Who we are
The City of Brimbank is located in the western and north-western suburbs of Melbourne, between 11 and 23 kilometres west and north-west of the Melbourne GPO. Brimbank’s 2020 population was estimated at 208,247 residents, with more than 48 per cent born overseas, and 58 per cent speaking a language other than English at home. More than 160 different languages are spoken in the municipality, and 75 per cent of residents identify with a religion. The top 10 languages spoken being Vietnamese, Punjabi, Filipino/Tagalog, Greek, Maltese, Italian, Macedonian, Arabic, Cantonese, and Croatian. Newer languages that are growing fast include Hakka, Harari, Persian, and Telugu.
Current initiatives
Brimbank City Council’s Together We are Brimbank Plan is an integrated plan that paves the way to achieving our long-term Community Vision 2040 through our four-year Council Vision and Plan and the Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan. We are committed to developing and fostering a diverse community; a community that is active and connected in sustainable, well-designed, safe and accessible local areas with high participation in community life. As a Refugee Welcome Zone, Council declares its commitment to welcoming refugees into its community, to uphold the human rights of refugees and to enhance cultural and religious diversity.
How has Brimbank Council Supported the newly arrived and settling communities?
Brimbank’s social, economic and cultural diversity means we need to understand the needs of different cultures and lifestyles. Council will continue to work toward addressing complex issues that arise from systemic disadvantage. We have formed many multi-agency partnerships to support our work and our focus includes;
- Coordination – bringing together key service providers to identify needs and opportunities for collaboration to address these needs
- Collaboration – engaging with key stakeholders in the Brimbank community and all other levels of government for collective action.
- Advocacy – promoting and protecting the human rights of settling communities.
This approach has resulted in Brimbank having wide-ranging cultural and linguistic diversity as one of its greatest strengths. Welcoming migrants and refugees have fostered our dynamic community and sense of community pride while building local industry through increased population, participation, and productivity.
Strategic Frameworks that have guided Brimbank Council in Settling Refugees
Brimbank Settlement Action Plan 2019 – 2023
The Brimbank Settlement Action Plan sets our priorities and steps to achieve positive outcomes for people from culturally diverse backgrounds who arrive and live in Brimbank. It aims to ensure the journey of migrants and new and settling communities is sustainable and optimises opportunities for all. Among the key priorities achieved through this plan was the following;
- Addressing education, training and employment needs
- Building positive connections for community members including civic participation
- Developing support services and systems
- Addressing the challenges of housing and homelessness
- Responding to COVID-19 by facilitating information and emergency messaging to keep the community informed and safe.
Other Policies, Plans and Strategies that guide us include the following;
