Federal A.G. launches crime prevention DVD
‘We are Ethnic; we pay taxes and we are committed to achieving a safe and secure society for all Australians’ is the theme of The Law of the Land a new crime prevention DVD, produced by ECCWA, and launched by federal Attorney-General Senator Robert McClelland.
The DVD is an opportunity to educate new and emerging communities about the law and justice system of Australia. Some of the subjects addressed are family and domestic violence, identity theft, substance abuse, traffic offences etc. The DVD has been dubbed into 12 languages other than English based on the Dept of Immigration and Citizenship’s humanitarian entrants over the last five years as well as the projected destination points next year. This DVD can be used either as a self-education tool or by service agencies for new arrivals. There is no cost for the DVD and anyone dealing with CaLD communities can access them from ECCWA.
‘I am very impressed by your work’ said Senator McClelland launching the DVD. ‘It is estimated that crime costs Australia $35 billion per year and has tremendous fallout in human misery. The crime prevention message is most effective when specifically targeted. Projects such as this help to improve social inclusion and community engagement, and when we are better connected we are better protected.’
‘Organisations like ECCWA have been very vocal in advocating and promoting the rights of minorities, be they women, ethnic, indigenous or people with disabilities’ said ECCWA president Ramdas Sankaran at the launch. ‘ECCWA has equally been concerned about the obligations of citizenship and this video is an example of our commitment to it. Australia brings in thousands of migrants and refugees each year, many who cannot communicate in English and may not be literate in their own languages. Some of them come from societies which may not consider unlawful; actions which are legally and otherwise unacceptable in Australia. Ignorance as they say is no excuse let alone a legitimate defence for breaking the law of the land; but given the aforementioned factors, we have an obligation to make them aware of the laws of our land and the consequences that flow when they are infringed’ added Mr Sankaran.
‘As the script writer and with a very lively and supportive steering committee it was an honour to produce the script of “Law of the Land’ said Peter Jeffries of CTV. ‘However a script is merely words on a page and the extremely professional result of the final DVD could not have come about without the remarkable persistence and inventive efforts of our executive producer Tibor Mezaros. In many respects with it’s twelve-language sectional approach Tibor actually pioneered new techniques in a remarkable economical manner. Let’s hope with this accumulated knowledge there are many more multi-lingual productions engendered by ECCWA.’
The Law of the Land was funded by the Federal Attorney General’s department and the Law Society of WA’s Public Purposes Trust. To order a copy call Nadia Loncar on 9227 5322.
