Accessible Government Services for All Annual Report
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Local government
In 2005-06, a number of local governments worked effectively with their communities to deliver services to clients from diverse backgrounds.
Darebin City Council
Darebin City Council established its Interfaith Council, a collaborative partnership with over 100 faith leaders, in June 2005. The Interfaith Council resulted from comprehensive consultation with local organisations, community and religious leaders and the Darebin community. The benefits of the establishment of the Interfaith Council include assistance to religious leaders who directly support the settlement of members of their community, including newly-arrived members of their congregation from South Sudan and West African countries. The Interfaith Council has provided an opportunity for collaboration and better understanding between new arrivals and the wider Darebin community and has enabled Darebin City Council to work with previously hard to reach segments of the community.
The Interfaith Council resulted from comprehensive consultation with local organisations, community and religious leaders and the broad Darebin community. The community sent a clear message to the Darebin City Council indicating its support and interest for such an initiative.
The benefits of the establishment of the Interfaith Council include assistance to religious leaders who directly support the settlement of members of their community, which include newly arrived members of their congregation from South Sudan and West African countries.
The establishment of the Interfaith Council has enabled Darebin City Council to work with previously hard-to-reach segments of the community.
City of Ipswich
The City of Ipswich's Building a Better Lifestyle through Community Harmony project has tackled prejudice and intolerance, and enhanced cross-cultural understanding among young people in the city. The project is funded under the Living in Harmony programme. The population in Ipswich has residents who come from 115 countries and speak 84 languages. The council designed and implemented a project to promote community harmony and cross-cultural understanding among young people in the city. The initiative brought together schools, government and non-government agencies, community organisations and the whole of community who supported the project.
Activities included a poster competition that depicted the diversity of cultures through four themes: justice, equity, fairness and friendship; anti-racism creative workshops within primary and secondary schools, and a resource book for schools.
City of Wollongong
The Wollongong City Council Interpreter Service is an innovative response to the needs identified by the community and other stakeholders, and provides an important service in the Wollongong, Kiama and Shellharbour areas.
The project was developed as a locally based Interpreter Service employing local accredited interpreters to provide cost effective and efficient language services in Wollongong and neighbouring areas. The service is available to clients from culturally diverse backgrounds, the private sector, and local and state government services requiring interpreter support for their clients. A panel of interpreters covers 22 community languages. In addition, interpreters have knowledge of specific cultures which can assist local businesses in developing niche markets in the area and overseas.
Holroyd City Council
How to Vote is a community education project designed to familiarise culturally and linguistically diverse communities with the process of voting, counting of votes, privacy and voting system transparency, personal details protection, anonymity and to encourage voter responsibility. The workshops were held during the period from September to November 2006.
Language support for the workshops included Dari, Arabic, Farsi, Dinka and Mandarin. A number of community organisations and the State Electoral Office provided generous and enthusiastic support.
North Sydney Council
A series of information sessions on family law for new Japanese, Korean and Chinese migrants was held by North Sydney Council in May 2006.
The North Sydney Mayor supported the sessions as migrants to Australia faced a number of challenges, including the need to familiarise themselves with local laws and practices. The sessions provided information on legal issues relating to family life including rules about disciplining children, that domestic violence is a crime in Australia and their rights, should they separate from their partners.
The sessions were run in association with the Lower North Shore Multicultural Network and the Lower North Shore Domestic Violence Committee. Presentations were provided by solicitors from the Law Society of New South Wales and a panel of experts was on hand to answer questions.
The session for the Japanese community also included the launch of a new Japanese brochure for victims, families and friends affected by domestic violence.