“Diversity is a reality. Inclusion is a choice.” The bold statement on the Institute for Canadian Citizenship website encapsulates the challenge for policy-makers, civic leaders, governments, businesses and communities both locally and globally. On 23 March 2018, Welcoming Cities will convene its third national symposium in the City of Adelaide. … Read More
Lake Macquarie joins Welcoming Cities
Lake Macquarie has reinforced its commitment to being a diverse and inclusive City by becoming the first NSW Council to join the Welcoming Cities network. Mayor of Lake Macquarie, Councillor Kay Fraser, this week signed a formal commitment to Welcoming Cities, a national initiative that promotes social cohesion and the … Read More
City of Melton Embraces Welcoming
Melton City Council has embraced welcoming as one of the key areas of its recently launched Intercultural Plan 2017-2021. A key action of the City’s Intercultural Plan is to join the Welcoming Cities network which Mayor Sophie Ramsey formally endorsed on August 2. The City joins a growing national network … Read More
Darebin joins Welcoming Cities Network
Darebin Council has officially joined the Welcoming Cities Network to reaffirm and build on its long and proud history of promoting inclusiveness and equality. The City joins a growing national network of local councils who are committed to fostering a sense of community belonging and socioeconomic participation and equality for … Read More
The Art of Welcome
The idea of welcome as more than a greeting, but as an underpinning of commerce and socioeconomic development, existed centuries before colonial rulers long over-stayed theirs. Richard Trudgen in his seminal work on the Yolŋu outlines the trade practices of the First Nations peoples from what is now known as … Read More
Building Tomorrow’s Communities
“That the National General Assembly supports the Welcoming Cities initiative launched by the Scanlon Foundation and Welcome to Australia in March 2016; and the development of The Australian Standard for Welcoming Cities, to support local councils in their work to create more inclusive communities” – Resolution carried at the Australian … Read More
Welcome is Not a Dirty Word
Current sound bites, headlines and social media diatribe would suggest the life support system has long been turned off on visionary and principled leadership in Australian politics. The daily mantra seems to be – Another day, another opportunity to drive a wedge between ‘us’ and ‘them’. Whether it’s denigrating people … Read More
City of Port Adelaide Enfield First South Australian Council to Join Welcoming Cities
The City of Port Adelaide Enfield is proud to be the first council in South Australia to join the Welcoming Cities Network. The network supports local councils and community leaders to leverage the ideas and innovation that come from being welcoming and inclusive, whilst working to remove barriers for new … Read More
Welcoming Cities: creating cohesive, more inclusive communities
Deloitte Australia has been engaged by Welcome to Australia and the Scanlon Foundation to research and write a draft Standard that will provide best practice accreditation framework in diversity and inclusion practices for Australian local councils. The draft Standard will be made available for public comment in March 2017. Interested … Read More
Migration and community experts to provide insights into cohesion at local level
International migration experts and Australian local government leaders will meet in Melbourne on Wednesday, to share and discuss best practice approaches for addressing key challenges and opportunities at a local level. The second national Welcoming Cities Symposium on 1 March will feature keynote speakers Jill Helke, International Organization for Migration, … Read More
It’s Time to Rescue Brand “Australia”
A few career changes ago, I managed a branding and design agency. Our primary task was to help our clients communicate their organisation, product or service. We worked to create a strong brand so that people would choose our client’s company or service over and above their many competitors. Since … Read More
6 Steps to Countering a Narrative of Fear
Welcome to Australia. A nation of contrasting landscapes, people and politics. Where we perform welcome to country at most major events, yet the traditional owners struggle for legitimacy and recognition on their land. Where almost everyone you meet has a migrant story, yet the current government is in a race … Read More
Hume takes lead in becoming Welcoming City for new arrivals
Hume City Council is one of the first local government authorities in Australia to officially join the recently established Welcoming Cities network. Launched in March this year, Welcoming Cities is working to grow a national network of local governments recognised for fostering a sense of community belonging and socioeconomic participation … Read More
When Fear Trumps Fact
As the dust begins to settle on Australia’s 2016 federal election, concerns are being raised about one of the clear outcomes – the return of Pauline Hanson and One Nation. The political party’s policies on multiculturalism, Islam, and immigration champion a return to assimilationist White Australia policy and zero net … Read More
Welcoming Cities Motion to be Proposed at National General Assembly
From the 19th to the 22nd of June the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) will hold its national conference. The ALGA recently put out a call for motions to be proposed and debated at this year’s National General Assembly of Local Government (NGA). Through the support of the City of Whittlesea, Welcoming … Read More
Migration is a Solution, Not a Problem
8 things a whirlwind trip across the United States revealed and reminded me about welcome In the last two weeks of April 2016, I had the opportunity to travel across the United States with a couple of my Welcome to Australia colleagues*. We began in Atlanta for Welcoming America’s national … Read More
New Initiative to Boost Inclusive Communities
The Scanlon Foundation and Welcome to Australia have today launched a new national initiative to assist governments, businesses and individuals to work together to create more inclusive communities. Welcoming Cities, delivered in partnership with US not-for-profit Welcoming America, will foster meaningful collaboration between Australian local governments, and implement evidenced-based approaches … Read More
Multiculturalism ‘Good for Australia’ say 85% of Australians
The Scanlon Foundation has been looking at these perceptions over the past decade, and most recent research shows 85 per cent of Australians agree that multiculturalism has been good for the country. The Scanlon Foundation’s Multiculturalism Discussion Paper has been tracking people’s views across more than a decade of surveys. … Read More