City seeks to improve inclusiveness plan

THE City of Greater Geelong is seeking feedback on how it can be more welcoming and inclusive for people from all cultures and faiths through its Multicultural Action Plan for 2023-2024.

The city has started a community engagement process with an online survey viewable in ten languages that asks participants to rate it on how welcoming and included they feel in the community, what areas of improvement are needed and what barriers people may currently encounter.

Geelong mayor Trent Sullivan said Geelong had a proud history of being a welcoming destination for people of different faiths and cultures, with 18 per cent of people living in the city born overseas and 12 per cent speaking a language other than English at home.

“The City of Greater Geelong has long celebrated the region’s rich cultural diversity and acted on opportunities to create positive social, cultural and economic impacts.

“The city values, supports and respects people from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds and faiths, and it is vital that we ensure they are fully able to participate in our community.”

The policy will serve as an update to council’s existing Multicultural Action Plan 2018-2022, and after community engagement closes in January next year will be prepared as a draft and put before council for consideration, before it’s put out for one last round of public comment prior to its final implementation.

Chair of the council’s Multicultural Action Plan committee Cr Jim Mason said community contribution would help ensure it continued to meet their needs, and would be considered alongside key partner organisations and stakeholders.

“In the quest for inclusion, fairness, access and increased participation, it’s important that we hear an assortment of voices from across the community,” Cr Mason said.

A Have Your Say page is now live on the City of Greater Geelong’s website. for more information, head to yoursay.geelongaustralia.com.au/MAP