Sudanese

By Shaun Inguanzo
GREATER Dandenong Council will not hire a Sudanese liaison officer despite an officer’s report recommending that councillors consider doing so.
Councillors fired a silver bullet into the plan at Monday night’s council meeting amid fears that a single liaison officer on council could do more to divide the tribally-factioned Sudanese community than unite it.
A report that came to council showed there were already federally and state-funded services offering Sudanese-specific liaison projects and points of contact.
Keysborough South Ward councillor Peter Brown argued in favour of a council-employed liaison officer, saying the role responsibilities would encompass all of the Sudanese community’s needs.
He said the role was a link between the council and Sudanese community, which has of late been given media coverage for a mixture of negative and positive reasons.
Cr Brown gained support from Springvale Central Ward councillor Youhorn Chea who said the Sudanese community was large and needed a point of contact at the council.
But Keysborough Ward councillor Roz Blades said with the multiplicity of settlement services in Greater Dandenong that were funded by other levels of government it would be a waste of rate dollars to hire a Sudanese liaison officer.
Cr Blades said employing a sole officer to represent a community that consisted of different tribes could cause more tension amongst the Sudanese than it would plan to alleviate.