This week, the City of Darebin was awarded the first Excelling Accreditation in the Welcoming Cities network.   

Welcoming Cities accreditation recognises the commitment local government organisations make to advancing inclusion in their community. The recognition of accreditation at the Excelling level highlights Council’s reputation as a sector leader in welcoming and inclusion practice, programs and initiatives. 

The City of Darebin has made that commitment to inclusion through:  

• becoming a member of Welcoming Cities in 2017  

• Key actions and contributions across all of council 

• benchmarking this process and becoming an accredited Welcoming City at the Excelling level, with an overall score of 4.7 out of a possible 5.   
   

This successful accreditation acknowledges the significant work of Council and the Darebin community to make the City more welcoming and inclusive. Achieving Excelling level both reflects and builds on the City’s commitments to being a welcoming city to all. These commitments include equitable access to services and facilities, safe and inclusive neighbourhoods, economic development opportunities, and respect for human rights for all people who live in and visit the city. It also provides an opportunity to plan for further improvement and change. 

Welcoming Australia’s CEO, Aleem Ali, congratulated Darebin City Council, the first to be awarded accreditation at the Excelling level. He said, 

“Darebin has a long-term approach to this work. They understand that welcoming and inclusion are about continuous engagement and learning, and we congratulate them on their success. Becoming the first council in Australia to be accredited at the Excelling level underlines their role as a leader in welcoming work in Australia.” 

Responding to the accreditation, City of Darebin Mayor, Councillor Susanne Newton, said, 

“I am so proud that Darebin is the first Council in Australia to be awarded ‘Excelling’ status in our Welcoming Cities accreditation. This reflects what I see every day in our community: a place where everyone can find their people, a place to call home and connect with community, whatever their background. This award acknowledges the commitment and significant work of Council and the Darebin community to build a truly inclusive and equitable City.  

We are fortunate in Darebin to be home to people from over 112 countries who speak more than 88 languages, and we are always striving to be a city where everyone feels welcome, respected and empowered to contribute to our wonderful community.” 

Welcoming Cities is a national network of cities, shires, towns and municipalities who are committed to an Australia where everyone can belong and participate in social, cultural, economic and civic life. Currently, 87 Local Councils are members of the Welcoming Cities network across Australia, representing almost 50% of Australia’s population.   

 Ends — 

Learn more about Welcoming Cities at www.welcomingcities.org.au/. 

Learn more about Welcoming Cities Accreditation here:  www.welcomingcities.org.au/accreditation/  

For further comment or information contact: 
 
Shannon Reid 
Corporate Communications Officer 
City of Darebin  
Shannon.Reid@darebin.vic.gov.au l 03 8470 8888  
 
Kate Leaney 
Campaigns & Communications Manager 
Welcoming Australia 
kate@welcoming.org.au | 0411 712 930 
 
Aleem Ali 
CEO 
Welcoming Australia 
aleem@welcoming.org.au | 0400 917 756 

The Welcoming Cities team are delighted to announce the winners of the inaugural Welcoming Cities Awards for Change. The awards celebrate leading practice and innovation in advancing welcoming and inclusive communities. 

The Welcoming Cities Awards celebrate change made in communities by individuals, organisations and local councils. They acknowledge the progress that strengthens social cohesion with newly arrived and receiving communities to ensure everyone has a chance to participate, belong and thrive.

We deliberately landed on the name Welcoming Cities Awards for Change because that is what we’re seeking to identity and celebrate. All of the nominees deserve to be applauded. In its inaugural year, the winners were chosen from an exceptionally strong field, representing a range of wonderful programs and work being advanced across the country. 

Welcoming Cities Governance Committee member Con Pagonis said “The City of Hume edged out the other councils because of their wholistic approach to their work with the Hume Health Champions and the support provided during the pandemic”

Aleem Ali, CEO Welcoming Australia, reflected on the strength of entries as an endorsement of the Welcoming Cities network, saying ” All of the nominees deserve to be applauded. All of the nominees presented compelling stories of ongoing change being made in their communities by individuals, organisations and local councils. All of the nominees described the intersection of newly arrived and receiving communities working together to ensure everyone has a chance to participate, belong and thrive.”

We are excited to share with you the winners below:

The winner in the local council category is Hume City Council in Victoria for their continued engagement with diverse communities during the Covid-19 pandemic. Faced with increased cases and low vaccination rates, Hume used an integrated approach to engage with harder to reach communities. This included the implementation of the Hume Health Champions program, a team of community leaders from diverse backgrounds, deployed to engage with members of their own communities.

The winner in the Individual category is Kate and Nick Land from the Cunnamulla Bakery in rural Queensland. Faced with the challenge of attracting and retaining people to live and work in Cunnamulla, Nick and Kate implemented changes to ensure new staff felt welcomed not only into the business, but the whole community.

The winner in the organisations (community or business) category is The Aqua English Project in Queensland. Led by Sarah Scarce, the Aqua English Project supports, engages and empowers new arrivals through the use of language, water safety and swimming.