There has been an increase in culturally and linguistically diverse employees across governments from a headcount of 2,663 (13.8%) as at June 2012 to 3,218 (16.1%) as at June 2013. This is likely due in part to the increased awareness of diversity issues from the promotion of the RED Framework, which emphasises the benefits of an inclusive workplace with people who have a variety of backgrounds and experiences.
CMTD collaborated on a number of initiatives to enhance across government approaches to further the ACT Multicultural Strategy 2010-2013 across the six main focus areas, detailed below.
Languages
The Centenary of Canberra Program includes elements that showcase, celebrate and increase awareness of the cultural diversity of Canberra, such as:
- The Centenary of Canberra Multicultural Focus Group: This Group comprises representatives of the ACT's multicultural community, to provide feedback on the Centenary of Canberra Program, and develop projects and ideas to promote multiculturalism.
- The Harmony Bus: Developed for delivery in the next reporting period, the project involves bringing together various multicultural and broader ACT communities together to travel by bus to visit a range of ethnic and cultural venues. Each venue will provide a tour and/or cultural welcome to each bus group. The project aims to foster ongoing community relations and empower prominent community leaders and local communities to gain a better understanding and appreciation of diversity and shared values of respect and harmony.
- Canberra ... in so many words (Canberra's 100th Birthday Celebrations on 11 March 2013): This arts and community project, which explored the meaning of the word 'HOME', engaged 18 multicultural groups. Each group worked with their community to devise a design that was produced into a large-scale 'word' sculpture which was installed at Rond Terrace on Lake Burley Griffin on 11 March 2013.
- The Forum on Democracy: The Centenary of Canberra and the Light in Winter Festival held simultaneous fora on democracy on Tuesday 11 June 2013 at the National Press Club in Canberra and at Federation Square in Melbourne. The panel in each location discussed their city's democratic identity followed by discussions on the future of democracy. The panels compared these still unfolding evolutionary experiences with other nations still balancing their democratic aspirations with culture, language, religion and geography. The two fora linked up via a live video cross enabling moderators in each location to summarise their discussions. The Canberra forum was also streamed online and the forum will also be broadcasted and podcasted by ABC Radio National's Big Ideas Program.
- Viva La France in Canberra: An Alliance Francais project celebrating Telopea Park School's 90th and Alliance Francais' 70th anniversary (supported through the Community Centenary Initiatives Fund).
Children and Young People
A range of programs have been developed to engage children and young people of all backgrounds during Canberra's Centenary year. Some of these include:
- KAGE's Team of Life: This project will involve workshops with young refugees and young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
- Wulamanayuwi and the Seven Pamanui: part of the Centenary's Indigenous Cultural Program, this production from the Tiwi Islands, produced by Darwin Festival, was brought to Canberra with support from the NT Government as part of Collected Works: Australia. School and public performances were presented at Canberra Theatre Centre and an education resource was provided to schools. This production reached a total of 1,028 young people and their families.
- Dollars for Dili: The Centenary of Canberra unit is working with Scouts International on the Dollars for Dili appeal, which raises funds for capacity building projects for young people in Canberra's Friendship city, Dili, in Timor-Leste. By the end of the reporting period, a total of $85,890 had been raised. Two sanitation facilities have been built at Dili schools since the project began.
Older People and Aged Care
The Centenary of Canberra implemented a number of initiatives that will promote opportunities for older people of all backgrounds to engage with the Centenary Program, including:
- Centenary Seniors Focus Group: The group provides advice on various aspects of the Centenary of Canberra including marketing to seniors, event suggestions and transport for seniors. The meetings also focus on a number of existing projects for seniors and ways the projects can be extended to engage this demographic.
- Museum of the Long Weekend: This project asks older caravanning Australians to collect memorabilia, super 8 film, photos, stories, etc., from a lifetime worth of holidays and to bring them to Canberra to share these memories. The project will team older Australians with youth to prepare the materials for show. The Centenary of Canberra has approached local multicultural organisations to be involved in the project.
- Centenary of Canberra Volunteers: there were 352 individuals registered in the reporting period as Centenary of Canberra volunteers, many of them being senior citizens in the ACT community.
Women
The Centenary of Canberra Program has been developed to recognise and celebrate the contribution of women of all backgrounds in building the Australian nation. This includes:
- Orange Day Bicycle Tour: The Australian Migrant and Refugee Women's Alliance will host the Tour, with support from the Centenary of Canberra. The tour will bring together 16 teams from NGO, business, sport and government agencies to compete socially to raise awareness of the elimination of all forms of violence against women.
- National Foundation of Australian Women Online Exhibition: From Lady Denman to Katy Gallagher – A Century of Women's Contributions to Canberra is a permanent online exhibition on the Australian Women's Register to document and publicise the contribution women and women's organisations have made to Canberra (supported through Community Centenary Initiatives Fund). The register features a number of Australian women who have been advocates and support workers for migrants, refugees and Indigenous Australians.
- Selling Yarns 3: Weaving the nation's story: A conference, workshop, market day and exhibition program held in February-March 2013 that explored the place of Indigenous textile practices in the story of nation building in Australia and promoted the work of Indigenous female artists from across Australia.
- The Centenary Community Tapestry: A tapestry to celebrate its capital through two components: a major community tapestry designed and produced by the Canberra community and permanently displayed in the ACT Legislative Assembly; and small tapestries woven by individuals or groups from around Australia and the world, exhibited in the ACT Legislative Assembly Gallery in 2013 (supported through Community Centenary Initiatives Fund). This project has been extended to provide free workshops to disadvantaged women in homeless and refugee organisations.
- Inside Out: a two-day forum that explored new directions for social and political change. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women from remote and regional areas of Australia were supported to attend this conference as part of the Centenary's Indigenous Cultural Program.
Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Humanitarian Entrants
The Policy and Cabinet Division worked with the Community Services Directorate and key community stakeholders on issues relating to asylum seekers in the ACT community.
The Centenary of Canberra Program has been extended to recognise and celebrate the contribution of refugee and asylum seekers. This includes Centenary of Canberra Community Tapestry.
Intercultural Harmony and Religious Acceptance
The Centenary of Canberra Program includes components that showcase, celebrate and increase awareness of the cultural diversity of Canberra.
Some of the components include:
- The Centenary of Canberra Multicultural Focus Group;
- The Harmony Bus;
- The Forum on Democracy;
- Canberra ... in so many words (Canberra's 100th Birthday Celebrations on 11 March 2013);
- Viva La France; and
- Dollars for Dili Lifting the Spirit.
