New South Wales

The aging Australian population, including people from long-established migrant communities, has been the focus of a range of initiatives undertaken by New South Wales Government agencies and local councils between 2006 and 2008. They include programs for specific communities to address issues of long-term war-induced, mental health problems, or increasing social and linguistic isolation experienced by women as they age.

Working with SBS Radio, the Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care has produced the HomeReach program, a weekly radio segment in seven community languages. It provides practical information for people with a disability, their carers, the frail and the aged.

The department is also developing a Planning for Later Life program, to encourage people to prepare wills, and to consider such issues as enduring powers of attorney and enduring guardianship arrangements. This material is also being translated into major community languages.

A Refugee Child Health Project, conducted by Sydney Children’s Hospital in collaboration with GPs, aims to establish a sustainable model of coordinated health care for refugee children in the Southern Sydney – Illawarra area.

The NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors has produced a series of books, Jungle Tracks. The books were created by a clinical psychologist and use animal characters to talk about refugees’ struggles to help them adjust to their new lives.

There was a large range of community programs for newly arrived and Humanitarian Program women, including the African Refugee Women’s Health Program in the Hunter – New England region of NSW; the Middle Eastern Social Support Group in the Baulkham Hills area; community workshops for women from Afghani, Iraqi and Turkish backgrounds in Griffith; and the Asian Women at Work project developed by the NSW Office for Women, to inform women from Asian backgrounds about employment issues and their rights.

The NSW Department of Education and Training provides a very wide range of programs to help young people achieve their potential, whatever their cultural or linguistic backgrounds. The NSW Government also undertakes a range of initiatives specifically aimed at developing youth leadership. They include a Youth Leaders’ Day as a separate feature of the annual Community Relations Symposium, and AUSMUS, which brings together young Muslim professionals and business people to advocate for Islamic communities.

Sport is increasingly recognised as an important element in the promotion and maintenance of community harmony. Various programs have been established in New South Wales to help people take part in sports and leisure activities.

Among them is WimSwim, a program for women who for cultural or religious reasons do not participate in mainstream swimming programs, and a community radio program, Fishing Secrets, which provided educational material on fishing.

Young people with diverse cultural backgrounds and from different parts of the Sydney metropolitan area were given an opportunity to participate in, and learn about, beach culture, surf safety and life-saving techniques at the highly successful 2007 Beach Bonanza. It was held at Wanda Beach in the Sutherland area with funding from the Community Relations Commission for a Multicultural NSW.

The NSW Government and the councils and shires have worked together to develop a planning framework for local councils, Implementing the principles of multiculturalism locally. The framework and accompanying guidelines and kit were launched in July 2008.