The North Sydney Local Government Area is located on the north side of Sydney Harbour. It has a population of 73,712 as of the 30th June 2021. In 2016, 37.8% of people were born overseas and 22.2% of people spoke a language other than English at home. According to the Department of Social Services, Settlement Data Reports between 1 January and 31 December 2017, North Sydney received a total of 1,608 new arrivals, of which 1,101 were Skilled Migrants and 507 were Family visa arrivals. In 2002, the Council became a Refugee Welcome Zone and has remained active in refugee initiatives ever since.

A representative of North Sydney Council chairs the Lower North Shore Multicultural Network and is active in its projects. In 2017, 2019, 2020, and 2022, the Council has been a driving force in running Refugee Week Forums on the Lower North Shore. These forums have included high-profile advocates such as Renata Kaldor, A/Professor Munjed Al Muderis, Craig Foster and Rosemary Kariuki.

The Council celebrates Harmony Week every year, partnering with Sydney Multicultural Community Services, the Crows Nest Centre, and members of the local multicultural community. In 2022, Council unveiled a commission during Harmony Week done in collaboration with a Studio A artist, who painted a themed artwork in celebration of North Sydney’s multicultural communities. A focus group with representatives of North Sydney’s culturally and linguistically diverse communities generated ideas which, Jaycee Kim, an enthusiastic, creative, and collaborative artist with a South Korean background, distilled into a stunning work.

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Jaycee combined his passion for fashion to represent our multicultural communities in traditional dress, and with diverse gender and age ranges. Using North Sydney’s key and iconic local landmark – Luna Park, he has located them in front of it, incorporating an orange sunset – the colour of Harmony Week, and cultural motifs such as Korean-inspired clouds. A planned unveiling was delayed due to the lockdown, but we look forward to the day a gathering and celebration can be had.

Council’s partnering with the Lower North Shore Multicultural Network has produced a raft of resources including:

Your Path to Career Success: Tips for Migrants and Refugees to find Work – Gives practical advice, local contacts, resources and websites. The guide has a flowchart designed to take people through steps to find work with access to website links.
Migrant Services Quick Reference Guide for recently arrived migrants and refugees to help them access the organisations which can help them to settle in the local area and gain their independence. The guide is translated into Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Farsi, Korean and Spanish due this year.
Your Guide to Renting – Help with Housing for New Arrivals – Finding a place to rent is so important for new arrivals, and there are many things to take into account in becoming a tenant. This Guide has practical tips to help.

In addition, a range of practical initiatives were undertaken, including:

Running an Employment Expo in partnership with TAFE, Councils, businesses and the community to facilitate the utilisation of skills of migrants and refugees and drive forward community integration and cohesion.
Running an Insider Video Secrets Webinar with Julian Mather, the Video Magician, to teach representatives of local organisations how to use smartphones to make videos that capture community stories and boost their reach.
Creating a LNS Multicultural Network website https://northshoremulticultural.org.au/ which gives a central point for information and referral.
Running a seminar on Transformational Ethical Storytelling and how it can be applied to Cultural and Community Organisations
Engaging with the Chinese Community to run a forum and set up ongoing connections
Engaging with the Indian Community to set up a monthly morning tea at the Crows Nest Centre which supports connections within the community and offers support, information and referral.