Federal Member for Throsby Stephen Jones welcomes the announcement from the Rudd Labor Government that the Macedonian Welfare Association of NSW in the Illawarra will receive a $2,474 grant from theBuilding Multicultural CommunitiesProgram.

The grant will be used to purchase a high-functioning computer that will translate Cyrillic characters to English to help locals of Macedonian background keep up to date with news in Australia and also from Macedonia.

The translating technology will be a great help for the local Macedonian community, said Jones.

It will help them feel more at home in the Illawarra community by keeping them up to date with local news and events, and also maintain ties to their homeland.

Australias diversity is one of our greatest strengths and that is why the Rudd Government is proud to support organisations like these that promote cohesion and inclusiveness, Jones said.

The funding comes from Stream 1 of the Building Multicultural Communities program, which is providing grants between $1,000 and $10,000 to organisations to purchase a range of equipment, such as computers, furniture and sporting goods.

Stream 2 of the program provides grants of up to $150,000 to community organisations to enhance their existing facilities, to improve community access, and to promote and foster social inclusion.

Funding for this project is already included in the budget.