Cancellation of the 2020 Welcoming Cities Symposium due to COVID-19

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We have made the extremely difficult decision to cancel the 2020 Welcoming Cities Symposium. We have been actively monitoring the situation with the COVID-19 pandemic; and, after conversations with our event partners – Scanlon Foundation, ACT Government and Department of Home Affairs – we believe this is the correct course … Read More

Planning for Welcoming & Inclusive Communities

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Guidelines for regional growth Regional councils looking to attract, retain and support migrants and refugees to thrive in their communities now have a resource to help them plan and assess their readiness with the launch of Planning for Welcoming and Inclusive Communities: Guidelines for Regional Growth. The Guidelines, funded by the … Read More

Not all children can see themselves in a blonde Barbie

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Diversity is a case of child’s play In the 1940s, psychologists Mammie and Kenneth Clark conducted a test using toy dolls to study young children’s racial perceptions. The study, colloquially known as The Doll Test used four dolls, identical except for their colour. The children, all African-American, were asked to identify which … Read More

Australian Migration and Settlement Awards

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Congratulation to the shortlisted councils in the Welcoming Communities Award for Excellence in Local Government. We are proud that all of the shortlisted candidates are members of the Welcoming Cities Network. Winner City of Stirling City of Stirling Multicultural Framework The City of Stirling developed its Multicultural Framework to build on what … Read More

City of Melbourne commits to inclusion for all

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The City of Melbourne has become the 36th local council and the 6th Australian capital city to join the Welcoming Cities network. Lord Mayor Sally Capp formally signed the commitment form surrounded by Councillors holding various statements of welcome and affirming their commitment to ensuring that the City’s policies, programs … Read More

Steps to Settlement Success

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A Toolkit for Rural and Regional Communities The Regional Australia Institute has developed a toolkit to respond to the information needs of rural and regional communities looking to settle migrants locally, be they migrants coming in from big Australian cities or overseas, entrants to Australia on skilled working visas or … Read More

Diversity is More Than a Quota

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3 steps to help address bias and increase inclusion within your organisation As the benefits for diversity within organisations become better understood, companies are quickly scrambling to rebrand their organisations to create an inclusive and diverse workforce. However, many companies still fail to attract interest from diverse candidates, or they … Read More

Symposium 2019 – wrap-up and presentations

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By all accounts, the 2019 Welcoming Cities Symposium was our most successful yet. A packed program featured Professor Anita Heiss delivering the inaugural First Nations keynote, Kenan Malik (International keynote), Abul Rizvi (National keynote) and an exceptional line-up of community practitioners, Local Government representatives, researchers, and community leaders. From First … Read More

An Evidence-Based Approach to Migration in Regional Queensland

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The Queensland Government, through the Department of Local Government, Racing and Multicultural Affairs (DLGRMA) is working with Welcoming Cities to explore leading practice to support interested regional councils in attracting, growing and retaining diversity. Under the banner of Welcoming and Inclusive Communities, Welcoming Cities has delivered an initial research project … Read More

Engaging Diverse Communities is Everyone’s Job

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The City of Stirling in Australia has a new network of diversity champions. In local government, engaging diverse communities is everyone’s job.  As with many local governments across Australia, the responsibility for engaging and including diverse communities often lies with a stand alone community development department. Generating awareness and sharing … Read More

Courage in the face of complexity

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Welcoming Cities is about to conclude its third calendar year, and we have much to celebrate and consider. A conversation and idea, sparked by the Scanlon Foundation and carried by Welcome to Australia, is now a national network of 26 local councils representing more than 3.5 million people (15 percent … Read More

The Enterprising Program

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The Enterprising Program is a community strengthening and employment generation project piloted in Wyndham City in Melbourne. The program stimulates and nourishes the start-up environment. It unearths business talent, targeting residents with well-developed business ideas or existing early-stage businesses. These emerging entrepreneurs participate in a 14-week Business Start-up Intensive (BSI) … Read More

Register Now for Symposium 2019

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On the 2nd & 3rd of April 2019, the 4th Welcoming Cities Symposium will convene in Brisbane at the redeveloped Howard Smith Wharves. The event will bring together international, national and local practitioners, policy-makers, researchers, business innovators and civic leaders to share and discuss the challenges, benefits and opportunities of … Read More

Home

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Home: right people, right skills, right place, right policy, is a report that includes analysis and commentary on the unintended consequences of the Federal Government’s changes to the immigration programme for Adelaide, regional Australia and their third biggest export market; international students. Home draws from research undertaken by the South … Read More

Murray Bridge

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The aim of this project was to achieve a better understanding of the factors leading to long-term successful settlement outcomes for new migrants in the Rural City of Murray Bridge, with a focus on active citizenship and social participation in community life. The study sought to understand the types and … Read More