City of Stonnington
Cultural Diversity Policy
2010-2014
Introduction
The City of Stonnington is a culturally diverse
municipality. The diversity of our community is
part of what makes Stonnington a great place to
live.
Council is committed to ensuring that all residents
receive equal access to Council services and
facilities regardless of their cultural background.
Our Aims
The aims of the Cultural Diversity Policy are:
•
To encourage a positive attitude and
understanding of cultural diversity in order to
promote a cohesive and tolerant society.
•
To encourage the development of services that
are responsive and accessible to residents of
diverse backgrounds by:
 promoting Council’s commitment to the
provision of services to the whole
community, regardless of cultural, linguistic
or religious backgrounds, and
Council is committed to service excellence for all
residents and demonstrates this commitment
through its Cultural Diversity Policy, which guides
the development and delivery of responsive
services to culturally and linguistically diverse
(CALD) communities and enables access to Council
services by all residents.
Our Vision
 providing a framework for the development
of services that are culturally relevant and
responsive to changing community needs
•
To support the development of culturally
appropriate programs and where possible to
secure the resources required in implementing
these.
•
To comply with State and Federal Government
legislation with regard to meeting the needs of
a culturally diverse community.
The people of Stonnington respect and accept
diversity.
We recognise that our community is enriched
by people of many cultures living together in
harmony.
We aim to live in an equal and united
community.
Our Principles
The Cultural Diversity Policy is based on the
following principles:
1. Australia is a culturally diverse nation with a
great variety of cultural interests and
expressions derived from many countries
through an ongoing migration program. This
diversity is a strength to be respected and
employed for the development of a tolerant,
cohesive society.
2. All Australians have the right to express and
share their cultural heritage. Equally, all have
the responsibility to respect the cultural
heritage, religion and language of others.
3. All residents have the right to use Council
services, resources and programs. Therefore
service delivery should take account of cultural
and linguistic diversity and develop strategies
to ensure access and equity for all.
4. Council should give appropriate consideration
to identifying and removing barriers, such as
cultural and language barriers, in the planning
and delivery of services.
5. Residents from culturally and linguistically
diverse backgrounds should be encouraged to
participate
effectively
in
the
planning,
co-ordination and management of community
programs, services and resource distribution.
6. The Council should consider the special needs
(isolation, lack of resources) of smaller CALD
communities in the planning and delivery of
services.
Our Culturally Diverse
Community
The City of Stonnington is described as one of the
most diverse in metropolitan Melbourne.
The
community
includes
a
diverse
immigrant
population from over 130 different countries
predominantly including long-established CALD
communities and recent immigrant communities.
One hundred and eight (108) languages other
than English are spoken in the City of Stonnington.
Income and types of housing vary markedly in the
municipality. The population ranges from families
with very high incomes to single, unemployed and
homeless young people.
The CALD population is fairly equally distributed
across the municipality. The population is slightly
higher in the Prahran district with 20.1% being
from CALD backgrounds. The figure for Malvern is
18.1%.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics
(ABS) Census, 2006, data:
89,883 people called the City of Stonnington
home in 2006.
24,254 (27.3%) of residents were born
overseas.
Of the total, 17,075 (19.1%) came from nonEnglish speaking backgrounds.
The top 10
countries of birth were:
1. United Kingdom
2. New Zealand
3. Greece
4. China
5. India
6. Malaysia
7. Indonesia
8. Italy
9. United States of America
10. Poland
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The top 10 languages other than English
spoken in Stonnington are:
1. Greek
2. Mandarin
3. Cantonese
4. Italian
5. Russian
6. Indonesian
7. Hindi
8. French
9. Japanese
10. Vietnamese
The demographic profile of the City of
Stonnington is continually changing. Over the
past 10 years, we have seen new, younger,
CALD communities settle in Stonnington. The
post-World War II communities have settled
and raised families and are now part of our
ageing population.
Council must review policies such as the Cultural
Diversity Policy to reflect and address these
changes. The services and supports required by
residents change with migration patterns and life
stages.
Methodology
The development of the draft Cultural Diversity
Policy began in July 2009. This involved a range
of consultations with the Stonnington Ethnic
Services
Committee,
CALD
community
representatives living in Stonnington, local key
stakeholders and Council staff.
Areas of Commitment
The City of Stonnington has
following areas of commitment:
identified
the
Communication
The City of Stonnington recognises that effective
communication is the cornerstone of our
relationships with residents.
Objectives:
That CALD residents in the City of Stonnington
can communicate effectively with Council.
That effective communication occurs across all
forms of communication including:
Written communication
Electronic communication
Community information
Face to face and by telephone
That the City of Stonnington staff can
effectively communicate with residents when
we are providing services.
Participation
The City of Stonnington recognises that all
residents have the right to participate in Council
activities, services and decision-making processes.
This is vital to Council fulfilling its role in the
community and to ensuring that we have a strong
local democracy.
Objectives:
That CALD residents in the City of Stonnington
can participate in Council activities of their
choice.
That CALD residents in the City of Stonnington
can participate in services provided by Council.
That CALD residents in the City of Stonnington
can participate in decision-making processes in
our local democracy.
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Relationships with Other
Organisations
The City of Stonnington recognises that residents
benefit when local organisations work together to
provide coordinated services.
Objectives:
That the City of Stonnington builds and extends
collaborations with ethno-specific agencies as
well as the Grattan Gardens Community Centre,
New
Hope
Foundation
and
Prahran
Neighbourhood House in order to enhance
services for CALD residents across the
muncipiality.
That the City of Stonnington builds and
develops partnerships with other local service
providers to enhance the quality of services
available to CALD residents.
Relationships within Stonnington
The City of Stonnington acknowledges that the
Cultural Diversity Policy is a whole-of-Council
strategy.
Objectives:
That
the
Aged,
Diversity
and
Health
Department leads, supports and coordinates the
Cultural Diversity Policy.
That all areas of Council provide their services
in line with the objectives of the Cultural
Diversity Policy.
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Council’s Ongoing Actions
The City of Stonnington will continue to commit to the following actions over the next three
years:
Communication
Action
Promote and publicise Council services via Council’s website and translated
information/brochures.
Enhance and update Council’s website to include translated information about
services and information relevant to various segments of the community, such as
international students and new and emerging communities.
Encourage the ongoing use of onsite and telephone interpreters by staff for Council
business.
Implement the outcomes of the review of the Stonnington CommunityLink Service;
Council’s telephone interpreting service.
Participation
Action
Celebrate diversity and promote harmony by conducting the annual Flavours
Festival.
Promote Council activities and services by age segments, such as children, young
people, international students, as well as older people.
Promote Council activities and services to new and emerging communities.
Implement the outcomes of the Ethnic Meals Program review.
Provide opportunities for culturally diverse groups to engage in culturally relevant
activities.
Utilise the ethnic media and ethno-specific organisations to promote Council
festivals and events.
Increase consultation with CALD residents by staff.
Promote the Ethnic Services Committee internally as a forum for consulting with
CALD communities when developing Council policies and strategies.
With the Victorian Electoral Commission, publicise Council election processes to
ethnic communities in culturally and linguistically appropriate ways.
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Relationships with other organisations
Action
Consolidate and maintain Council’s relationship with the New Hope Foundation via a
service agreement to enhance optimal service delivery for CALD residents.
In conjunction with centre users, encourage a wider range of social, cultural,
educational and recreational services is offered at the Grattan Gardens Community
Centre.
Promote the Grattan Gardens Community Centre as a culturally diverse services hub.
Relationships within Stonnington
Action
Provide cultural awareness training for all staff annually.
Provide updated data to all staff via the intranet, including ABS Census data and
settlement data from Department of Immigration and Citizenship.
Expand and build on the cultural diversity portlet on the intranet to update
information and resources for staff.
Work with Council departments to ensure that the principles and objectives in other
Council strategies are consistent with the Cultural Diversity Policy.
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Key Actions for 2010 -2014
In addition to the ongoing commitments detailed above, Council will work towards achieving the
following key actions over the next three years:
Year 1
Engage and inform Council’s CALD communities about Council services and activities by working
with internal stakeholders to make Council’s website more linguistically accessible, to promote
services through the multicultural media and community language publications, and to deliver
improved support for CALD residents at Council’s service centres .
Provide information for international students and emerging communities through the provision
of information kits on Council and community services across Stonnington.
Year 2
Develop a framework to encourage internal organisational policy and strategies to consider the
service needs of CALD communities.
Work with the New Hope Foundation and other local ethno specific agencies to enhance the
provision of culturally diverse services for residents, including at the Grattan Gardens
Community Centre.
Year 3 and Year 4
Review the Stonnington Ethnic Services Committee to determine better ways to consult with
and engage Stonnington’s CALD communities.
Produce a cultural history of Stonnington that celebrates the contribution of CALD communities
across the municipality.
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