News

Support the development and growth of communities, across Queensland, where people of all backgrounds have equal opportunity to belong, contribute and thrive. The Coordinator (Queensland) is responsible for supporting the development and growth of the Welcoming Cities initiative throughout the State of Queensland.  This includes: The work of the Coordinator … Read More

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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