Project Background:

We're lucky to have such a diverse and vibrant multicultural community here in Yarra and everyone has a role to play in making sure everyone feels included and valued.

In the past, Council’s role has been outlined in our Multicultural Partnerships Plan. The Multicultural Partnerships Plan ensured we’re providing services that are as accessible and culturally relevant as possible.

The plan provided guidance for our staff when they work with our diverse community and supports the inclusion of culturally and linguistically diverse residents in Council processes.

As the last plan expired in 2023, we replaced the four-year Multicultural Partnerships Plan with a long-term policy defining Council’s role in how we support our diverse community.

This Multicultural Partnerships Policy will be updated to align with each Council Plan’s objectives and values, without requiring a complete redevelopment every four years.

What did we ask?

To help draft this Policy we held a broad community consultation in September and October 2023 to understand the community’s expectation of Council’s role within the multicultural space. We also wanted the community to help us:

• prioritise Council’s strategic objectives
• understand if there are any gaps within the objectives.
• identify potential actions to better support our multicultural community

We asked the following questions to gather this information:

• What do you think is Council’s role in supporting multicultural people in Yarra to feel included and acknowledged in our community? We asked community members to select up to three of following options:
  • Providing leadership - We continue to make a stand against any form of racism in Yarra.
  • Developing partnerships - We continue to partner with our cultural groups to improve knowledge of our multicultural heritage.
  • Committing to advocacy - We continue to advocate for the rights of our multicultural community.
  • Creating employment opportunities - We support learning and employment opportunities for migrant communities.
  • Breaking down barriers - We educate and advocate to local service providers to ensure that programs are equitable.
  • Building safe places and spaces - We work to make Council spaces accessible, representative and liveable.
  • Inviting cultural expression - We consider how to represent our diverse community when creating public spaces or activities.
  • Developing connections - We should facilitate cultural expression through programs that bring together diverse cultures.
  • Providing information - We provide accessible and culturally appropriate information on our work and ways to get involved.
• Are there any areas of Council’s role that is missing from the list above?
• What could Council be doing better to support our diverse multicultural community?

What did we hear?

Through this consultation as well as through conversations with community leaders and service providers, Council have decided to prioritise the following areas:

• standing against racism
• promoting effective communication
• fostering connections
• creating inclusive spaces
• building community capacity.

Visit the project page.

To read more about this consultation please visit the "A policy for a multicultural Yarra" project page.