By Violet Li
Founder and chief executive of charity Bahktar Community Organisation Bassir Qadiri has launched his campaign for the October election, determined to voice for the community.
He runs for the Casuarina Ward which includes Narre Warren, Narre Warren South, and Cranbourne North.
“I never thought about it to run for council. To be honest, a month ago, I didn’t know that I was going to go ahead with this,” Bassir said.
“There is a lot of encouragement from friends, community members, and as well as colleagues. I thought that if I got into it, I might be able to have the opportunity to advocate for a wider community.
“My advocacy can reach a larger scale than just a small community.”
Community safety, stronger and more transparent financial management of rates, and responsive maintenance of parks, roads, and paths are the fundamental pursuits Bassir will strive for.
His long-term involvement with the disadvantaged, isolated, and marginalised communities in Casey and Greater Dandenong has brought him another perspective on the needs of the region: employment.
“I will also focus on increased business and local employment opportunities. Local employment opportunities are very important. In the City of Casey, there are over 6,000 jobseekers from Afghan communities only. Imagine the number for all the communities we have,” Bassir said.
“If we see the unemployment rate and the job seeker rate, it is much higher in the area compared to any other places in Victoria.”
Cranbourne has an estimated 7.8 per cent unemployment rate in the December quarter of 2023, almost doubling the average rate in Greater Melbourne, according to Jobs and Skills Australia.
Working tirelessly on the frontline to support local jobseekers, Bassir is very aware of how hard it could be to secure a job.
“We are working with Wise Employment and other employment agencies. We have put over 300 individuals into employment,” he said.
“We [Bahktar Community Organisation] have this partnership with businesses, we know which business needs what type of workers. We have a list of job seekers who are actively looking for jobs.
“While we are doing this, I’m always wondering where to get employment next.”
As the former Casey Council was sacked amid corruption scandals, Bassir said he had formed some strategies to make sure that would never happen again.
“I was on the Access and Inclusion Advisory Committee from 2018. The committee was providing strategic advice to the council and the mayor in terms of infrastructure and other projects,” he said.
“I have some strategies that once elected, I will see how that can be achievable. At this stage, I’m not comfortable sharing that, but I have a very clear vision that’s what we can do to achieve all the dot points that I mentioned before.”
Coming to Australia in 2009, Bassir has played a versatile role in the community.
Speaking an impressive number of seven languages, he kicked off as a part-time Dari language instructor at Dandenong High School, then joined the SBS Dari program as a radio presenter, and landed at Monash Health as an interpreter.
“Monash was one of the places that supported me to understand the community,” he recalled.
“As an interpreter, I went to different departments, working with people and patients who suffered from mental health, who had disabilities, and who were at the end of their lives.
“I am not a doctor. I help interpret. But I am dealing with all these scenarios that a doctor could deal with a patient, delivering heartbreaking news to family members
“That [the interpreter job] has helped me to understand the community and its needs.”
Working with multiple languages directed Bassir to multicultural communities, and eventually led to the establishment of the secular organisation Bahktar Community Organisation.
The charity organisation supports migrants and refugees with material aid and other resettlement services in the South East. More than 6,000 individuals have been impacted over the years.
He has also been working with the Victorian Multicultural Commission Regional Advisory Councils since 2021.
“I was very much involved in different cultures, and this has encouraged me to stay in this country and do something,” Bassir said
“I see each culture and language as a colour, so I see Australia as a rainbow.”
Bassir is also working as a professional finance manager.
He is the 2020 Casey Citizen of the Year and 2022 Victorian Inclusive Volunteering Award winner.
