Bass Coast is one of Victoria’s fastest-growing rural municipalities. We have a unique combination of unspoiled coastline and picturesque hinterland, and we are less than two hours from Melbourne and have a population of approximately 39,000 people.Â
Bass Coast Shire Council signed the Refugee Welcome Zone (RWZ) initiative in 2005 in response to strong local lobbying from the South Gippsland Rural Australians for Refugees (RAR) group. There are only a small number of refugees in the area, with the majority being South Sudanese and Karen (Burmese) refugees. One of the most successful programs that the Council has been involved in is supporting family sponsorship of Karen refugees, which has had multiple agency input.
Bass Coast Shire Council is working hard to ensure cultural acceptance continues to thrive. We will continue to embrace and promote cultural, religious, and linguistic diversity and harmony within our community.
We will also continue to celebrate, advocate, and work in partnership with our service providers and community groups to improve service delivery for our culturally diverse community and ensure we have a welcoming, inclusive and vibrant community.Â
