Article Source: IPS - InterPress Service

Written by - Stephen de Tarczynski - February 26th, 2009

MELBOURNE, Feb 26 (IPS) - With new figures showing that 44 percent of Australians were either born overseas or have at least one parent who was, community organisations have welcomed a stepped-up government programme to tackle racial, cultural and religious intolerance.

The Diverse Australia Programme (DAP), as the initiative is called, was launched earlier this year by Laurie Ferguson, federal parliamentary secretary for multicultural affairs and settlement services. The DAP will seek to address problems at a local level by providing funding support to organisations that deal directly with issues of intolerance and prejudice, with small one-off grants available in addition to year-round financial assistance.

"The activities funded are aimed at bringing Australians from all backgrounds together in a positive and productive way," said Ferguson on Jan.28. Around 4.4 million people born across more than 200 countries now call Australia home. 

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