Lia Finocchiaro promises the Country Liberal Party will deliver $50,000 dollar-for-dollar upgrades to multicultural facilities

Opposition leader Lia Finocchiaro says multicultural communities will be able to apply for grants worth up to $50,000 under a new CLP Facilities grants plan.

Lia Finocchiaro with members of the NT Cambodian community. Picture: Supplied.

The Country Liberal Party has pledged to support the Territory’s multicultural communities, promising to invest $1 million towards improving cultural centres and places of worship in a dollar-for-dollar grants program if elected.

On Tuesday, opposition leader Lia Finocchiaro announced the CLP would deliver a new Multicultural Facilities Grants Program plan, aimed to provide multicultural groups up to $50,000 in facility upgrades from a pool of $1m.

Ms Finocchiaro claimed multicultural groups across the Territory were hamstrung by limited facilities and said her party would provide financial assistance to free-up such communities.

“The CLP is so focused on multicultural communities to create a place where they can share their culture, their stories, their food, and their faith.”

Lia Finocchiaro has pledged to support the Territory's multicultural communities if elected. Picture: Lia Finocchiaro, Facebook.

Ms Finocchiaro maintained applicants could spend “as much money as they want” and still be eligible for the grant.

“We want this grants funding to be as flexibly or as diversely applied as possible, so that’s why community groups can spend as much money as they want and the government will give a dollar-for-dollar contribution up to $50,000.”

Further, the opposition leader promised that her party would accelerate the release of land for multicultural groups seeking to start a fresh project.

“An important change from the current system (is) we’re going to make sure that we are fast-tracking additional land release for multicultural groups, for community centres and places of worship so we can make sure that we’re providing important opportunities for multicultural centres to bed-down their roots here in the Territory.”

Lia Finocchiaro (left) with Thyra Ou (centre) and NT Cambodian Association president Kim-Soum Puon (right). Picture: Supplied.

Standing beside Ms Finocchiaro was NT Cambodian Association president Kim-Soum Puon, who said she would welcome the initiative and claimed her 300-plus group struggled to congregate safely in their Marrara venue due to inadequate space and infrastructure.

“We want to enclose our main hall and build walls so that we can have a proper place to host our members instead of holding our events out on the lawn,” she said.

“We also need a proper kitchen as we are cooking outside in the heat and the rain and it is unsafe with children running around.”

The CLP’s Facilities grants program would be in addition to the existing $750,000 Multicultural Grant Program, which helps fund various community events.

Chief Minister Eva Lawler said the current Territory government was already supporting multicultural communities.

“Budget 2024 invests $2.4 million into our multicultural communities, with $500,000 allocated for the design and planning for new multicultural community facilities,” she said.

“In addition we are also increasing the Multicultural Community Facilities Grant Program by an additional $150,000 in 2024-25 and $400,000 in 2025-26 to enable upgrades and repairs to ageing multicultural infrastructure.

“These venues are critical for festivals, celebrations and other cultural activities that promote social cohesion, cross cultural understanding and make a significant contribution to the lifestyle of which many outside the Territory envy.”