After an extensive revision process the Welcoming Cities Standard 2.8 is open for public consultation until 30 June. Feedback can be sent to Standard@welcomingcities.org.au. Revision Process In line with leading practice in standard setting, we made a commitment when creating the 2018 version of the Welcoming Cities Standard to review … Read More
Welcoming Cities Award – Ken Dachi
Sarah Janali and Ken Dachi share the inaugural Welcoming Cities Award, given to outstanding individuals in the sector. This award recognises those who go above and beyond to cultivate a culture of welcome and inclusivity in their communities. Ken Dachi, Multicultural Affairs Advisor and Program Coordinator at Leeton Shire Council … Read More
The Welcoming Cities Award – Sarah Janali
Sarah Janali and Ken Dachi share the inaugural Welcoming Cities Award, given to outstanding individuals in the sector. This award recognises those who go above and beyond to cultivate a culture of welcome and inclusivity in their communities. Sarah Janali Sarah Janali is a community development practitioner with more than … Read More
Rural Welcoming Communities Exchange Program 2023.
From the 25 – 30 April eight Australian representatives from rural councils across the country will join colleagues from rural councils across America for the Rural Welcoming Communities Exchange Program (RWCE). The exchange experience will be based in California and the group will attend conference sessions discussing different perspectives on … Read More
Welcoming Cities Awards for Change 2022
The Welcoming Cities team are delighted to announce the winners of the inaugural Welcoming Cities Awards for Change. The awards celebrate leading practice and innovation in advancing welcoming and inclusive communities. The Welcoming Cities Awards celebrate change made in communities by individuals, organisations and local councils. They acknowledge the progress that strengthens social cohesion with newly … Read More
City of Unley and City of Manningham share joint honour
Welcoming Cities celebrates the Cities of Unley and Manningham becoming the first local governments in Australia to be accredited as an Established ‘Welcoming City’. Successful accreditation acknowledges the significant work of these councils to make their municipalities more welcoming and inclusive. Mayor of the City of Unley, Michael Hewitson AM, says the City is seeing the benefits … Read More
Symposium 2021 – wrap-up and presentations
The 2021 Welcoming Cities Symposium was a great success, the first in-person Symposium in two years, it was exciting to feel the buzz of ideas and new connections in the room. A packed program featured Professor Megan Davis delivering the First Nations keynote, Tim Dixon (International keynote), George Megalogenis (National … Read More
City of Greater Bendigo becomes the first accredited Welcoming City
Welcoming Cities celebrates the City of Greater Bendigo as the first local government in Australia to achieve accreditation as a ‘Welcoming City’. Successful accreditation acknowledges the significant work of Council to make the City more welcoming and inclusive. The City of Greater Bendigo’s application was externally assessed by Monash University who considered the City’s policy and practice against all six categories of the Welcoming Cities Standard. Steven Abbott, Manager, Community Partnerships at the City of Greater … Read More
First things first: effective leadership in local government
Effective leaders should pose and seek to answer the question “‘who do we want to be?” Of all tiers of government, none have a better understanding of the complexity and nuances of their community than local councils. Engaging directly with local businesses, residents and service providers, they are well-placed, as facilitators … Read More
Stronger together: 50th Local Council joins Welcoming Cities
Network now represents more than 30 per cent of Australia’s population South Australia’s City of Playford has joined the national Welcoming Cities network, making it the 50th local Council to sign on. As COVID-19 puts pressure on communities, this growing group is leveraging multiculturalism and migration to keep everyone together. Welcoming … Read More
Virtual Welcoming Cities Symposium 2020
Due to COVID-19, Welcoming Cities hosted a virtual Symposium. The virtual symposium will consist of weekly webinars sharing all of the presentations from the original Symposium program. The “Virtual” Welcoming Cities Symposium features all of the presenters, from the cancelled Symposium in weekly sessions. The Welcoming Cities Symposium brings together … 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
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
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
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