The City of Cockburn is located in the southern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia. The City is about 24 kilometres south of Perth’s Central Business District with a population of over 104,000 (as per 2016 census). The Australian census 2016 shows 34.5% of people in Cockburn had both parents born in Australia and 44.5% of people had both parents born overseas. Off which 21.42% of the total population in Cockburn (compared to 17.54% of the total State population) spoke a language other than English at home. The top 5 languages (other than English) spoken in the City are Mandarin, Italian, Filipino/Tagalog, Croatian, and Portuguese. The City of Cockburn currently ranks 6th in the top 10 most diverse Cities in Western Australia.

In response to this significant diversity, the City of Cockburn created a full time Cultural Diversity position in July 2017. The following achievements have been made thus far:

• A dedicated City of Cockburn website page focused on Cultural Diversity matters
• Translation of relevant information on the City of Cockburn website into 4 languages reflecting the 4 largest cultural groups i.e. Mandarin, Croatian, Italian and Portuguese
• Development of intercultural and interfaith relationships amongst residents and understanding through the planning and delivery of shared events
• Community consultations and relationship-building with cultural groups within Cockburn
• Establishment of a working relationship with the Office of Multicultural Interests which is the peak government body for multicultural interests.
• Capacity building opportunities for culturally-specific groups and small businesses

The City has recently developed its first Cultural Diversity strategy (2018-2021) that reflects the aspirations of a growing and increasingly diverse community. The Cultural Diversity Strategy envisages:

• the City of Cockburn provides a welcoming and inclusive environment where people of all backgrounds have a sense of belonging, feel valued and fully participate in social, cultural, civic, and economic life.

The City is committed to continue responding to the diversity needs of its residents.