and raffles are recognised when received or receivable.

Interestrevenueisrecognisedasinterestaccruesusingtheeffectiveinterestmethod.Thisisamethodof calculatingtheamortisedcostofafinancialassetandallocatingtheinterestincomeovertherelevantperiodusing theeffectiveinterestrate,whichistheratethatexactlydiscountsestimatedfuturecashreceiptsthroughthe expected life of the financial asset to the net carrying amount of the financial asset.

Donationincomeisrecognisedwhentheassociationobtainscontroloverthefundswhichisgenerallyatthetime of receipt.

Theincorporatedassociationhaselectednottorecognisevolunteerservicesaseitherrevenueorotherformof contributionreceived.Assuch,anyrelatedconsumptionorcapitalisationofsuchresourcesreceivedisalsonot recognised.

All revenue is stated net of the amount of goods and services tax (GST).

i. Goods and Services Tax (GST)

Revenues, expenses and assets are recognised net of the amount of GST, except where the amount of GST incurred is not recoverable from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).

ReceivablesandpayablesarestatedinclusiveoftheamountofGSTreceivableorpayable.Thenetamountof GSTrecoverablefrom,orpayableto,theATOisincludedwithotherreceivablesorpayablesinthestatementof financial position.

MULTICULTURAL ARTS VICTORIA INC.

A.B.N 99 060 260 414

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023

j. Comparative Figures

WhenrequiredbyAccountingStandards,comparativefigureshavebeenadjustedtoconformtochangesin presentation for the current financial year.

k. Trade and Other Payables

Tradeandotherpayablesrepresenttheliabilitiesforgoodsandservicesreceivedbytheassociationduringthe reportingperiodthatremainunpaidattheendofthereportingperiod.Thebalanceisrecognisedasacurrent liability with the amounts normally paid within 30 days of recognition of the liability.

l. Provisions

ProvisionsarerecognisedwhentheAssociationhasalegalorconstructiveobligation,asaresultofpastevents, for which it is probable that an outflow of economic benefits will result and that outflow can be reliably measured.

Provisions are measured at the best estimate of the amounts required to settle the obligation at the end of the reporting period.

m. Critical Accounting Estimates and Judgements

(i) Impairment

Thepreparationofthefinancialstatementsrequiresmanagementtomakejudgements,estimatesand assumptionsthataffectthereportedamountsinthefinancialstatements.Managementcontinuallyevaluatesits judgements and estimates in relation to assets, liabilities, contingent liabilities, revenue and expenses.

Managementbasesitsjudgements,estimatesandassumptionsonhistoricalexperienceandonothervarious factors,includingexpectationsoffutureevents,managementbelievestobereasonableunderthecircumstances. Theresultingaccountingjudgementsandestimateswillseldomequaltherelatedactualresults.Thejudgements, estimatesandassumptionsthathaveasignificantriskofcausingamaterialadjustmenttothecarryingamountsof assets and liabilities (refer to the respective notes) within the next financial year are discussed below.

(ii) Employee benefits provision

AsdiscussedinNote1(j),theliabilityforemployeebenefitsexpectedtobesettledmorethan12monthsfromthe reportingdatearerecognisedandmeasuredatthepresentvalueoftheestimatedfuturecashflowstobemadein respectofallemployeesatthereportingdate.Indeterminingthepresentvalueoftheliability,estimatesofattrition rates and pay increases through promotion and inflation have been taken into account.

Note 2.

Note 3. Cash and Cash Equivalents

MULTICULTURAL ARTS VICTORIA INC.

A.B.N 99 060 260 414

99 060 260

TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023

Note 4. Trade and Other Receivables

As at 31 December, the ageing of trade receivables was as follows:

Note 5. Other Financial Assets

Amortisedcostassetcomprisesshort-termdepositswithfixedinterest rates between 1.00% and 1.25%.

The carrying amounts of financial assets are as follows:

Note 6.

8. Trade and Other Payables

Note 9. Grants and Income Received in Advance

ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023

Note 10. Provisions

Note 11. Auditor's Remuneration

A.B.N 99 060 260 414 NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023

Note 12. Notes to the Statement of Cash Flows

Reconciliation of Cash Flow from Operations with Profit from Ordinary Activities after Income Tax

Net surplus/(deficit) attributable to the Association (12,169) (157,625)

Changes in assets and liabilities: - (Increase)/decrease in trade & other receivables

-

Cash and cash equivalents at end of financial year

Note 13. Key Management Personnel Compensation

Note 14. Board of Management and Related Party Transactions

The Board of Management do not receive remuneration for their services on the committee.

There were no related party transactions during the year.

Note 15. Contingent Liabilities

The incorporated association had no contingent liabilities as at 31 December 2023 and 31 December 2022.

Note 16. Association Details

The registered office and principal place of business of the association is: Level 1

Northcote Town Hall Arts Centre 189 High Street NORTHCOTE VIC 3070.

MULTICULTURAL ARTS VICTORIA INC.

A.B.N 99 060 260 414 STATEMENT BY MEMBERS OF

THE BOARD

In the opinion of the Board, the financial report as set out on pages 2 to 16:

PresentsatrueandfairviewofthefinancialpositionofMulticulturalArtsVictoriaInc.asat31December2023 and its performance for the year ended on that date in accordance with Australian Accounting Standards.

Atthedateofthisstatement,therearereasonablegroundstobelievethatMulticulturalArtsVictoriaInc.willbe able to pay its debts as and when they fall due.

This statement is made in accordance with a resolution of the Board and is signed for and on behalf of the Board by:

Chairperson

Treasurer

Linda Catalano

Sandeep Agrawal

Dated this day of 2024

MULTICULTURAL ARTS VICTORIA INC.

A.B.N 99 060 260 414

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS

Opinion

IhaveauditedtheaccompanyingfinancialreportofMulticulturalArtsVictoriaInc.(theAssociation),whichcomprisesthestatementoffinancial positionasat31December2023,andthestatementoffinancialperformance,statementofcomprehensiveincome,statementofchangesin equityandstatementofcashflowsfortheyearendedonthatdate,asummaryofsignificantaccountingpoliciesandotherexplanatorynotes and the statement by the members of the Board.

Inmyopinion,thefinancialreportoftheAssociationisinaccordancewiththe AustralianCharitiesandNotforProfitsCommissionAct 2012 and the Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2012, including:

i. giving a true and fair view of the Association’s financial position as at 31 December 2023 and of its performance for the year ended; and ii.complyingwithAustralianAccountingStandardsasperNote1,theAustralianCharitiesandNotforProfitsCommissionAct2012andthe Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2012.

Basis for Opinion

IconductedmyauditinaccordancewithAustralianAuditingStandards.Myresponsibilitiesunderthosestandardsarefurtherdescribedinthe Auditor’sResponsibilitiesfortheAuditoftheFinancialReport sectionofourreport.IamindependentoftheAssociationinaccordancewith theethicalrequirementsoftheAccountingProfessionalandEthicalStandardsBoard’sAPES110CodeofEthicsforProfessionalAccountants (theCode)thatarerelevanttomyauditofthefinancialreportinAustralia.Ihavealsofulfilledourotherethicalresponsibilitiesinaccordance with the Code.

I believe that the audit evidence I have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for my opinion.

Responsibilities of Management and Those Charged with Governance for the Financial Report

Managementisresponsibleforthepreparationandfairpresentationofthefinancialreportinaccordancewiththefinancialreporting requirementsoftheapplicablelegislationandforsuchinternalcontrolasmanagementdeterminesisnecessarytoenablethepreparationand fair presentation of a financial report that is free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

Inpreparingthefinancialreport,managementisresponsibleforassessingtheAssociation’sabilitytocontinueasagoingconcern,disclosing, asapplicable,mattersrelatingtogoingconcernandusingthegoingconcernbasisofaccountingunlessmanagementeitherintendsto liquidate the Entity or to cease operations, or has no realistic alternative but to do so.

Those charged with governance are responsible for overseeing the Association’s financial reporting process.

Auditor’s Responsibilities

for the Audit of the Financial Report

My objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial report as a whole is free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with Australian Auditing Standards will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of the financial report.

As part of an audit in accordance with Australian Auditing Standards, I exercise professional judgement and maintain professional scepticism throughout the audit. I also:

 Identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial report, whether due to fraud or error, design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks, and obtain audit evidence that is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for my opinion. The risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is higher than for one resulting from error, as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal control.

 Obtain an understanding of internal control relevant to the audit in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the registered entity’s internal control.

 Evaluate the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates and related disclosures made by the responsible entities.

 Conclude on the appropriateness of the responsible entities use of the going concern basis of accounting and, based on the audit evidence obtained, whether a material uncertainty exists related to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on the registered entity’s ability to continue as a going concern. If I conclude that a material uncertainty exists, I am required to draw attention in my auditor’s report to the related disclosures in the financial report or, if such disclosures are inadequate, to modify my opinion. My conclusions are based on the audit evidence obtained up to the date of my auditor’s report. However, future events or conditions may cause the registered entity to cease to continue as a going concern.

 Evaluate the overall presentation, structure and content of the financial report, including the disclosures, and whether the financial report represents the underlying transactions and events in a manner that achieves fair presentation.

I communicate with those charged with governance regarding, among other matters, the planned scope and timing of the audit and significant audit findings, including any significant deficiencies in internal controls that I identify during my audit.

Frederik Ryk Ludolf Eksteen CA ASIC Auditor Registration Number 421448

Dated this 13th day of June 2024

Thanks & Acknowledgements

Abbotsford Convent

All The Queens Men

Arts Access Victoria

Auspicious Arts

Arts Industry Council Victoria Ausdance

Bass Lounge

Baby Snakes

Centre for Art, Society, and Transformation – RMIT

Centre for Multicultural Youth

Cinespace

City of Ballarat

City of Casey

City of Darebin

City of Hume

City of Melbourne

City of Melton

City of Monash

City of Wyndham

City of Yarra

Co-Culture Communication

Connection Art Space

Creative Australia

Creative Victoria

Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFS)

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)

Department of Jobs, Skills, Industries and Regions (DJSIR)

Department of Premier and Cabinet

Diversity Arts Australia

Dja Dja Wurrung

Footscray Community Arts

FUSE Festival

Gandel Foundation

Greater City of Dandenong

Greater City of Shepparton

GV Hazara Youth Association

Howler Theatre

Helen Macpherson Smith Trust

Human Rights Arts and Film Festival

Know Your Roots

LaTrobe Arts Institute

Loddon Campaspe Multicultural Services

Melbourne Polytechnic

Monash University

Museums and Galleries Association Victoria

National Arts Council Singapore

Northcote Social Club

NETS Victoria

Malthouse Theatre

MESS

Music Victoria

Pacific Island Creative Arts Australia

Pola Practice

Public Libraries Victoria

Public Galleries Association of Victoria

Section 8

Stay Gold

The Gasometer

The Golden Monkey

The Push

Regional Arts Victoria

Rennaissance One (This Is Who We Are)

RMIT University

St. Paul’s African House

The Boite

Theatre Network Australia

VAPAC

Victorian Government Business Office

Indonesia

Victorian Multicultural Commission

VicHealth

Victorian College of the Arts

Victoria University

University of Melbourne

Western Edge

West Space Gallery

Wheeler Education

Writers Victoria

Yo CiTY

Photo by TJ Garvie.