The Calwell electorate will be one of ten chosen localities across Australia to benefit from a $304 million package aimed at tackling unemployment.
The initiative proposed by the Department of Education will focus on drawing on the local community expertise to help families and individuals access services they need to participate in education and employment programs.

Federal Minister for Mental Health and Ageing Mark Butler, and Federal Member for Calwell Maria Vamvakinou, today announced about $350,000 worth of additional services for people in the Calwell whose capacity for independent living is at risk.

An  unusual  alliance between a first generation migrant  and fourth generation Australian has bridged the cultural  divide and  seen the timely launch of the Parliamentary Friends of Multiculturalism.At the launch in parliament house on March 24, Labor Member for Calwell Maria Vamvakinou and Liberal Member for McMillan Russell Broadbent said as the group’s co-convenors they were united in promoting the benefits of multiculturalism.

Minister for Health and Ageing Nicola Roxon and the Federal Member for Calwell Maria Vamvakinou recently announced four new specialist doctors will be assigned to the electorate. Ms Vamvakinou said the extra investment of four specialist doctors in Craigieburn and Broadmeadows was a windfall for the local community.

A new tool has been launched to help people from non-English speaking backgrounds understand their rights as consumers said Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer, David Bradbury.
Mr Bradbury joined Member for Calwell, Maria Vamvakinou on World Consumer Rights Day (March 15), in Broadmeadows to announce that Your Shopping Rights fact sheet will now be available in 29 community languages.

The Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Migration has launched an inquiry into multiculturalism in Australia.  Chair of the Committee, Maria Vamvakinou MP, welcomed the inquiry and the opportunity to hear directly from migrant communities.‘Australia is a diverse society - it is part of who we are as Australians both in the city and the bush.  Some European leaders have suggested that multiculturalism has failed in Europe. The lessons from Europe are important, but multiculturalism in Australia and Australian society is quite different,’ Ms Vamvakinou said.

Members of the Broadmeadows Historical Society were among the first consumers  to  “ test drive “  a new  financial  website aimed at making money matters easy.
The MoneySmart website, developed by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) , was launched at the Hume Global Learning Village  today by Member for Calwell Maria Vamvakinou, Assistant Treasurer Bill Shorten and Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer David Bradbury.

Calwell’s large multicultural community will benefit from the inclusion of Arabic in the National Schools Curriculum.Federal Member for Calwell Maria Vamvakinou said it was fitting that the Arabic language be considered for inclusion in the National Curriculum.