About the Shire of Katanning
The Shire of Katanning is proud to have been a Refugee Welcome Zone since 2014. On 22 October 2014 the Katanning Council signed the declaration to become a Refugee Welcome Zone.
The Shire of Katanning is in WA’s Great Southern Region, 287km south-east of Perth (3 hours’ drive) and 187km (1.75 hours) to the city of Albany. There are 4,200 people in the Shire of Katanning, with a town population of 3,700.
Katanning is a true multicultural community, the most ethnically diverse regional centre in Western Australia, featuring some 50 language groups with 19.3% of households speaking non-English languages at home.
According to the 2016 Census in Katanning, 36.3% of people were born overseas. The most common countries of birth are Myanmar 4.2%, New Zealand 3.5%, England 2.7%, Thailand 2.0%, and Afghanistan 1.8%. Along with 26.5% of people having parents born overseas.
For more information about the Shire of Katanning as a Refugee Welcome Zone, visit here.
Read Write Now
The Read Write Now program aims to improve the literacy of adults who have an inadequate level of literacy for everyday life. There is a centre located in the Katanning Library where sessions are run in a group or individual setting. Help is available to improve reading, writing, maths, study, or basic computer skills.
CALD Women’s Language Lessons
A group of volunteers lead by Kerry Palmer runs Ladies Only Language Classes every week at the local playgroup. The classes run for 3 hours per week and teach women who are learning English as a second language to speak, read and write. The classes are open to all women no matter what level of English they’re at. Read Write Now, A Smart Start Great Southern and Playgroup work together to deliver this program to the Katanning Community.
Harmony Festival
The Katanning Harmony Festival runs over two days in the town centre, starting with the Friday Food Night ahead of the huge street festival on Saturday.
The annual festival showcases the positive aspect of Katanning’s cultural diversity as the community comes together to offer a festival that promises colour, culture, connection, and excitement. Featuring cultural dance, music, a kids’ zone, youth activities, market stalls, international food village, and more.
For more information, please contact harmonyfestival@katanning.wa.gov.au
Support for new projects
If you have a project that celebrates multiculturalism or provides support for refugees and people new to the Shire, then we would love to hear from you.
The Shire of Katanning is committed to recognising the value of all community organisations and has developed a clear and powerful vision of “Together we are building Katanning’s future”. Each year the Shire of Katanning allocates an amount of funds within the budget to provide financial support to the community and community projects.
For more information about community grants and funding, visit here.
