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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Settling migrants in regional areas will need more than a visa to succeed
John van Kooy, Monash University and Rebecca Wickes, Monash University Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced two new regional visas as part of a national population plan. The Skilled Employer Sponsored and Skilled Work regional visas require workers to live outside major cities for three years before they can apply … Read More
Sydney residents are giving new migrants welcome tours
Welcome2Sydney helps new people navigate the city Welcome2Sydney is a project co-designed by The City of Sydney and Settlement Services International (SSI). The project connects volunteer ambassadors with newcomers to the area with the aim of encouraging people to explore the city, develop a sense of belonging, and build greater … Read More
An Evidence-Based Approach to Migration in Regional Queensland
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
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
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
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
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
Australia’s Immigration Solution: Small-Town Living
How rural Australia opened itself to the world and became a model of integration and revival. Damien Cave, writing in The New York Times, considers the value of migration to Australian regional towns and how many rural communities suffer not from a lack of employment, but a lack of employees. … Read More
Home
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
City of Adelaide Becomes First Australian Capital City to Join National Welcoming Cities Network
Adelaide is set to join a national network of local councils committed to fostering social cohesion, signing on as the first Australian capital city in the Welcoming Cities network. The move will be formalised by The Lord Mayor of Adelaide, Martin Haese at the Opening Reception of the third annual … Read More
Murray Bridge
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