With election on Saturday, May 3, Australian Indian Community Charitable Trust promoted as the Australia India Community Centre (Centre), looks set to be on a winner, if Liberals win. Manny Cicchiello who is the Liberal candidate for the seat of Aston has been working very hard to woo the local Indian community in Aston, running from pillar to post to use the proverbial language, to wrest the seat back from the Labor member Mary Doyle who made political history by wining it in a byelection for the Albanese government after the exit of Liberal MP Alan Tudge.
While Mary Doyle’s son’s social media posts have come into play a bit, it is widely seen as a close contest with the result predicted to go down to the wire on May 3.
Thus, the Liberals have gone into an overdrive to sell their message of “getting Australia back on track”. So much so that a mere promise to provide $690,000 to the Centre has been sold through a media release (by Jason Wood and Manny Cicchiello) as their plan to ‘build stronger communities and get Australia back on track’.
BT understands the Centre is seeking $690,000 in funding to set up – library facilities, focused on supporting the local Indian community in their study and research programs and interactive digital education programs.
Manny Cicchiello’s Web page says:
“An elected Liberal Government will provide $690,000 to support the Australian Indian Community Centre in Rowville.
The centre is one of the largest and most vibrant cultural organisations in the local community.
The funds will be used to establish dedicated library facilities, focused on supporting study and research programs relevant to the Australian-Indian community. This will include the implementation of dedicated interactive digital education programs.
This project is part of the Liberals’ plan to build stronger communities and get Australia back on track.”
It is a good thing that the Liberals, if elected will consider funding facilities that our community can build the business cases for.
But connecting everything under the sun to get Australia back on track is not only foolhardy but also paints the community in a poor light as a bunch of simpletons who will change their vote for a few bones thrown at them. These politicians and their press writers have to be told that the community has long moved on and understands the stretch in a political narrative.
That is precisely the reason, the ballot box results fail to meet expectations.
Although there have been whispering around for quite some time, after this particular announcement, some members of the community have raised concerns about the financial management of the groups getting money from the government.
Reacting to the announcement on Facebook, Jag Kittoo (with a locked, private profile) questions the actions of many in our community in relation to how they spend such grant money:
“It’s a good gesture but the receiver’s should be audited where the money has been spent correctly or not. Millions has been given for the Indian religious places too which was wasted or spent by the religious organisers for different purposes.
We all know that.”
BT does not question the integrity of anyone involved in the process.
The Centre – is it big enough?
Housed in a warehouse at 16/18 Kingsley Cl, Rowville VIC 3178, Australia, the Centre provides venue for community meetings and functions for hire boasting of two halls small (accommodating 50 people) and big (accommodating 150 people).
The Centre also houses Museum India at the same location which has a vast collection of rare paintings and photographs of immense social and cultural value to the community, extremely generously donated to the group by the Late Dr Dinesh Parekh.
Thus, some members even questioned if the venue will actually have sufficient space to establish the facilities advertised in the media release.
Some members of the community believe the centre is just sufficient for the currently offered facilities. Some others question adequacy of the parking currently available.
One Google reviewer writes:
“Centre was bit small for 100 people. Parking space not sufficient as some people had to park on the road and walk to the Centre…”.
BT believes there are guidelines in place for making the applications for funding which would require business cases/plans to be submitted before any money is given by the government. All answers lie in the business case. BT expects the Centre would have made the business case (for the $690,000 funding announced) and submitted to the Liberal party, particularly Manny Cicchiello and Jason Wood as required, but is unaware if the same has been made available to public to dispel any misgivings nurtured by any members of our community.
Those interested should contact Jason Wood / Manny Cicchiello and request a copy of the business case submitted by the Centre.
BT’s efforts to get in touch with the leaders received, understandably, an automated reply. BT has also written to the Centre for a copy of the business case for this proposal. We will update the story when we receive it.
Interestingly, Manny Cicchiello’s other commitment to the Hindu temple at the Basin – $2 million for a Community Hub, has not been promoted as getting Australia back on track. Wonder why?
What is more interesting is the studied, deliberate stretch by the Liberals to connect funding of our community’s social projects to their very political narrative of GETTING AUSTRALIA BACK ON TRACK, at a time when our community is reeling under the cost of living pressure and would appreciate immediate relief for their households – on energy bills, mortgage rates, tax cuts and so on.
Is it a sign of desperation by the Liberals or sheer dereliction of due diligence by the press writers who ‘could not care less’ thinking who is going to see through it?
Well, BT will, and call it out, always.