The Liverpool Local Government Area (LGA) is a cultural melting pot located in the South West region of Sydney. Home to one of the highest concentrations of Australia’s recent arrivals, over 40 per cent of the City’s residents were born overseas and more than half speak a language other than English.
Liverpool City Council is proud of its rich Aboriginal heritage and cultural diversity. As a Refugee Welcome Zone, Liverpool City Council is committed to building capacity and enabling cohesion and inclusion of its culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
Liverpool City Council has supported and implemented several initiatives to ensure its refugee and migrant communities feel welcomed, and are active members of social, cultural, economic and civic life.
These initiatives include:
• Regular Liverpool Refugee and Migrant Interagency meetings facilitated by Council in in partnership with Western Sydney Migrant Resource Centre. The meetings are an opportunity for networking, information-sharing, and discussion of existing and emerging issues related to refugees and migrants in the Liverpool LGA for the local services sector.
• Conversation Café, facilitated by Liverpool City Library, is a social group for those who would like to practice or improve their English-speaking skills.
• Council is proud to be a part of the National Community Hubs Program as a support agency of three community hubs in Liverpool. The program supports migrant and refugee families, particularly mothers with young children, to bridge the gap between migrants and the wider community. They connect women with schools, peers, and local organisations providing health, education, and support.
• Facilitating the implementation of Liverpool’s Declaration on Cultural and Religious Harmony which promotes peace and harmony among communities from different cultural and religious backgrounds within the LGA and broader society.
• Collaborating with local community organisations in the provision of programs and initiatives which foster community engagement, cohesion and capacity-building for community members.
• Council is a member of various networks, local advisory groups, and partnership initiatives that contribute to the development of strategies, policies, and project work towards ensuring existing and emerging needs of refugee and migrant communities of within the LGA are represented.
• Delivery of festivals, community engagement programs and initiatives which celebrate the contribution made by our residents from refugee and migrant backgrounds and Council’s commitment to cultural diversity and inclusion. These include Refugee Week, Harmony Day and Liverpool on a Roll, Council’s premier multicultural food festival.
• The Language Aide Program strengthens the bilingual skills of staff to further deliver effective customer service and break down communication barriers for culturally diverse communities to access information and services. Language Aides are available in a range of community languages which reflect the primary demographics of Liverpool including Arabic, Cantonese, Hindi, Mandarin, Serbian, Spanish and Vietnamese.
• Providing grants and sponsorship funding to community groups to deliver significant cultural days, and community events and activities to celebrate culture and art.
Contact details:
(028) 711-7054 and (130) 036-2170
Shop R1, 33 Moore Street, Liverpool
NSW 2170
Australia
