Over the last few years, the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA) has engaged with Local Governments to learn from and publicise their initiatives that respond to cultural diversity. Since 2003, DIMIA has, for example, sponsored a Strength in Diversity category in the National Awards for Local Government. Strength in Diversity entries illustrate a wide range of innovative responses by councils to cultural diversity.
As you will learn from the National Perspective supplement in this edition, the 2004 winner was Warrnambool City Council for their Migration to Warrnambool Project.
Other entries of note came from the City of Darebin and the Gunnedah Shire Council.
The City of Darebin’s Cramer Street Neighbourhood Project addressed growing tensions between different members of the community. Working with community representatives, Council developed projects designed to break down feelings of isolation and segregation. Darebin has since reported a significant decrease in complaints and a greater level understanding between residents.
Gunnedah Shire Council’s Gunnedah International Cup and Cultural Exchange Weekend arose as a partnership between Council, the Auburn MRC, the NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors and the Centre for Social Leadership. This project saw 150 Sydneysiders, mostly young refugees from a variety of cultures, ‘going bush’ for sports and cultural exchanges. By bringing these different worlds together, the project broke down barriers and opened hearts.
These projects owe much of their success to the contributions and high levels of enthusiasm from both councils and members of the wider community.
