AUSSIEStory | Ro Unbinds Binary: Life is Diverse, Diversity is Natural, Crank it Up!

Born to challenge societal expectations and boundaries, Ro learnt from retired Australian Uniting Church minister and activist Dorothy McRae-McMahon that being LGTBIQA+ did not exclude you from a spiritual life.

Join Ro as they recount their journey from conversion practices to living life through the lens of love. A  consistent social justice reformer and human rights champion. Along the way, finding time for long-time partner now wife, 2 step children, 1 daughter and a granddaughter. 

How is it working out? 

• Share Ro’s Story (22 mins)

Join us with 'humanising the other':

• Share this page with anyone who you think will benefit
• Share another story in the collection: Vasu | Vive Julienne
• There are many stories making today's Australia. AUSSIEStory is another one
• Are you or someone you know LGBTIQA+, have a story about reconciliation and wish to share? Please make contact
• Want to contribute to the project in other ways, please make contact.

MORE:

AUSSIEStory

Global Engagement In Friendlier Neighbourhoods (GEIFN)

Website

--- GEIFN is based in City of Port Phillip, the traditional lands of the Boon Wurrung, Bunurong and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples of the Kulin Nation. Respect is offered to past, present and future elders of all spiritual traditions. 

--- Services and program delivery is culturally safe to people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, aesexual and questioning (LGBTIQA+).

--- May we find together a generous way to accommodate those in need of refuge. Let us be cool, strive individually and together to overcome inequality, violence, disengagement, tragedy and injustice wherever it may be. Let us honour, savor and enjoy results of mindful effort so more thrive peacefully with less effort in our place called home.

AUSSIEStory | Vive Julienne in Passing: Hello, Fellow Traveller, Goodbye!

Born Julian to loving parents, Vive Julienne learnt from Mum to not be afraid, to have fun and from Dad to work together, play hard and be courteous. 

Vive has 2 siblings, 2 daughters, 1 granddaughter and a long-term partner with a kimchi konnection. Join Vive as they recount their journey of discovery, life, love and joy while being a funeral celebrant.

How is it working out? 

• Share Vive Julienne’s Story (20 mins)

Join us with 'humanising the other':

• Share this page with anyone who you think will benefit
• Share another story in the collection: Vasu | Ro
• There are many stories making today's Australia. AUSSIEStory is another one
• Are you or someone you know LGBTIQA+, have a story about reconciliation and wish to share? Please make contact
• Want to contribute to the project in other ways, please make contact.

MORE:

AUSSIEStory

Global Engagement In Friendlier Neighbourhoods (GEIFN)

Website

--- GEIFN is based in City of Port Phillip, the traditional lands of the Boon Wurrung, Bunurong and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples of the Kulin Nation. Respect is offered to past, present and future elders of all spiritual traditions. 

--- Services and program delivery is culturally safe to people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, aesexual and questioning (LGBTIQA+).

--- May we find together a generous way to accommodate those in need of refuge. Let us be cool, strive individually and together to overcome inequality, violence, disengagement, tragedy and injustice wherever it may be. Let us honour, savor and enjoy results of mindful effort so more thrive peacefully with less effort in our place called home.

AUSSIEStory | Vasu Packs A Bag: Luggage Includes Religion, Caste, Code, Love and Band-Aids

Once upon a time, the fifth child and first son was born to a Hindu Brahmin family in Sri Lanka. His friends call him Vasu. 

Join Vasu on his quest for feeling at home.

When young, Vasu’s family fled war to India before resettling in Singapore. They worked hard to establish themselves, and the children had the chance to enjoy safety and education. A computer programming scholarship led Vasu to London, followed by work in Scotland and New York. A wish to be physically closer to family and change vocation resulted in studying, qualifying and becoming a Nurse in Australia. 

How is it working out?

• Share Vasu’s Story (20 mins)

Join us with 'humanising the other':

• Share this page with anyone who you think will benefit
• Share another story in the collection: Vive Julienne | Ro
• There are many stories making today's Australia. AUSSIEStory is another one
• Are you or someone you know LGBTIQA+, have a story about reconciliation and wish to share? Please make contact
• Want to contribute to the project in other ways, please make contact.

MORE:

AUSSIEStory

Global Engagement In Friendlier Neighbourhoods (GEIFN)

Website

--- GEIFN is based in City of Port Phillip, the traditional lands of the Boon Wurrung, Bunurong and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples of the Kulin Nation. Respect is offered to past, present and future elders of all spiritual traditions. 

--- Services and program delivery is culturally safe to people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, aesexual and questioning (LGBTIQA+).

--- May we find together a generous way to accommodate those in need of refuge. Let us be cool, strive individually and together to overcome inequality, violence, disengagement, tragedy and injustice wherever it may be. Let us honour, savor and enjoy results of mindful effort so more thrive peacefully with less effort in our place called home.

AUST | GEIFN | CALLING | LGBTQIA+ Story Tellers for AUSSIE Stories: Downunder the Rainbow

Collected video stories of identity, connection and belonging by First Nations, Settlers and Migrants from downunder the rainbow.

A showcase of intersectionality, bridge-building and making peace with inconvenient truths, from LGBTQIA+ Folk in Australia. 

Global Engagement in Friendlier Neighbourhoods (GEIFN)’s Potential Top 5 Talking Points to offer insights, answers and views to question “What does Reconciliation look like to you?":

1. What did the coming out process look like for you?
2. How did being LGBTQIA+ teach you about your family, community and the world?
3. Where is your gift of being LGBTQIA+ been used in personal, professional or public life?
4. Who is your message of reconciliation to?
5. Why should Australia be a place, position and player on a spherical global playing field?

This project is encouraging Australian-residing LGBTQIA+ Women or Women-identifying, First Nations, People of Colour/Migrants. Together, a diversity of ages, genders, views, wisdom and compassion strengthen any reconciliation.

If you or someone you know fit the description and wish to share your reconcilings, please contact Carey on 0438 371 488 or caretaker@geifn.org

Primary Collaborator

I’m From Driftwood (IFD) is delivered digitally through a cloud-based multi-channel platform to a broad-based audience developed over the past 15 years. Part of this conversation and active enthusiasts since the conception.

Quoting from IFD website:

The stories on I’m From Driftwood send a powerful message to LGBTQIA+ people everywhere: you exist, you matter, you belong.

 

IFD’s collection of more than 1,400 professionally-produced videos and user-submitted written oral histories are shared freely online – giving voice to and forging connections among often marginalized or silenced people, educating people about the joys and challenges, complexities and intersectionalities of LGBTQIA+ lives, and increasing empathy in IFD viewers.

Some existing IFD examples:

• ImFromDriftwood: Carlo’s Gay, Catholic and Still Wanting to Have a Family. It’s Just Going to Look Different (6 mins).
• ImFromDriftwood: Charlotte’s Coming Out Is An Act Of Activism. Reflections On Being Out In The Workplace (6 mins)
• ImFromDriftwood: Homophobic Experience at Medical Center Leads Trans Student to Change Entire Life Path (8 mins)

How to Reconcile

Language is an interesting thing. It can be used to educate, mystify, divide, harm or heal. English is a particularly interesting example.

The English language has 26 letters (written symbols) but it makes over 44 different sounds (syllables) and countless compound ideas (words). All relying on ‘learnt, practised or assumed knowledge' to correctly use, prevailing cognizance (ability to independently critically think), pronounce, know and then to respond.

 

To make things even more interesting, English is always changing, borrowing from many other languages with meanings that may change over time.

Let's look at the word "reconcile":

[reh’con’syle]

From late Middle English: from Old French reconcilier or Latin reconciliare, from Latin re- = back, concentrate, focus + conciliare = bring together.

verb

1. restore friendly relations between. Ie, the monarch and the archbishop were publicly reconciled. Ie, they wanted to be reconciled with their father. 
• settle (a quarrel). Ie, advice on how to reconcile the conflict. 
• make or show to be compatible. Ie, the agreement had to be reconciled with the city's new international relations policy. 
• someone accepting a disagreeable or unwelcome thing. Ie, the team was reconciled to the poor match result.
2. make (one account) consistent with another, especially by allowing for transactions begun but not yet completed. Ie, it is not necessary to reconcile the cost accounts to the financial accounts.

And this is just 1 word. Languages are made of many words. Words connected by space(s) make sentences. Sentences connected by space(s) make paragraphs. Paragraphs connected by space(s) make narratives or stories. Stories connected by space(s) make story books. Story books connected by space(s) mark time and are called tradition. This is the process of transmission. Transmission can be verbal, physical, formless or abiding in the space between.

Please find examples of other words (and if needed translations in other languages):

• GEIFN | CONTEMPLATING | On Gratitude
• GEIFN | ENDORSING | FCCV Statement on Prevention of Family Violence and Violence Against Women
• GEIFN | ENDORSING | Uluru Statement
• GEIFN | SUPPORTING | LGBTIQA+ Inclusion
• GEIFN | CONTEMPLATING | Upon Closing

So back to this case: collected video stories from LGBTQIA+ of identity, connection and belonging by First Nations, Settlers and Migrants Downunder the Rainbow.

Originally, recordings were envisioned as being hosted individually on IFD website for global audience and matched with 2 others on GEIFN website for local audience. Reconciling evolving conditions, the episodes are now standalone 20mins episodes hosted on GEIFN's Youtube Channel.

STREAMING | Now

Watch, like or subscribe to the GEIFN YouTube channel or AUSSIEStory Playlist for these and future episodes.

1. Vasu's Story (20 mins)
2. Vive Julienne's Story (20 mins)
3. Ro's Story (22 mins)

How to Support the Project?

1. Fit the criteria, sorted something out, feeling crazy-brave? Volunteer to tell your story and make contact on the details below.
2. Pass the word to someone you know has a reconcilingly good story to tell.
3. Share the message through your socials.

MORE:

Global Engagement In Friendlier Neighbourhoods (GEIFN)

Join us with 'humanising the other' 

Carey Rohrlach (he/him), AUSSIEstory Team Member, Tel 0438 371 488

Website

GEIFN is based in the traditional lands of the Kulin Nation. Respect is offered to past, present and future elders of all spiritual traditions. May we find together a generous way to accommodate those in need of refuge. Let us be cool, strive individually and together to overcome inequality, violence, disengagement, tragedy and injustice wherever it may be. Let us honour, savor and enjoy results of mindful effort so more thrive peacefully with less effort in our place called home.

GEIFN | CONSOLIDATED | Community Information | Tuesday 1 September 2026

[Edited extract from public address]

Fast Facts: Community News

Topics List

1. Highlighting
2. Granting
3. Employment. Training & Contributing
4. Engaging
5. Collectivising
6. Announcing
7. Supporting
8. Acknowledging

---

 1. HIGHLIGHTING 

1. CoPP | S2b | EXHIBITING | Saints And Sinners – A Portrait Of St Kilda | 1 September-3 October 2026
2. VIC | VMC | TOURING | Multicultural Film Festival 2026
3. AUST | CITC | WEBINAR | Sharing 100 Days of Meditation, 100 Voices of Peace | Nightly, Saturday 13 June-Monday 21 September 2026 | 9-9.15pm AEST
4. AUST | GOV | TRANSLATING | Practical ways to reduce household energy costs
5. AUST | AUPR | SHARING | New Resource: Messaging Guide to Counter Far-Right Narratives
6. AUST | GEIFN | CALLING | LGTBIQA+ Story Tellers for AUSSIE Stories: Downunder the Rainbow

 1.1  CoPP | S2b | EXHIBITING | Saints And Sinners – A Portrait Of St Kilda | 1 September-3 October 2026

Long celebrated as a suburb of contrasts, St Kilda has been home to artists, migrants, activists, beachgoers and dreamers. 
Space2b Social Design (S2b) invited eleven artists to share their own interpretations of St Kilda.

Come & experience their homage to this loved suburb.

• Opening: 4 September 2026 | 6-7.30pm
• Where: Space2b Social Design, 144 Chapel St, St Kilda VIC 3182
• Cost: Free Entry

 

 1.2  VIC | VMC | TOURING | Multicultural Film Festival 2026

The Victorian Multicultural Commission (VMC) is proud to present Multicultural Film Festival on Tour — bringing powerful, diverse storytelling to regional and metropolitan communities across the state.

This is your chance to:

• Experience a wide range of perspectives on the big screen
• Discover incredible films from emerging and established creators from multicultural backgrounds
• Attend screenings at multiple venues across the state
• Connect with filmmakers and fellow film lovers

Presented by the VMC in partnership with Swinburne University of Technology and SBS.

• Check out the screening schedule and book your tickets

 1.3  AUST | CITC | WEBINAR | Sharing 100 Days of Meditation, 100 Voices of Peace | Nightly, Saturday 13 June-Monday 21 September 2026 | 9-9.15pm AEST

As we enter this final stretch in the run up to the UN International Day of Peace on 21 September, Calm in the City (CitC) wanted to take a moment to share a few words to convey a little about what this journey has meant for us – and what lies ahead.

“Peace held together, night after night, travels further than we know."

RECEIVING | A Message from His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Calm in the City (CitC) is deeply honoured to announce that His Holiness the Dalai Lama has sent a personal message in support of Australia's 100 Days of Peace.

Sunday 16 August 2026 evening, the message was shared with the community by Mr Karma Singey, the representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia — joining us at 9pm AEST as our Voice of Peace for the evening.

The message will also be read aloud at the culminating gathering of the 100 Days of Peace — A Peaceful Morning Tea — hosted by the Speaker of the House of Representatives at Parliament House, Canberra, on Thursday 17 September 2026, UN International Day of Peace.

We do not typically announce our contributors in advance. This one is different.

That a message from His Holiness has found its way to an initiative born of quiet, daily collective silence — offered freely each evening by Australians from every walk of life — is something we could not have imagined when this began. We are grateful beyond words.

• Join us nightly at 9pm AEST.

SHARING | A Story of Hope

There is so much that is deeply moving about these 100 days. In addition to hearing the sincere and personal reflections from the contributing voices, what touches the heart deeply is the fact that each evening, people put their lives to one side to come together at 9.00pm. We do not see each other, or speak — and perhaps some of us may never know who the other is — but one pure intention, held in shared silence, on behalf of each other and our world, draws us together. And in those ten minutes, we connect — not through the language of words — but through the authentic language of the heart.

What also moved us this week was the response from the community. When the devastating floods struck Nepal, we put the word out just a couple of hours before the evening meditation and many joined in vigil that night. From Bosnia, Dr Mustafa Cerić, Grand Mufti Emeritus and one of our (upcoming) one hundred voices, wrote that same evening on receiving that last-minute call:

"Dear Friends,
My heart joins yours tonight in peace, prayer, and solidarity with the people of Nepal — with the local residents, pilgrims, and visitors whose lives have been touched by this devastating tragedy, and especially with all those who are anxiously searching for their loved ones.

May our shared silence become a language of compassion beyond all borders, religions, and nations. May it bring comfort to the grieving, strength to the rescuers, hope to those who wait, and mercy to all who have suffered.

In moments such as this, we are reminded that humanity is one family: another person's pain is our pain, and another person's hope is our sacred responsibility."

These are such meaningful words - which cultivate hope, peace and compassion - transcending all borders.

SHARING | A Peaceful Morning Tea — Parliament House, Canberra

On Thursday 17 September 2026 — the final sitting day of Parliament before UN International Day of Peace — a culminating gathering for the 100 Days of Peace will be at Parliament House, Canberra.

A Peaceful Morning Tea will be hosted by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and Ms Nicolette Boele MP, in the Speaker's Courtyard, from 10.30-11.30am.

The programme will include brief addresses, a message from the UN Secretary-General, the personal message from His Holiness the Dalai Lama – written in support of the 100 Days of Peace – and ten minutes of shared meditation with gentle music. 

However, for those who would like to sit in a collective meditation at the same time (10.30 - 11.30am) and ‘tune in’ with your good wishes for the event, that would be so wonderful - and we will provide details of an online meditation nearer the date.

LAUNCHING | Voices of Unity — a new podcast series

The second piece of news is also wonderful in its own way.

Our contributor Dr Mujib Abid, Initiative for Peacebuilding, University of Melbourne, has launched Voices of Unity, a grassroots podcast series emerging from Melbourne, created in direct support of the 100 Days of Peace.

The series amplifies the often-unheard, everyday practices of peace, care and solidarity shaping community life — through short, intimate conversations, including a distinctive walk-and-talk format across neighbourhood spaces.

As the series unfolds in the lead-up to UN International Day of Peace, it reflects a simple but powerful idea: that peace is practised daily — in relationships, in communities, and in the shared spaces of everyday life.

Four episodes have already been released, with new episodes arriving weekly through to 21 September. 

Find it here:

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• Learn more

FOSTERING | A Time for Stillness

At the Parliament House gathering, we will also present A Time for Stillness — a proposal to the Australian Parliament.

The proposal is simple: that three times each year, at the opening of the February, May and August sitting periods, Parliament House be the home of a voluntary gathering of gentle music and shared silence — open to all Members of Parliament, Senators, staff and guests, free of charge, and distinct from existing parliamentary practice.

It is motivated by the reflections on peace from our contributing voices and by our shared experience of these evenings — that stillness, held together,  is important in the cultivation and sustenance of peace.

Join us for the final three weeks
Each evening at 9pm AEST. 

• Where: online via Zoom
• Cost: Free
• Bookings: No registration needed. Close to time 9pm AEST click the link. Meeting ID: 910 0016 1694 · Passcode: peace

This initiative is offered in partnership with Anglican Diocese of Melbourne.

You are always welcome.

In peace and with gratitude,
The 100 Days of Peace team

 1.4  AUST | GOV | TRANSLATING | Practical ways to reduce household energy costs

The Australian Government has updated a suite of free translated energy guides to help households better manage their energy use, save money and access support when needed.

Available in 40 languages, the guides cover bright ideas for saving energy and money in your home, a renter’s guide to saving energy and water and guidelines on what to do if you are having trouble paying your electricity and water bills.

• Languages include:
  • Arabic
  • Chinese (Simplified and Traditional)
  • Filipino
  • Greek
  • Hindi
  • Punjabi
  • Spanish
  • Ukrainian
  • Vietnamese
  • and many more.
• Learn more

 

 1.5  AUST | AUPR | SHARING | New Resource: Messaging Guide to Counter Far-Right Narratives

As far-right, populist movements gain ground, Australian Progress (AUPR) has released a new guide to help progressive advocates cut through.

Produced with Anat Shenker-Osorio of ASO Communications (ASOC), it gives you a practical framework to pick your own fight, build belonging around shared values, and show what’s at stake in opposition policies.

• Read the full guide

 

 1.6  AUST | GEIFN | CALLING | LGTBIQA+ Story Tellers for AUSSIE Stories: Downunder the Rainbow

AussieStory – collecting Video Stories of Identity, Connection and Belonging by First Nations, Settlers and Migrants Downunder the Rainbow.
Global Engagement in Friendlier Neighbourhoods (GEIFN) and I’m From Driftwood (IFD) aim to showcase diverse Australian views by sourcing and producing 1st-Person Video Stories of LGTBIQA+ Folk from around Australia. 

Seeking Storytellers who have demonstrated reconciliation(s) in their own life. Recordings will be done remotely through Zoom or if Melbourne based optionally in a studio. Storytellers will have opportunity to review final edit. Final edit recordings will be hosted individually on IFD website for global audience and bundled in a group of 3 for GEIFN website and local audience. 

Please feel welcome to share with your networks interested in inclusion, reconciliation and equitable coexistence.

• Read more details about AUSSIEStory 
• NOW STREAMING | individual stories (approx. 20mins each): Vasu | Vive Julienne | Ro

Back to Topics List
Back to Section List

---

 2. GRANTING 

1. SYDNEY | CoS | GRANTING | Social and Community Grants | applications close Tuesday 1 September 2026
2. VIC | TRVI | OFFERING | Half price and contactless travel
3. AUST | PFA | GRANTING | Regional and Rural Communities | applications close Monday 16 November 2026

 

 2.1  SYDNEY | CoS | GRANTING | Social and Community Grants | applications close Tuesday 1 September 2026

This City of Sydney (CoS) opportunity supports local communities leading projects that tackle local challenges, including strengthening social cohesion and wellbeing, supporting people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, and improving access to healthy food and services. Grants favour creative solutions, projects that build future skills and First Nations-led work.

• Learn more

 

 2.2  VIC | TRVI | OFFERING | Half price and contactless travel

Public transport in Victoria is half price for everyone until 1 January 2027.
Half price fares apply automatically to all public transport services statewide and to all passengers, including concession holders.

In addition, Transport Victoria (TRVI) has recently rolled out contactless payment options across the tram network and at train stations where myki is accepted.

Contactless payment is currently available for full fare customers only. Concession card holders should keep using their concession myki to ensure they are charged the correct fare.

If you are a concession card holder and accidentally tap on with a phone or bank card, wait 30 seconds and tap off with the same device so you are not charged. Any customers who make a mistake and are incorrectly charged should contact the Transport Victoria Contact Centre on 1800 800 007 to discuss reimbursement options.

• Learn More

 

 2.3  AUST | PFA | GRANTING | Regional and Rural Communities | applications close Monday 16 November 2026

Pride Foundation Australia (PFA) Small grants of up to $1,000 are available for projects from individuals, organisations and communities who'd otherwise miss out. Projects must assist, involve or benefit LGBTQIA+ people, and promote positive social outcomes and mental health. 

• Learn more

Back to Topics List
Back to Section List

---

 3. EMPLOYMENT, TRAINING & CONTRIBUTING 

1. AUST | RGA | CALLING | Applicants for our next CEO | applications close 11.59pm AEST Wednesday 2 September 2026
2. CoPP | PPLS | RECOMMENDING | Epic reads with The Odyssey
3. CoPP | PPLS | RECOMMENDING | Reading suggestions from Booker Prize, Women in Translation and Before You Watch The Film
4. CoPP | PPLS | HEARING | Your say: Library Action Plan | feedback closes 11.59pm Sunday 13 September 2026
5. VIC | VCCI | CREATING | Safer, more respectful workplaces – Lead the Change Program
6. VIC | WOY | SUPPORTING | What's on Youth
7. AUST | OSECI | HEARING | Your say: from Australian Muslims
8. AUST | UTAS | HEARING | Your say: from Migrant Women Entrepreneurs
9. AUST | RGA | CALLING | GiveOUT Day registrations | now open
10. AUST | TAFESA | OFFERING | Online Diploma of Interpreting with TAFE South Australia
11. WORLD | UNHCR | HEARING | Your say: Refugee Law Guidance | submissions close 23.59 CEST Tuesday 15 September 2026

 3.1  AUST | RGA | CALLING | Applicants for our next CEO | applications close 11.59pm AEST Wednesday 2 September 2026

Rainbow Giving Australia (RGA) are looking for an ambitious, collaborative and values-led leader who can help RGA grow its funding, partnerships and impact while remaining deeply accountable to LGBTQIA+ communities.

• Find out more and apply

 

 3.2  CoPP | PPLS | RECOMMENDING | Epic reads with The Odyssey

More than 2,000 years after it was written, The Odyssey still speaks to us because it explores timeless experiences like facing uncertainty, overcoming obstacles, searching for belonging and finding our way home.
At its heart Odysseus' journey is a story about resilience, identity and the challenges that shape us along the way.

Port Phillip Library Service (PPLS)'s Odyssey-inspired reading list brings together Homer’s original epic, modern retellings and novels influenced by its themes.

From fresh perspectives in The Penelopiad, Circe, A Thousand Ships and Lavinia to enduring classics such as The Iliad and Ulysses, these books show why this ancient tale continues to inspire readers and writers today.

• Explore Our Reading List

 

 3.3  CoPP | PPLS | RECOMMENDING | Reading suggestions from Booker Prize, Women in Translation and Before You Watch The Film

Booker Prize longlist

Port Phillip Library Service (PPLS)'s reading lists just got a little longer! The 2026 Booker Prize longlist has dropped, highlighting outstanding fiction from across the globe.

The Shadow of the Object and The Things We Never Say are just two of the books on the 2026 Booker Prize longlist

Thirteen novels spanning genres including literary fiction, satire, dystopian sci-fi, historical fiction and surrealism. Authors representing seven countries, including former winners Marlon James and Douglas Stuart, alongside three debut novelists.

Will your choice be the judges' favourite? Reserve your next read today to decide for yourself.

• Explore The Longlist

 

Women in Translation Month

And that’s a wrap on Women in Translation Month. If you missed our in-branch displays check out our list of recommended fiction and non-fiction right here. Because reading translated women’s writing shouldn’t end with August

• Reserve them now

 

Read Before You Watch

We don’t believe the book is always better but there’s only one way to be sure. Be ahead of the curve with our list of recently or very soon to be adapted fiction.

• Books are better titles

 3.4  CoPP | PPLS | HEARING | Your say: Library Action Plan | feedback closes 11.59pm Sunday 13 September 2026

Let’s make sure we’re on the same page. Port Phillip Library Service (PPLS) is refreshing our Library Action Plan to better meet the needs of our community.
Your feedback will help shape the future of our library services, guiding our priorities over the next five years, ensuring our branches continue to thrive as welcoming hubs for learning, creativity and connection.

Have your say on the services our libraries currently provide by visiting the link below.

• Have Your Say

 

 3.5  VIC | VCCI | CREATING | Safer, more respectful workplaces – Lead the Change Program

Lead the Change is a Victorian Government‑funded program designed to help leaders and decision-makers in small to medium enterprises create respectful, inclusive environments across the hospitality, retail, manufacturing and construction industries.

The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) program provides practical tools, training and expert support to prevent gender‑based violence, meet legal obligations and build inclusive, positive workplace cultures. Sessions are free and delivered across metro, suburban and regional Victoria from February 2026 to May 2027.

• Learn more

 

 3.6  VIC | WOY | SUPPORTING | What's on Youth

Got an event, job, grant, program or wellbeing service for young people? What's On Youth (WOY) helps organisations, councils and schools get their opportunities in front of young Victorians across the state – for free.

What's On Youth is a Victorian-built platform, developed with support from the Victorian Government, to help young people discover opportunities,

• List your opportunity
• Learn More

 

 3.7  AUST | OSECI | HEARING | Your say: from Australian Muslims

Australia's Office of the Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia (OSECI) has launched the Australian Muslim Poll, a national initiative delivered in partnership with Deakin University that will capture the diverse experiences, perspectives and wellbeing of Muslims across Australia.

The Australian Muslim Poll is Australia’s first nationally representative, annual study of its kind. It will build a robust evidence base to better understand Muslim communities and inform policy, community programs and public discourse with high-quality, data-driven insights.

The Australian Muslim Poll will run across 2026–2027, with the first findings expected in September 2027, to be shared through reports, events and briefings.

• Learn More

 

 3.8  AUST | UTAS | HEARING | Your say: from Migrant Women Entrepreneurs

Are you a migrant woman running a business in Australia? A University of Tasmania PhD study is seeking participants to share their experiences as migrant women entrepreneurs. If you were born overseas and have operated a business in Australia for at least three years, your insights could help inform future research and support.

• Learn More

 

 3.9  AUST | RGA | CALLING | GiveOUT Day registrations | now open

It’s that time of year again: GiveOUT Day is back on Thursday 15 October 2026.
Registrations are now open for organisations and projects looking to take part.

• Register My Cause

GiveOUT Day is Australia’s national giving day for LGBTQIA+ causes, proudly presented by Rainbow Giving Australia (RGA).

Each year, GiveOUT Day brings together over 100 not-for-profits in a single campaign, making it easier to support and celebrate rainbow communities.

In 2025, we collectively raised over $635,000.

This year, we’re inviting everyone to make their move for a cause they love. From mid-September, supporters can Give, Gather or Gush… but more on that to come!

Book for Online Information Workshops

• Join our GiveOUT Day 101 online workshop to find out more

 

Get ready to multiply the love this GiveOUT Day.

As always, participation is free and eligible donations will be doubled thanks to our generous partners. (Limits apply.)

So if you’re leading a not-for-profit organisation or project that specifically benefits LGBTQIA+ communities, your first move is to sign up!

P.S. Register your cause for GiveOUT Day now, so you’re ready when early donations open in mid-September. 

With love, 
Lee Crockford (he/him), Head of Operations and Impact

 3.10  AUST | TAFESA | OFFERING | Online Diploma of Interpreting with TAFE South Australia

Applications for TAFE South Australia's Diploma of Interpreting 2027 and the Interpreting and Translating Skill Sets 2027 open soon. Delivered online and open to students across Australia, this 12 months Part Time course will provide you with the opportunity to learn the necessary skills to effectively interpret in a range of settings.

• Attend an online information session | Monday 21 Sept 2026 6-7.30pm (South Australian Time)
• Learn more

 

 3.11  WORLD | UNHCR | HEARING | Your say: Refugee Law Guidance | submissions close 23.59 CEST Tuesday 15 September 2026

UNHCR has launched a call for inputs to inform the development of a new Handbook on Refugee Law, Volume I: Criteria for Determining Refugee Status.

The Handbook is one of the most influential interpretative resources in international refugee law, and this consultation is an important opportunity to help shape its next edition.

• For more information or to make a submission

Back to Topics List

Back to Section List

---

 4. ENGAGING 

1. CoPP | PPLS | AGING | With the Community Connector Service
2. CoPP | PPLS | LENDING | iPads with Free Internet for Older People
3. CoPP | VPC | OFFERING | Witnessed Document Signing | weekly, every Saturday (excluding public holiday weekends) | 12noon-4pm
4. CoPP | PPLS | WOMINJEKA | With James from Killara: 2 locations | Weekly, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays
5. CoPP | PPLS | COACHING | Finding a Job | Weekly, Tuesdays | 5-8pm
6. CoPP | PPLS | GATHERING | Practise English | Weekly, Tuesdays and Thursdays | 1.30-2.30pm
7. CoPP | PPLS | GATHERING | For Twilight Tuesdays at Port Melbourne
8. CoPP | PPLS | GATHERING | Stretch and Mobility Classes | Fortnightly on Tuesdays | arrive 10.55am for 11am-12noon
9. CoPP | PPLS | WORKSHOPPING | Writers' Club | Fortnightly, Second and Fourth Friday | 1.30-3pm
10. CoPP | PPLS | GATHERING | First Nations Women’s Group | Fortnightly on Tuesdays | 10am-1pm
11. CoPP | PPLS | GATHERING | Book Chat | Monthly, First Tuesday, next session: Tuesday 1 September 2026 | 3-4pm
12. CoPP | PPLS | SCREENING | Local music legends on screen | Tuesday 1 September 2026 | 6-7.30pm
13. CoPP | PPLS | WORKSHOPPING | Family History Club | Monthly, First Thursday, next session 3 September 2026 | 1-2pm
14. VIC | VTMH | WEBINAR | Integrating spiritual care in mental health assessment and recovery. How do we do it? | Tuesday 8 September 2026 | 10.30am-12noon
15. CoPP | PPLS | TALKING | Understanding dementia | Tuesday 8 September 2026 | 11am-12pm (Hearing tests after)
16. CoPP | PPLS | GATHERING | Queer Social Club: We're Here, We're Queer | Monthly, second Tuesday, Next session: 8 September 2026 | 6-7.30pm
17. CoPP | PPLS | WORKSHOPPING | Scan and Save – Digitise Your Photos, Negatives and Slides | Thursday 10 September 2026 | 1-2pm
18. CoPP | PHAAA | CALLING | Artists for ‘Healing with Compassion’ Art Exhibition | Saturday 12-Tuesday 29 September 2026 | 1-6pm
19. CoPP | PPLS | WORKSHOPPING | Growing mushrooms | Sunday 13 September 2026 | 2-4pm
20. CoPP | PPLS | TALKING | Understanding dementia | Monday 14 September 2026 | 2-3pm (Hearing tests after)
21. CoPP | PPLS | GATHERING | Young Adult Neurodivergent Craft Club | Monthly, Third Saturday, next session: Saturday 19 September 2026 | 1-3pm
22. CoPP | PPLS | WALKING | With Tobias Nash to Ghost Signs of South Melbourne | Saturday 19 September 2026 | 2-4pm
23. BLUE MOUNTAINS | RACS | TREKKING | For Refugees | Saturday 19-Sunday 20 September 2026
24. VIC | VTMH | WORKSHOPPING | Approaching work with interpreters in mental health settings | Monday 21 September 2026 | 9.30am-4pm
25. SURRY HILLS | RACS | TALKING | Who gets to belong? Culture, rights and a fairer Australia | Monday 21 September 2026 | arrive 5.30pm for 6.30pm-8pm AEST
26. CoPP | PPLS | TALKING | Researching your Middle Park home | Tuesday 22 September 2026 | 6-7pm
27. CoPP | PPLS | SCREENING | Film Club | monthly, fourth Tuesday, next session Tuesday 22 September 2026 | 6-8pm
28. CoPP | PPLS | TALKING | Southside Death Cafe | Monthly, Fourth Wednesday, next session Wednesday 23 September 2026 | Alternates between afternoons and evenings
29. CoPP | PPLS | WORKSHOPPING | Bike Maintenance for Beginners | Monthly, Fourth Saturday, next session Saturday 26 September 2026 | 1-2pm
30. MELBOURNE | AELA | GATHERING | Many Faiths, One Planet – Together, Caring for our Common Home | Saturday 3 October 2026 | 8.30am-5pm
31. VIC | VTMH | WEBINAR | Balancing personal spirituality with mental health care. Is there a tension? | Tuesday 6 October 2026 | 10.30am-12noon
32. AUST | EQPR | GATHERING | The Rainbow Leaders Summit Early Bird access is open | Thursday 19 November 2026 | 9am-4.30pm
33. AUST | EQPR | GATHERING | Adaptive Leadership Program | 3 intensive days, Wednesday 2-Friday 4 December 2026

 

 4.1  CoPP | PPLS | AGING | With the Community Connector Service

Looking for support, services, or social connections as you age? The Community Connector Service (CCS) is here to help!
They can assist with: 

• Finding aged care and carer support services
• Connecting you with local services to help you stay independent
• Discovering social groups, programs, and activities
• Accessing council services like delivered meals and community transport

Meet the CCS team at your local Port Phillip Library Service (PPLS) library – use the link below for session times and more information.

Tel: 03 9209 6882 or email communityconnector@portphillip.vic.gov.au

• Learn More

 

 4.2  CoPP | PPLS | LENDING | iPads with Free Internet for Older People

Did you know that if you're over 60, you can borrow an iPad from Port Phillip Library Service (PPLS)?
We have 10 iPads available for lending at St Kilda Library. Patrons 60 years and over will be able to borrow an iPad with free internet for one month.

All you need is a Port Phillip Library membership and a Victorian Senior's Card (or other proof of age).

• Where: St Kilda Library, 150 Carlisle Street, St Kilda Victoria 3182
• Cost: Free
• Bookings: Find out more about how to register for this program

 

 4.3  CoPP | VPC | OFFERING | Witnessed Document Signing | weekly, every Saturday (excluding public holiday weekends) | 12noon-4pm

The Victorian Pride Centre (VPC) has a Document Signing Centre (DSC) service in St Kilda where legal documents can be witnessed by a Justice of the Peace.
This is the only community-based DSC within a 10 km radius of Melbourne's CBD that's not a police station or law court. The DSC@VPC provides a space where everyone, regardless of their background or identity, can feel secure and supported in having their legal documents witnessed.

This is a free service managed by the Royal Victorian Association of Honorary Justices.

• Learn more
• Where: The Forum, Victorian Pride Centre, 19-81 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda VIC 3182
• Cost: Free
• Bookings: Appointments aren't necessary

 

 4.4  CoPP | PPLS | WOMINJEKA | With James from Killara: 2 locations | Weekly, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays

James Williams, Community Engagement Officer for the Inner Metro region, is available in our libraries each week to support First Nations community members. 
James can assist with resume writing, job searching, mentoring and coaching, as well as referrals to services including NDIS, Foodbank, Workforce Australia and accommodation support. He can also help with accessing birth certificates, proof of age cards and connecting people with community.

Port Phillip Library Service (PPLS) are proud to partner with the Killara Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with employment, housing, cultural connection and access to key services.

Where to find James:

• Port Melbourne Library | Monday and Wednesday, 10am-12noon
• St Kilda Library | Wednesday and Friday | 1-3pm

James is here to help build pathways, provide support and strengthen connections within our community.

• Learn more about Killara

 

 4.5  CoPP | PPLS | COACHING | Finding a Job | Weekly, Tuesdays | 5-8pm

Need help finding a job? Book a free 45-minute one-on-one appointment with our volunteer job coach.
Whether you’re new to the workforce, changing careers, or just feeling stuck, Port Phillip Library Service (PPLS) is here to help:

• Build confidence and motivation
• Improve your digital skills
• Write a résumé and prepare for interviews
• Get career advice based on your strengths
• Learn where to look for jobs and how to apply

Please note the new time and day for this program. 

• Where: St Kilda Library, 150 Carlisle Street, St Kilda Victoria 3182
• Cost: Free
• Bookings: online via Trybooking

 

 4.6  CoPP | PPLS | GATHERING | Practise English | Weekly, Tuesdays and Thursdays | 1.30-2.30pm

Are you interested in improving your English-language skills and connecting with new people and Port Phillip Library Service (PPLS)? 
Each session includes a variety of fun, informal activities such as group discussions, reading aloud, language games, and topic-based conversation. 

Please note: These sessions now require booking, please use the link below to secure your spot

• Where: St Kilda Library, 150 Carlisle Street, St Kilda Victoria 3182
• Cost: Free
• Bookings: online via Trybooking

 

 4.7  CoPP | PPLS | GATHERING | For Twilight Tuesdays at Port Melbourne

Port Melbourne Library is open late on Tuesday evenings, and Port Phillip Library Service (PPLS) are inviting our local community to drop in, discover something new and enjoy our regular programs.
Alongside our established Port Melbourne Book Clubs, which meet on the earlier Tuesdays of each month, we are excited to introduce two new evening programs as part of Twilight Tuesdays:

• Book Chat on the third Tuesday of each month | 6-7pm
• Film Club on the fourth Tuesday | 6-8pm

These sessions are already favourites at our other branches, and we are pleased to offer them locally. Visit our website for more information and offer your suggestions for other activities you might like us to include.

• Where: Port Melbourne Library, 333 Bay St, Port Melbourne VIC 3207
• Cost: Free 
• Bookings: online via PPLS

 

 4.8  CoPP | PPLS | GATHERING | Stretch and Mobility Classes | Fortnightly on Tuesdays | arrive 10.55am for 11am-12noon

Join Port Phillip Library Service (PPLS) for a fortnightly stretch and mobility class including a range of exercises designed to increase your range-of-motion and help you move more freely. 
There is a therapeutic focus on stretching deeply and releasing tension in the body. The class can be done seated on a chair.

Lea Singer is a certified Yoga instructor and specialises in promoting positive aging. She speaks Russian and English.

These sessions are wheel-chair accessible. Please contact us if you have any additional accessibility requirements.

• Where: St Kilda Library Community Room, 150 Carlisle Street, St Kilda Victoria 3182
• Cost: Free
• Bookings: available week by week, online via Trybooking.

 

 4.9  CoPP | PPLS | WORKSHOPPING | Writers' Club | Fortnightly, Second and Fourth Friday | 1.30-3pm

Are you a writer looking for a supportive and inspiring space to share your work? 
Whether you’re working on short stories, poetry, essays, or even the next big novel, Port Phillip Library Service(PPLS) Writers' Club is the perfect place to connect, create, and grow!

• Find out more
• Where: St Kilda Library, 150 Carlisle Street, St Kilda Victoria 3182
• Cost: Free
• Bookings: online via Trybooking

   

 4.10  CoPP | PPLS | GATHERING | First Nations Women’s Group | Fortnightly on Tuesdays | 10am-1pm

Join Port Phillip Library Service (PPLS) at St Kilda Library for our fortnightly women’s yarning circle, facilitated by Ngwala Willumbong Aboriginal Corporation. 
This is a space for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women to share stories, create, connect, and celebrate culture together.

• Where: St Kilda Library Community Room, 150 Carlisle Street, St Kilda Victoria 3182
• Find out more

 

 4.11  CoPP | PPLS | GATHERING | Book Chat | Monthly, First Tuesday, next session: Tuesday 1 September 2026 | 3-4pm

Enjoy a relaxed chat about books with Port Phillip Library Service (PPLS) staff and other book lovers. 
There are no set titles. Bring your current book or a favourite to discuss or just come along to hear about what others are enjoying.

• Where: Albert Park Library, 319 Montague Street, Albert Park Victoria 3206
• Cost: Free
• Bookings: online via Trybooking

 

 4.12  CoPP | PPLS | SCREENING | Local music legends on screen | Tuesday 1 September 2026 | 6-7.30pm

Experience the stories, songs and personalities that have helped define Port Phillip's vibrant music scene. This special Port Phillip Library Service (PPLS) encore screening features two acclaimed short films from the 2026 St Kilda Film Festival.

The MEMO Music Hall Rokumentary shines a spotlight on the iconic St Kilda venue through live performances and interviews with the artists who helped make it what it is today. The second screening, Music & Poetry in the City of Port Phillip (2006-2026), celebrates two decades of music, creativity and community connection. 

For music fans and local history buffs, it's a night not to miss. The screening is rated 15+ and is suitable for patrons aged 15 years and over.

• Where: Emerald Hill Library, 195 Bank Street, South Melbourne Victoria 3205
• Cost: Free
• Bookings: online via Trybooking

 

 4.13  CoPP | PPLS | WORKSHOPPING | Family History Club | Monthly, First Thursday, next session 3 September 2026 | 1-2pm

Join Port Phillip Library Service (PPLS)'s monthly Family History Club and connect with others passionate about family and local history. 
In each session, we’ll introduce the fantastic research resources available at our Heritage Centre and take time to share our own stories.

• Where: Emerald Hill Library & Heritage Centre, 195 Bank St, South Melbourne VIC 3205
• Cost: Free
• Find out more

 

 4.14  VIC | VTMH | WEBINAR | Integrating spiritual care in mental health assessment and recovery. How do we do it? | Tuesday 8 September 2026 | 10.30am-12noon

Identifying and exploring challenges when spirituality or religion comes up during encounters with consumers.
While person-centred care models include these domains, workers often feel ill-equipped to support people in these aspects of their lives. This Victorian Transcultural Mental Health (VTMH) reflective peer group allows mental health practitioners to deepen their understanding about spiritual diversity, which can include beliefs, values, traditions and practices.

Eligibility criteria
Sessions in this series are for practitioners working in publicly funded mental health programs across Victoria. This includes staff based in clinical mental health services, community-managed services, as well as people working within mental health programs in community health and human social services. Unfortunately, these discussions are not open to students on clinical placement.

• Where: Online — details to be sent to registrants in advance
• Cost: Free
• Bookings: essential as spaces are limited. To secure a place, please register online via VTMH. 

 

 4.15  CoPP | PPLS | TALKING | Understanding dementia | Tuesday 8 September 2026 | 11am-12pm (Hearing tests after)

Almost 1 in 12 Australians over 65 have dementia. As we get older, this number increases. Port Phillip Library Service (PPLS) and Bolton Clarke's free Understanding Dementia sessions explain what dementia is; its causes, signs and symptoms; and ways to support brain health through healthy habits.

Following each session, Hearing Australia will provide a limited number of free 15-minute hearing checks. Recent research has shown that untreated hearing loss may be linked to cognitive decline and dementia. 

• More Information: Port Phillip Library Service
• Where: Port Melbourne Library, 333 Bay Street, Port Melbourne Victoria 3207
• Cost: Free
• Bookings:
  • Dementia Info Session | 11am–12noon
  • Hearing Tests | 15min sessions between 12noon-2pm

 

 4.16  CoPP | PPLS | GATHERING | Queer Social Club: We're Here, We're Queer | Monthly, second Tuesday, next session 8 September 2026 | 6-7.30pm

Looking for a safe, vibrant space to be yourself and connect with fellow LGBTIQA+ adults?
Join Port Phillip Library Service (PPLS)  for Queer Social Club, a monthly gathering created by and for the Queer community. Come as you are, bring a friend (or make a new one!) and enjoy an evening of fun, laughter, and connection in a welcoming space full of colour, joy, and pride.

We also wanted to say a special and heartfelt thank you to all our current and past guests. It has been amazing to meet you and share stories since starting this new club. We look forward to seeing you again in January!

• Where: Community Room, St Kilda Library, 150 Carlisle Street, St Kilda Victoria 3182
• Cost: Free
• Bookings: online via Trybooking

 

 4.17  CoPP | PPLS | WORKSHOPPING | Scan and Save – Digitise Your Photos, Negatives and Slides | Thursday 10 September 2026 | 1-2pm

Do you have precious family memories you would like to preserve and share?
In this Port Phillip Library Service (PPLS) hands-on workshop, learn how to digitise your photographs, slides and negatives to keep them safe and accessible for a new generation.

These induction sessions introduce you to the Epson Perfection V850 Pro Scanner at the Port Phillip Heritage Centre. After completing the induction, you can return to use the equipment at your convenience. Our staff will also share tips on long-term preservation and basic file management.

• Where: Emerald Hill Library, 195 Bank Street, South Melbourne Victoria 3205
• Cost: Free
• Bookings: online via Trybooking

 

 4.18  CoPP | PHAAA | CALLING | Artists for ‘Healing with Compassion’ Art Exhibition | Saturday 12-Tuesday 29 September 2026 | 1-6pm

Inviting artists, volunteers, and community members to be part of our community celebrating creativity, connection, and peace. 
This has been another exciting year for Planetary Healing Artists Association of Australia (PHAAA). 

Don't miss our upcoming Peace Festival celebration and join our Art Exhibition 'Healing with Compassion' if you have not already done so.

Whether you'd like to exhibit your artwork, volunteer, or simply join the celebration, we'd love to have you involved. Together, we can create an inspiring event that brings our community together through the power of art. We look forward to celebrating with you!
 
Proudly supported by City of Port Phillip and the Baptist Church, St Kilda

CALLING | Artists – Sharing Your Creativity. Inspiring Connection. Celebrating Peace.

Welcoming artists from all cultures, backgrounds and creative disciplines to be part of our International Day of Peace 2026 celebration.

We welcome submissions on the theme Healing with Compassion from:

• Painters
• Sculptors
• Photographers
• Ceramic artists
• Textile and fibre artists
• Mixed media artists
• Indigenous and First Nations artists
• Digital artists
• Installation artists
• Emerging and established artists 

This exhibition is an opportunity to:

• Exhibit your work in a welcoming community setting.
• Connect with fellow artists from diverse cultural backgrounds.
• Engage with new audiences.
• Celebrate the power of art to bring people together Simply email your enquiry to: exhibit@planetaryhealingartists.org 

 

CALLING | Volunteers – Being Part of Something Meaningful

Would you like to make a difference in your community while gaining valuable experience and meeting wonderful people?

Planetary Healing Artists Association Australia is looking for enthusiastic volunteers to help deliver our International Day of Peace Saturday 19 September 2026 celebration.

Our volunteers are at the heart of everything we do.

We are looking for people who enjoy working as part of a supportive team and would like to contribute to a welcoming, inclusive community event.

Volunteer opportunities include:

• Event support on day
• Artist liaison
• Exhibition setup and pack down
• Visitor welcome and information
• Registration and administration
• Photography and videography
• Marketing and social media
• Logistics and general event assistance

No previous experience is necessary. What matters most is a positive attitude, reliability, a willingness to learn, and a desire to contribute.

Volunteering with PHAAA is an opportunity to:

• Meet new people and build lasting friendships.
• Develop practical skills and experience.
• Contribute to an intercultural community event.
• Support artists and creativity.
• Make a meaningful difference while being part of something inspiring.

We believe that great events are created by people who care.

If you'd like to join our volunteer team, we'd love to hear from you.
All welcome. All cultures. One humanity.
  
Together, we can create an event that celebrates creativity, culture, compassion and community. 
Whether you're an artist, volunteer, sponsor or visitor, there's a place for you at the International Day of Peace 2026. Join us as we come together through the universal language of the arts to build understanding, foster connection, and celebrate our shared humanity. Email us

 4.19  CoPP | PPLS | WORKSHOPPING | Growing mushrooms | Sunday 13 September 2026 | 2-4pm

Ever wanted to grow your own gourmet mushrooms at home?
Join Port Phillip Library Service (PPLS) and Buttons Mira from The Mushroomery for a hands-on introduction to mushroom growing and cultivation. In this engaging workshop, you'll learn about the fascinating world of fungi and gain practical skills to start growing mushrooms yourself, such as:

• Mushroom basics and the steps involved in cultivation
• How to start a culture, and suitable containers and environments
• Safe and sustainable mushroom-growing practices

• Where: St Kilda Library, 150 Carlisle Street, St Kilda Victoria 3182
• Cost: Free
• Bookings: online via Trybooking

 4.20  CoPP | PPLS | TALKING | Understanding dementia | Monday 14 September 2026 | 2-3pm (Hearing tests after)

Almost 1 in 12 Australians over 65 have dementia. As we get older, this number increases. Port Phillip Library Service (PPLS) with Bolton Clarke's free Understanding Dementia sessions explain what dementia is; its causes, signs and symptoms; and ways to support brain health through healthy habits.

Following each session, Hearing Australia will provide a limited number of free 15-minute hearing checks. Recent research has shown that untreated hearing loss may be linked to cognitive decline and dementia.

• More Information: Port Phillip Library Service
• Where: St Kilda Library, 150 Carlisle Street, St Kilda Victoria 3182
• Cost: Free
• Bookings:
  • Dementia Info Session | 2-3pm
  • Hearing Tests | 15min sessions between 3-5pm

 

 4.21  CoPP | PPLS | GATHERING | Young Adult Neurodivergent Craft Club | Monthly, Third Saturday, next session Saturday 19 September 2026 | 1-3pm

A monthly inclusive crafting session designed specifically for neurodivergent individuals aged 18 to 25. February's theme is Photo keychain making.
Whether you prefer to bring your own project and supplies or take part in our monthly themed activity, there’s space for you.

Supplies and inspiration are provided for the monthly theme. Book in early so that we can ensure there are supplies for you if you'd like to participate in the monthly theme!

• Where: St Kilda Library Community Room, 150 Carlisle Street, St Kilda Victoria 3182
• Cost: Free
• Bookings: online via Trybooking

 

 4.22  CoPP | PPLS | WALKING | With Tobias Nash to Ghost Signs of South Melbourne | Saturday 19 September 2026 | 2-4pm

Travel streets, back lanes and industrial walls with Port Phillip Library Service (PPLS) seeking ancient advertising typography, signage and hand-painted stencils known as ‘Ghost Signs’.

• Where: Start and finish: Emerald Hill Heritage Centre, 195 Bank Street, South Melbourne
• Cost: Free
• Bookings: online via Trybooking

 

 4.23  BLUE MOUNTAINS | RACS | TREKKING | For Refugees | Saturday 19-Sunday 20 September 2026

Refugee Advice and Casework Service (RACS) is partnering with Emu Trekkers once again for a two-day hike along the Six Foot Track in the Blue Mountains. Accommodation and meals, including wine tasting and lunch at a local vineyard, are included!

What is included?

• A spectacular out and back hike along the Six Foot Track 
• Accommodation and welcome drink at the Six Foot Track Eco Lodge
• All meals (2 x lunch, 1 x breakfast, 1 x dinner; vegetarian options available)
• Wine tasting and lunch at a local vineyard on Day 2
• Experienced volunteer guides
• Proceeds go to RACS

• Where: Trek starts at Megalong Valley Tea Rooms 
• Cost: $​599 per person
• Bookings: Reserve your spot online via Emu Trekkers

 

 4.24  VIC | VTMH | WORKSHOPPING | Approaching work with interpreters in mental health settings | Monday 21 September 2026 | 9.30am-4pm

A Victorian Transcultural Mental Health (VTMH) advanced skills workshop delivered face to face explores advanced skills for practitioners working with interpreters in mental health setting 
Using a variety of facilitation modes, grounded in a reflective practice approach, the workshop provides learners with the opportunity to explore challenges and realities in the interpreting environment and to understand these within broader cultural responsiveness frameworks, including an intersectional lens. The workshop also invites and promotes strategies for adapting practice for working with interpreters in a variety of mental health settings. 

The workshop is designed around the materials created as part of the Approaching work with interpreters in mental health settings project (VTMH, 2019). The resources developed through the project used a co-design process, involving a variety of stakeholders including consumers, carers, interpreters, clinicians and academics, across the project lifespan. 

Participants will receive hard copies of resources developed in the project Approaching work with interpreters in mental health settings (VTMH, 2019), including a Practice Tips Poster, Tri-Fold Booklet and Report after completion of the workshop. 
Catering will also be provided.
 
VTMH workshops are open to and provided free to staff working in Victoria’s state-funded mental health workforce. This includes public clinical and community mental health services, as well as state-funded mental health programs within community health and social services.

This workshop will interest staff working with interpreters in a range of roles within these workforces, including but not limited to community rehabilitation and recovery workers, lived experience workers, mental health nursing, social work, case management, occupational therapy, psychiatry, program leaders/project workers and administration roles, are invited to register.

• Where: Balam Balam Place, Room 401, 15 Phoenix Street, Brunswick
• Cost: Free
• Bookings: essential, spaces are limited. To secure a place, please register early online via VTMH. 

 

 4.25  SURRY HILLS | RACS | TALKING | Who gets to belong? Culture, rights and a fairer Australia | Monday 21 September 2026 | arrive 5.30pm for 6.30pm-8pm AEST

Join Refugee Advice and Casework Service (RACS) with writer and broadcaster Benjamin Law, Rohingya human rights advocate Noor Azizah, Plate It Forward founder Shaun Christie-David and Walkley award-winner Sarah Malik as they explore what belonging means in Australia today, how our understanding of identity and community is shaped, and what we really mean when we talk about Australian values. 

• Where: Belvoir St Theatre, Surry Hills NSW
• Cost: General Admission $35.00 + booking fee $1.38
• Bookings: Reserve your tickets online via Humanitix

 

 4.26  CoPP | PPLS | TALKING | Researching your Middle Park home | Tuesday 22 September 2026 | 6-7pm

Do you remember Middle Park in the 1970s? Or ever wondered what your street looked like decades ago?
Join Port Phillip Library Service (PPLS) for the launch of Your Home @ 3206, an extraordinary online archive featuring historic images of every Middle Park house and stories from the community. You'll learn how this remarkable project can help you uncover the history of the place you call home.

Presented by the Middle Park and Albert Park History Group with the Port Phillip Heritage Centre.

• Where: Emerald Hill Library, 195 Bank Street, South Melbourne Victoria 3205
• Cost: Free
• Bookings: online via Trybooking

 

 4.27  CoPP | PPLS | SCREENING | Film Club | monthly, fourth Tuesday, next session Tuesday 22 September 2026 | 6-8pm

Join Port Phillip Library Service (PPLS) at Port Melbourne Library for a new evening film club. 
Each month, we invite you to the library to enjoy outstanding films from around the world. Our Film Club is the perfect way to discover powerful stories, unique voices and cinematic treasures – all while connecting with fellow film lovers.

Whether you're a lifelong film buff or just looking for something new, our Film Club is a welcoming space to experience and talk about cinema with others who share your passion.

• Where: Port Melbourne Library, 333 Bay St, Port Melbourne VIC 3207
• Find out more

  

 4.28  CoPP | PPLS | TALKING | Southside Death Cafe | Monthly, Fourth Wednesday, next session Wednesday 23 September 2026 | Alternates between afternoons and evenings

Join Port Phillip Library Service (PPLS) in gathering of people interested in exploring the one thing that affects us all. It can't be avoided, so why not embrace it, empower yourself about your options and come to peace that it's part of what makes us alive!

This is a safe space to bring up any topic relating to death, whether it be your own, someone close or death as a concept overall.

• Find out more
• Where: St Kilda Library Community Room, 150 Carlisle Street, St Kilda Victoria 3182
• Cost: Free
• Bookings: online via Trybooking

 

 4.29  CoPP | PPLS | WORKSHOPPING | Bike Maintenance for Beginners | Monthly, Fourth Saturday, next session Saturday 26 September 2026 | 1-2pm

Come learn with Port Phillip Library Service (PPLS) how to fix a flat tyre on your bicycle in this free 1-hour class and never be put out by a flat tyre again! 
Bring your bike and learn from our local experts who will share useful tips and tricks to keep your trusty steed in top shape.

These workshops are hosted in partnership with the St Kilda Bike Kitchen, Port Phillip Libraries, and the City of Port Phillip Sustainable Transport team.

• Where: St Kilda Library Community Room, 150 Carlisle Street, St Kilda, VIC 3182
• Cost: Free
• Bookings: online via EventBrite

 

 4.30  MELBOURNE | AELA | GATHERING | Many Faiths, One Planet – Together, Caring for our Common Home | Saturday 3 October 2026 | 8.30am-5pm

Join Australian Earth Laws Alliance (AELA) for a 1-Day Conference celebrating how the living world brings us together in faith, and in care.
The Earth is crying out to us. We read reports of species becoming extinct and ecosystems under attack. It is easy to lose hope when confronted by the Biodiversity crisis before us. And none of us can face the challenges alone.

In October, people from diverse faith groups, cultures and ecological sciences will meet in Melbourne to hear the cry of the Earth. We will listen, learn, reflect and grow in ecological consciousness together. 

We come together because Australia's unique biodiversity matters. Together we will discover ways people of faith and the sciences collaborate to protect species and ecosystems before they disappear.

 Conference Speakers 

Sherry Balcombe-Maloney | Finding Our Place On Country

Many people have not had the opportunity to hear what First Nations people mean when they talk about Country. As a First Nations descendant, Sherry will open us up to a greater sense of what connecting to Country means — what it REALLY means in time, place, spirituality and relationship, especially for those of us who are disconnected from the natural world. 

Sherry is an Olkola / Mularidji woman from Far North Queensland. Born in Narrm, she has an extensive experience in Social Justice with a faith-based approach, and has enjoyed numerous roles within the community including Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency, visiting First Nations youth in detention, Aboriginal Catholic Ministry for 20 years. She is a currently State Representative for NATSICC, board member of Jesuit Social Services, Aboriginal Visitor to Aboriginal community at Thomas Embling Hospital, cross cultural Educator, Story Teller with Djirra (Abororiginal women’s support service), and Aboriginal Heritage Walk tour guide at the Royal Botanical Gardens. Sherry also contributed to the book, "An Urgent Call: Laudato Si' and Indigenous Wisdom in Oceania", recently published by the Vatican.

Prof Sarah Bekessy | Locating Ourselves In The Ecosystem

Humans have the tendency to see Nature as a resource, and not something we are a part of. Australia is one of the most mega-biodiverse places on Earth and yet we have the highest rate of biodiversity loss in the developed world. Sarah will give a brief overview of what is causing this loss of our unique biodiversity and present some ways we can all care for it in the urban environment — together! 

Sarah leads the ICON Science research group which uses interdisciplinary approaches to solve complex biodiversity conservation problems. She is particularly interested in understanding the role of human behaviour in conservation, in designing cities to encourage ‘every day nature’ experiences and in defining and measuring ‘nature positive’ development. Sarah is a Lead Councillor with The Biodiversity Council, which she helped to establish "to be a trusted, expert voice communicating accurate information on all aspects of biodiversity to the Australian people, to ensure biodiversity and Country prosper." She is Honorary Professor at RMIT University, and 2020 Winner of the City of Melbourne Design Challenge.

Dr Michelle Maloney | Growing New Ways Of Being

'Tinkering with the edges' is not enough, because the current systems have led us to this crisis point. We have become disconnected from the natural world. Michelle will speak on what Thomas Berry called the task of this century: "to carry out the transition from a period of human devastation of the Earth to a period when humans would be present to the planet in a mutually beneficial manner.” How can we understand our ecosystems and bioregions, and grow in our ecological consciousness for the care of our common home?

Michelle manages the strategic direction and governance of the Australian Earth Laws Alliance (AELA), designs and manages AELA programs and events, and coordinates the work of staff, volunteers and collaborative networks. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (political science and history) and Bachelor of Laws (Hons) from the Australian National University, and an PhD in environmental regulation, from the Griffith Law Futures Centre. Michelle is also the Co-Founder and Director of Future Dreaming Australia; Adjunct Fellow, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney (UTS), and a member of the Advisory Council, Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature. She lives near Brisbane, Australia with her family and Ziggy the Wonderdog.

Andrew Skeoch | Deep Listening To Nature

In the attention economy, those with the loudest voice wins. How has the Earth been speaking to us? Can we learn to better listen to even the small voices? Andrew Skeoch will open our hearts and minds to deep listening in the natural world using some of the sounds he has recorded here and around the world, and share with us what he has learned about human behaviour from many years of listening and observing the more than human life.  

Andrew is an educator, author, naturalist, environmental thinker, and one of Australia's best-known nature sound recordists. Over the last thirty years, he has documented the sounds of wild environments around the planet, and through his label, Listening Earth, published over one hundred recordings featuring habitats from most continents, attracting Spotify streaming figures in the many tens of thousands a week. His recordings are featured in the audio installation at Sydney Wildlife World, feature films, including Peter Gabriel's soundtrack to Phillip Noyce's 'Rabbit Proof Fence', and Disney's 2016 remake of 'The Jungle Book'. Andrew is a TEDx speaker and President of the Australian Wildlife Sound Recording Group.
 
Please register for the conference as soon as possible.

Space is limited.
  
Families welcome. Please contact us if you have any special needs.

We aim to create a safe and inclusive space for people from all cultural backgrounds, and beliefs.

Post-Conference Dinner Tickets will be available here closer to the conference, please keep an eye out for details
 
Hosted by The Australian Earth Laws Alliance (AELA) and the Faith Ecology Network (FEN)
  

• Where: The Multicultural Hub, Level l, 506 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
• Cost: Prices From Tuesday 11 August 2026
• • Waged: $140
  • Concession/Unwaged/Students: $95
  • Children under 18 attend free. 
• Bookings: online via Trybooking

 

 4.31  VIC | VTMH | WEBINAR | Balancing personal spirituality with mental health care. Is there a tension? | Tuesday 6 October 2026 | 10.30am-12noon

Identifying and exploring challenges when spirituality or religion comes up during encounters with consumers.
While person-centred care models include these domains, workers often feel ill-equipped to support people in these aspects of their lives. This Victorian Transcultural Mental Health (VTMH) reflective peer group allows mental health practitioners to deepen their understanding about spiritual diversity, which can include beliefs, values, traditions and practices.

Eligibility criteria
Sessions in this series are for practitioners working in publicly funded mental health programs across Victoria. This includes staff based in clinical mental health services, community-managed services, as well as people working within mental health programs in community health and human social services. Unfortunately, these discussions are not open to students on clinical placement.

• Where: Online — details to be sent to registrants in advance
• Cost: Free
• Bookings: essential as spaces are limited. To secure a place, please register online via VTMH. 

 

 4.32  AUST | EQPR | GATHERING | The Rainbow Leaders Summit Early Bird access is open | Thursday 19 November 2026 | 9am-4.30pm

Too many of us do this work in isolation, and we wanted one day where that stops.
The Equality Project (EQPR) Rainbow Leaders Summit is one hundred rainbow leaders, changemakers and allies in one room.

• Early bird is open now for two weeks. $195.
• After that, the ticket goes to $295 on 14 August 2026.

This isn't a conference. No panels, no keynotes, no sitting through presentations. It's a full day out of your inbox, in a room with 100 people who get the work you usually do alone.

You'll have a real say in the direction, have the conversations that don't happen anywhere else, including the ones where you don't all agree, and leave with alliances, not a lanyard.

What the last room said: 

• 8.65/10 average rating to "How likely are you to recommend this?"
• 9 in 10 rated the content and facilitation highly
• 70% scored the day a perfect 9 or 10

That's what the last room said with no cost to attend. This year the ticket funds the day and keeps it independent — same room, same standard.

Only 100 seats!

• Get Your Early Bird Ticket

See you there.
The Equality Project Team

 4.33  AUST | EQPR | GATHERING | Adaptive Leadership Program | 3 intensive days, Wednesday 2-Friday 4 December 2026

The Equality Project (EQPR)'s Adaptive Leadership Program is built around a gap, between what a plan says on paper and what a team can actually bring itself to do.
You've sat in that meeting. Everyone nods along to the plan. Three weeks later nothing's actually moved, and nobody can quite say why.

Somewhere in the room, someone already sensed what came next would cost something: a hard conversation, a change nobody asked for, a step outside how things have always run. So the room found a quiet way around it. Another working group. Another meeting about the meeting.

We've done it ourselves. It's a very reasonable thing for a room to do.

Over three days in Melbourne, with 23 other people working on the same thing, you'll learn to spot that gap before it stalls your team again, and how to hold a room through the discomfort of closing it.

Delivered by The Equality Project (EQPR), in collaboration with the Centre for Civil Dialogue (CCD), and led by facilitator Taryn Sexton.

"I was sceptical at first, thinking it would be another set of empty leadership slides. I was wrong. The biggest shift for me was learning to slow down, step back onto the 'balcony', and diagnose what was actually happening. It completely changed how I approach team dynamics and what gets us stuck in a complex environment." – 2025 program participant

Seats open 7 September 2026. Register you interest now and we'll email you on 1 September 2026, a week before everyone else, so you get first access to the workplace-funded early bird: $500 off.

Expressing your interest doesn't commit you to anything. It tells us you want to hear first, and it helps us plan the program properly.

• When: Melbourne CBD
• Cost: $3,950 inc GST, workplace-funded
• Bookings: places limited, only 24 places
  • Register Your Interest
  • A short version if you need to make the case to someone else

We'd love to have you in the room.
The Equality Project Team

Back to Topics List

Back to Section List

---

 5. COLLECTIVISING 

1. AUST | CUIN | UPDATING | Culture in Conversation and more | August 2026
2. AUST | FDPN | UPDATING | Community Information | July 2026
3. AUST | NJP | UPDATING | Community News | August 2026
4. AUST | PMW | UPDATING | Community, News and Information | August 2026
5. AUST | RACS | UPDATING | Community News, and more | August 2026
6. AUST | RGA | UPDATING | Community, News & more | August 2026
7. AUST | THCO | UPDATING | Awareness, Funds and Support for independent media and more | August 2026
8. WORLD | PWR | UPDATING | Community with News, Information and more | August 2026
9. WORLD | WIKIPEDIA | RAISING | Awareness, Support and Funds so everyone can have equal access to knowledge

 

 5.1  AUST | CUIN | UPDATING | Culture in Conversation and more | August 2026

Culture is something we encounter, navigate, and learn from in our daily lives. Once we recognise its complexity, we can engage with culture in more effective ways.
From classroom discussions to global conversations about technology and cultural identity, this month’s stories explore how we can enhance our understanding and appreciation of the cultures around us.

Discover how schools are building intercultural capabilities, how cultural data can help communities better understand themselves, and how Cultural Infusion is contributing to important conversations about culture, inclusion and representation worldwide.

ANNOUNCING | Cultural Infusion Has a New Home!

Cultural Infusion (CUIN) has moved! You can now find Cultural Infusion at Level 1, 1/105 Rupert St, Collingwood, VIC 3066. We are excited to settle in and start this next stage in our new space.

While our address may have changed, you can still reach us through all the usual channels. From cultural programs to Atlas to our growing range of educational resources, we look forward to creating many more meaningful experiences and connections with you!

In This Issue

1. Education & Experiences – For teachers & schools
2. The Atlas Platform – Cultural data & tools
3. Key Events – Where to find us
4. Voices of Cultural Infusion – Research & perspectives
5. Cultural Infusion Organisation – Internships & careers
6. Calendar Spotlight – Dates worth marking

 1. Education & Experiences  

Bring the Magic of Indonesian Puppetry to Your School

Dalang Sumardi has shared the Wayang tradition around the world for more than 30 years.

As students experience the artistry of Sumardi’s shadow puppetry, including voices and music, they will also have opportunities to step behind the stage and discover the skills and crafts that bring the shadows to life — including seeing puppets up close, some of which are over 100 years old! Younger audiences can also enjoy Wayang Kancil, a playful tale of Indonesian folklore full of humour, animal characters and gentle moral lessons.

Why stop at one performance? Pair it with Demetrius’ energetic Opa! Greek Dance and Culture workshop for a double Cultural Bill — enjoy a discounted rate, with travel fees waived for the tour as well!

* Opa! Greek Dance and Culture is available in WA, SA and VIC only.

Wayang programs are available across all listed states, subject to location and availability.

Touring Dates: October–November 2026 (TBC):

• WA | 12–15 October 2026
• SA | 20–23 October 2026
• VIC | 26 October – 6 November 2026
• NSW | 9–13 November 2026
• ACT | 12–13 November 2026

Dates are limited and availability varies by location, so get in early.

• Book now
• More on the info sheet

 

Building Intercultural Capability in Victorian Schools

The Intercultural Citizenship Ambassador Program (ICAP) continues to expand across Victoria, with schools reporting strong engagement and positive outcomes. Funded by the Victorian Government, it’s currently free for students at Victorian government secondary schools. The 2026 calendar is fully booked — we’re welcoming expressions of interest for 2027 and 2028.

• Enquire for 2027/28

Discover the Cultural Story of Your School Community with Atlas

Atlas for Schools provides a secure, ethical way to explore your cultural profile using anonymised data. Schools receive a tailored report covering languages, heritage, countries of birth, belief systems and more — free of charge for a limited number of schools.

• More Information

 2. The Atlas Platform 

Help Shape Our Company Values Whitepaper

Do your company values make sense to staff? Are they meaningful, and can they be measured? We’ve embarked on a research piece to inform a white paper and refinements to our products.

We want to hear from HR peeps across regions, industries and company sizes, to get an accurate bird’s eye view. It takes 10–15 minutes, stays anonymous unless you say otherwise, and contributors get our deep thanks plus first access to the whitepaper once it’s ready.

Got a few opinions on how company values shape workplace culture? We’d love to hear them.

• Follow this link to participate

Nobody Is 78% Engaged

Preliminary findings from our People & Culture Index (PCI) white paper research explore the gap between company values and lived workplace culture.

Cultural Infusion Product Director Quincy Hall explains that once a score becomes a KPI, organisations can become focused on improving the number rather than addressing the underlying reality it is supposed to measure.

So instead of reducing workplace culture to a single averaged score, the PCI compares survey responses from leaders and staff. This makes it possible to see where their views align and where there is a gap between what leaders believe employees are experiencing and what employees report themselves.

• Read full article

 3. Key Events 

Building Bridges Between Religious Freedom and Responsible Technology

Day 2 of the 2026 IRF Peace Builders Forum brought civil society, government, business and faith leaders together at the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C., for America250: Building on the Presence and the Promise of Religious Freedom, marking the launch of the Civil Society Collaborative for Religious Freedom, Peace, and Prosperity.

Cultural Infusion was honoured to be represented by Gold Darr and Ben Christensen, while our CEO was called ‘a brilliant almost rock star’ for caring about faith communities and their freedoms.

Hear Gold discuss how we went from 10,000 species of bananas to essentially two, and why AI is a fundamental battle site for the freedom of thought.

• Listen to the discussion (5 mins)

 

Atlas at the TechDiversity Awards

For the last nine years, Cultural infusion has attended the TechDiversity awards night, and we’re also a former two-times winner of their merit award. This year, the event took place in Sydney with Cultural Infusion CTO Rezza Moieni representing us, including a live demo of what the actual diversity in the event looked like.

Some of the findings: 34 countries and 58 languages were represented at the event. The three most spoken languages were English, Spanish and French. Mandarin and Arabic, top languages in the Australian census, were very underrepresented. Naming gaps is the first step to closing them.

We also revealed that 34% of this tech savvy room ‘always’ ask whose data an AI has been trained on.

• Learn more

 

We are official media partners of:

• Tech Week Singapore | 29–30 Sep 2026
• D&I Conference | 10 Sep 2026
• Melbourne Build Expo | 25–26 Nov 2026
• Big Data LDN | 23–24 Sep 2026

 4. Voices of Cultural Infusion 

The Fearless Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Leadership Experience Series

Ready to turn your commitment to inclusion into meaningful action?

Series Dates

• Wednesday 23 September 2026 | 11am-12.30pm
• Wednesday 30 September 2026 | 11am-12.30pm
• Wednesday 7 October 2026 | 11am-12.30pm

This dynamic online program is designed to help leaders build the confidence and practical skills to drive positive change – and it’s facilitated by some of our best friends, leading DEI experts Roman Ružbacký, Fiona Krautil and Tom Verghese, authors of The Fearless Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Practitioner, which has just been published in a new edition.

Places are limited, so register now and take the leap towards fearless leadership.

• Learn more
• Register

 

The Odyssey Controversy

Peter Mousaferiadis weighs in on the controversy surrounding Christopher Nolan’s retelling of The Odyssey, focusing on casting and questions of historical and cultural authenticity. Read his article in the Greek Herald, or hear him discuss it with 3AW’s Tom Elliott.

• Hear Peter’s discussion with Tom Elliott (2 mins)
• Read the article

New Research: Turning Cybersecurity Alerts into Action

A new paper by CTO Rezza Moieni, co-authored with Parisasadat Shojaei, explores how organisations can turn complex cybersecurity information into clearer, actionable insight — bridging the gap between technical security and effective governance.

• Read the research

 5. Cultural Infusion Organisation 

Intern With Us!

Over the past two months, we have received more than 200 applications for our internship programs, with 10+ interns already commencing placements across various projects and teams. We’ve also expanded opportunities to international students, with support including visa guidance, arrival assistance and cross-cultural learning.

Email: intern@culturalinfusion.com

• Apply now

 

Interns Workshop with Our CEO

On 4 August, CEO Peter Mousaferiadis delivered an inspiring workshop for our current interns on culture, diversity and intercultural understanding in today’s global workforce.

Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) Launch Experience

Kick off your organisation’s reconciliation journey with an impactful, tailored RAP Launch Experience led by a First Nations presenter. 30–60 minutes.

• Enquire about the Launch Experience

 

 6. Calendar Spotlight 

Key dates across the world worth knowing about, and marking on your own calendar.

International Day of Sign Languages | 23 September 2026

The International Day of Sign Languages advocates for the human rights of deaf individuals and celebrates the cultural diversity of sign language users. Established to commemorate the founding of the World Federation of the Deaf in 1951, this day emphasises that sign languages are equal in status to spoken languages.

Sign language, rich in grammar and culture, demonstrates the expressiveness of communication beyond spoken words. Keeping this in mind, here are two of our workshops that explore the power of physical and non-verbal expression:

• Mime Magnifique!
• Commedia dell’Arte

Link to our courses

Thanks for reading! Keep the conversation going, be well, and see you next month.

Back to Topics List
Back to Section List

 5.2  AUST | FDPN | UPDATING | Community Information | July 2026

On Monday 27 July, one of our community member is finally safe. He is the first LGBTIQA+ refugee to arrive in Australia through Bridge to Safety, a protection pathway built by and for our community.
Farsheed a gay man who has lived with fear and persecution for as long as he can remember, has touched down in Australia through Forcibly Displaced People Network (FDPN)'s Bridge to Safety.

Today, Farsheed woke up and breathed without fear.

I have waited a long time to write those words.

Before I explain why this moment matters, I want to share something Farsheed wrote while he was still waiting.

“I want a life where I could exist without fear. A life where I wouldn’t be punished for who I am. I reached out everywhere I could. Every organisation, every agency. Most of the time, there was silence. Or doors that never opened.

Then FDPN told me that they had submitted my case. I did not believe it at first. It felt too fragile, too unreal.

There is a park I used to go to. Every time I went there, it looked grey and lifeless, like everything I was feeling inside.

The day after my interview, I woke up with a quiet feeling I did not recognise at first. When I looked outside, that same park was different. It looked green. Alive. Full of light.

Nothing about the park had changed. But something in me had.”

For years, our community has known a hard truth: the systems that are supposed to protect refugees too often leave LGBTIQA+ people behind.

Global resettlement has collapsed. Places worldwide have fallen by more than 85 percent. There are now fewer than 30,000 resettlement places globally. For an LGBTIQA+ person fleeing persecution, that is not an abstraction. It can be the difference between a chance at a future and no future at all.

LGBTIQA+ people fleeing persecution often face barriers others do not. These include discrimination, violence, threats from family and community, and refugee assessment processes that do not adequately account for their circumstances. Such barriers can prevent access to resettlement and other pathways to safety, even for those who urgently need protection.

FDPN spent years working to change a system that was not built for our communities. Bridge to Safety is what that persistence looks like. We built this program on something unique, something no-one else can offer: the trust of our own community, matched with expert legal support from our partners at RACS.

Community leads. Legal follows. That model just brought Farsheed to safety.

Our local partners walked alongside Farsheed to gather evidence and prepare his case.
Your donations, your refusal to look away, made every step of that possible. Farsheed is safe today because this community showed up. Thank you form the bottom of my heart.

Farsheed is the first. He cannot be the last.

Right now there are others still waiting: for their cases to be prepared, for visas to be granted, for a flight that means freedom. They are living in fear for the simplest reason: who they are and who they love. We have more people ready than we have funding to reach them.

Every week without funding is another week at risk of arrest, violence, or worse.

Donations do not go to a program. It goes to a person. A specific person, in a specific country, facing a specific threat. $13,000 covers everything it takes: the legal work, the casework, risk and triage assessment, verification and interview, interpreting, travel, and the practical support needed to reach safety.

I am confident we will have more good news to share soon.
For now, thank you to donors for being part of the work that got us here.

• Be The Bridge To Safety

With gratitude,
Dr Renee Dixson, Executive Director & Co-Founder

PS: If you or someone you know is an LGBTIQA+ person overseas seeking help through Bridge to Safety, please reach out to us directly at BridgetoSafety@fdpn.org.au.

If you're already in Australia and wanting to seek asylum, our partners at RACS can help: contact admin@racs.org.au.

 

Back to Topics List
Back to Section List

 5.3  AUST | NJP | UPDATING | Community News | August 2026

Content Warning: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised the following includes the names of First Nations people who have passed away. This email also includes distressing content.

When policing causes harm, what needs to change? Videos of police violence, stories of misconduct and growing calls for accountability have once again forced a national conversation about policing and public trust.

But alongside questions about what happens when policing causes harm, communities across Australia are asking something much bigger: what does genuine public safety look like?

For many people, safety means more than enforcement. It involves access to housing, healthcare, community support, youth services and systems that respond to harm without causing further harm.

National Justice Project (NJP) explores both sides of that conversation. We look at the reforms needed to strengthen police accountability, and we hear from people working to build community-led approaches to safety.

Prioritising care over force

We work alongside people, families and communities seeking answers and accountability after harmful interactions with police. We’ve seen the lasting impact these experiences can have when the systems meant to keep people safe instead cause harm.

That's why we've contributed to the NSW Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (LECC) review, calling for stronger oversight, greater transparency and more effective accountability.

Accountability matters, but it's only part of the picture. Building safer communities also means investing in approaches that prevent harm before it happens and make sure people get the support they need when they need it.

• Read what needs to change

 

Communities leading the way: Beyond Survival Project

Every day, community organisations are already doing the work and supporting people across Australia who have been failed by the system.

At our Alternative First Responders’ recent Action Webinar: VIC Elections 2026, Lauren Caulfield from the Beyond Survival Project spoke about the project's work supporting people who have experienced family violence policing harms through legal assistance, family violence support and community advocacy.

Lauren also shared findings from the Harm in the Name of Safety, a report based on a survey of more than 270 family violence workers across Victoria. The report highlights widespread concerns about policing responses to family violence and reinforces the need for greater investment in community-led responses that keep people safe.

Watch the full webinar to hear Lauren and other advocates discuss the community-led solutions already making a difference across Victoria.

"We are calling for a redistribution of resources to frontline and family violence services, to build and strengthen community pathways, and for funding for an Alternative First Responders pilot in Victoria." – Lauren Caulfield, Beyond Survival Project

• Watch the webinar (89 mins)

 

In conversation with... the Alternative First Responders team

As communities question whether police should be the default response to every crisis, the Alternative First Responders campaign is calling for community-led, health-focused alternatives that prioritise care over force.

What gives this movement its momentum?
People are wanting to grow the conversation. This isn’t just about personal opinions. This is common sense approaches and policy and people can see that. The deep desire people have to have those in their communities responded to with care and dignity gives me hope that this will become the status quo for what shapes policy investment.
– Jacinta Wright, Policy & Projects Officer

Why are more people questioning policing as the default response?
The growing use of force by police is institutional, cultural and strengthened by a growing ‘tough on crime’ policy agenda. We are not experiencing a rise in crime across the country. We are experiencing a safety net crisis where people are being allowed to fall through widening cracks. While social, community and health supports remain underfunded, governments continue to invest in policing as the primary response. More people are questioning this approach because they're seeing its impacts firsthand.
– Chloe Fragos, Project Lead

What gives you hope as you work towards alternatives to policing?
Seeing people come together to drive change, and the immense efforts that are in action and happening on the ground. There's so much love in this space, and there's a lot of grit too. I am constantly in awe of organisations and individuals who fiercely embody the principles of alternative first responders, who have done so for a very long time and who we continue to rally alongside in the call for dignity and care in the first response. The people united will never be defeated.
– Zoe Edema, Campaign Content & Advocate

How to take action

• Join hundreds of people who are calling for care, not force by signing the Alternative First Responders pledge. Sign
• Download the Kitchen Table Conversation Toolkit and start meaningful conversations about community safety. Read
• Tell your local MP why community-led, health-focused crisis responses matter using our ready-made templates. Write

Special Thanks to UTS Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research

 News and Updates 

Kumanjayi White’s family learn police chose not to prosecute officers over his death

More than a year after Kumanjayi White died in police custody, his family has learned that police chose not to prosecute the officers involved. The family are now left with even more questions about what happened and why the decision was made.

• Find out more

 

Major changes to mental health crisis response

NSW has announced a major new approach for people experiencing mental health distress. While the government says the  $270 million investment will provide better support, we still have questions about what this will mean for people in crisis.

• What we’re asking

 

What happens after Yoorrook Justice Commission?

Victoria’s truth-telling commission, Yoorrook, heard from First Nations people about their experiences of injustice. But what happens now? A new project looks at what it will take to turn Yoorrook’s recommendations into action.

• What needs to change

 

One legal case can change the future

A legal case can deliver justice while changing the future for everyone who comes after. Our UTS Clinic students are exploring powerful cases where legal action has changed government policy, held institutions accountable and helped prevent the same injustice from happening again.

• Read the cases

 

Holding police power to account

Between 2017 and 2022, 43% of critical incidents involving NSW Police happened during a mental health crisis. People in crisis need support, not force. The Alternative First Responders campaign is calling for a NSW Human Rights Bill to prevent harm and hold governments accountable.

• Find out why

 

Your complaint needs careful guidance, not guesswork.

Hear Me Out is a project brought to you by the National Justice Project and is available to users making New South Wales, Victorian or federal-based complaints.

• Hear Me Out can help.

 

 Events 

Jogging for Justice - Take on a challenge

Over the next few months, there are some amazing running events across the country where you can take on a personal challenge while supporting the National Justice Project. Every kilometre helps power our work to advance justice and protect human rights.

• TCS Sydney Marathon presented by ASICS - Sunday 30 August 2026
• Geelong Running Festival 2026 - Sunday 20 September 2026
• Run La Trobe 2026 - Friday 25 September 2026
• Strait Link Burnie Ten 2026 - Sunday 25 October 2026

 

 In the Media 

• Kumanjayi White’s family sues for answers in the NT Supreme Court via Chronicle, 27 July 2026
• Kumanjayi White family's lawyer alleges double standard over MP case via ABC, 27 July 2026
• MP referral revives conflict-of-interest questions in Kumanjayi White case via NIT, 6 August 2026

Kind Regards,
The National Justice Project Team

Back to Topics List
Back to Section List

 5.4  AUST | PMW | UPDATING | Community, News and Information | August 2026

I hope you are enjoying the little sunshine amidst these winter days. I know I am! Leeching every ray of sunshine that I can.
It's been... a month. Ha! I feel like I'm perpetually exhausted, even though I've already "survived" (arguably) the most difficult time of having a baby, aka the newborn stage. My baby turned 12 months old today (I know, ONE YEAR! Like, when did this happen?), and I feel like I should have gotten used to this new way of life by now. But I must confess I haven't. I'm feeling not only a bit lost, but also not fully like myself.

It's been hard understanding that I'm not the person I used to be, while also getting to know this new aspect of my identity as a mum. Because sometimes I feel like I'm not the best mum. And Instagram doesn't help. I feel exhausted, drained, anxious, and low on energy most of the time. And at the moment, it's been hard to have space for myself. Or a space where I feel like I know what I'm doing. Like in a professional job you're good at.

I was expecting to go back to work by the end of June but, as many of you know, my role was made redundant. So, I'm currently on the job hunt, which is an emotional rollercoaster of its own. One that really challenges your confidence. Which is not helpful when I'm trying to find my way back, or find a new path to a new identity. Or whatever it is I need to find to get out of this rut.

I currently feel somewhat paralysed. I'm getting more and more unmotivated every time I read roles to apply for. It's funny because it's like two sides of a coin. On one side, I don't apply because I feel like I'm not qualified or good enough for the role. On the other side (and I don't know if this is me sabotaging myself in another way), I can't seem to find jobs right now that I can see myself enjoying.

I'm trying my best to break out of this cycle. But I'm tired, and it's been hard to work on my confidence when I feel like I don't have much time of my own. Time to do nothing, just rest, and not feel bad because I'm not either: A) taking care of my baby; B) taking care of the house or doing chores; C) working at PMW; or D) looking for a job to help financially at home.

For today, though, I'm just going to enjoy my baby and celebrate that the most wonderful kind of sunshine came into my life to brighten it up.

Kindest,
Lina

SPOTLIGHTING | When Stories Become Evidence

For years, Professional Migrant Women (PWM) has been hearing a similar story from our community.

Women who had done everything "right", built successful careers overseas, earned qualifications, secured professional jobs in Australia... yet still felt stuck when it came to progressing into more senior roles.

At first, we heard these stories one conversation at a time. At a networking event. During a mentoring session. Over coffee. In a DM.

Eventually, we started asking ourselves: Is this an individual experience, or is something bigger happening?

That's what led us to launch our first national study on career progression among professional migrant women.

Thanks to 185 women from across Australia, we were able to turn lived experiences into evidence. What emerged was a clear picture: getting the job is only part of the story. Career progression, visibility, sponsorship, professional networks, and access to leadership opportunities continue to shape women's experiences long after they enter the workforce.

The findings have already informed the design of our Ascend Career Progression Program, and they'll continue to shape how we advocate, design programs, and support our community moving forward.

Most importantly, this report belongs to the women who contributed to it. To every woman who shared her experience, challenge, and insight: thank you.

If you've ever wondered whether your experiences are shared by other migrant women, we invite you to download and read the report. And if something resonates, share it with your employer, colleagues, networks, and allies. The more people who understand the realities of career progression for migrant women, the stronger the case for change becomes.

• Read report

 

JOINING | Forces for greater impact

One of the things we're always thinking about at PMW is how we can create more opportunities, visibility, and support for migrant women.
That's why we're excited to share that we've recently become a member of Gender Equity Victoria (GenVic), a network of organisations committed to advancing gender equity across Victoria.

For us, this isn't just another membership. It's an opportunity to build stronger partnerships, contribute to important conversations, access leading research, and ensure the experiences of migrant women are represented in spaces where decisions and advocacy happen.

The challenges migrant women face don't exist in isolation, and neither should the solutions. By collaborating with organisations that share our values, we can continue amplifying the voices of our community and advocating for a more equitable future for all women.

We're excited about what this partnership will make possible and look forward to keeping you updated on the collaborations, advocacy, and opportunities that emerge from this space.

CONNECTING | Your City, Your Community

One of the things we've heard time and time again is that while our online events connect women across Australia, many of you are also looking for connections closer to home.
That's why we've been busy launching our new PMW Community Spaces in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Adelaide, with Hobart and Perth coming soon.

Think of these spaces as your local PMW hub. A place to connect with other migrant women in your city, hear about local opportunities and events, ask questions, share wins, and build relationships beyond a monthly meetup.

And here's our challenge to you: don't just join, say hello!

Introduce yourself. Share what you do. Ask a question. Tell us what you're working towards. Chances are there's another woman in your city looking for exactly the same kind of connection.

Our PMW Ambassadors are already there, ready to welcome you, start conversations, and help connect you with other women in your local community.

Join your city's Community Space and help us bring it to life:

• Melbourne
• Sydney
• Brisbane
• Adelaide

 

 Upcoming training and events 

GATHERING | PMW Anniversary 2026

We're doing it again. And if I'm honest, this is one of our events I'm most proud of.

Because this is the kind of room I wish I had been invited into when I first arrived in Australia.

A room where you don't just hear from successful leaders. Oh no! This is a room where you *actually* sit with them. You ask questions. You learn from their mistakes, their decisions, and their journeys.

A room where the women leading organisations either look and sound like us, or are allies genuinely committed to opening doors for women like us.

And yes, it's a gala. Partly because we love a reason to dress up! But mostly because we believe in celebrating women who lift other women up.

• Stay tuned.

 

SHARING | The story behind the ambassador

I'm super excited to introduce Louise Chiu, our Sydney Ambassador, as this month's In Conversations With (ICW) guest.

Many of you already know Louise as the friendly face welcoming women at our Sydney meetups, sharing opportunities, making introductions, and helping our community grow.

But there's so much more to her story.

Behind the ambassador role is a migrant woman who has navigated career changes, taken risks, reinvented herself more than once, and built a career helping others create financial confidence and security.

This month, we're slowing down and getting to know the person behind the title. The experiences, lessons, and moments that shaped her journey, and the insights she's gathered along the way.

Join us this Friday and discover another side of Louise. I have a feeling you'll leave inspired, and probably wishing you'd met her sooner.

• Register

 

ASKING | Have you ever felt like you know you're capable?

You know you're qualified. You know you're doing the work. And yet somehow, it feels like you're being tested on more than just your job?

If you have felt like this, you are not the only one.

For many migrant women, there is a second, invisible test happening at work: proving that we belong.
Not just proving we can do the role, but proving we understand the culture, the unwritten rules, the humour, the communication styles, and all the things nobody puts in the position description.

If you're reading this and thinking, "I've felt that, but I've never known how to explain it," then you need to join us for our next Level Up exclusive session with Aarti Kararwal.

Drawing from her own experience rebuilding her career in Australia and two decades of leadership experience in technology and cybersecurity, Aarti will unpack the hidden cost of constantly having to prove yourself, and share practical ways to build visibility, influence, and professional authority without losing yourself in the process.

Honestly, this is one of those conversations I wish I'd had years ago.

Exclusive to PMW Level Up Full Members. Learn more

TRAINING | Have you ever talked yourself out of applying for a role, asking for a promotion, putting your hand up for a project, or reaching out to someone you'd love to learn from?

Not because you weren't capable. Because asking felt uncomfortable.

For many migrant women, self-advocacy isn't just a professional skill. It's something shaped by culture, upbringing, expectations, and all the messages we've received about being grateful, humble, and not taking up too much space.

That's why I'm excited about this masterclass with Erika Cramer.

This isn't a session about confidence hacks or positive thinking. It's about understanding what's actually stopping you from asking for what you want, and getting coached through it in real time.

You'll leave with practical tools, clearer language, and most importantly, one action you can take towards an opportunity you've been putting off.

Free for PMW Level Up members.

• Register

 

SHARING | What's new?

Australia's migration program is once again at the centre of national conversations, with ongoing discussions about future migration settings and the role skilled migrants play in Australia's workforce. Business groups, community organisations, and policymakers are weighing in on proposed changes, highlighting the importance of recognising migrants' contributions to Australia's economy and society.
For migrant women, these conversations are not abstract, they directly shape opportunities, pathways, and experiences.

We'd love to hear from you: What is one thing you wish policymakers better understood about the experiences and contributions of migrant women in Australia? Let us know by responding to this email!

• Read more

 

DISCUSSING | As you probably know, Australia completed its 2026 Census earlier this month.

One thing that caught our attention was the effort to better capture the diversity of modern Australia, including the ability to record up to four ancestries and expanded options for gender identity.

It might seem like a small change, but at PMW we know that better data matters. When communities are counted more accurately, they become more visible. And when they become more visible, it becomes easier to identify needs, inform policy, and advocate for meaningful change.

We hope these changes lead to a richer understanding of Australia's multicultural communities and the experiences that make them unique.

• Read more

 

CONTINUING | The Gender Pay Gap Conversation

New Australian data continues to show significant gender pay gaps across many industries, particularly in higher-paying leadership roles. While more organisations are reporting and addressing pay disparities, there is still much work to do. It's also a timely reminder of why PMW's new research into the experiences of culturally diverse women is so important, because we can't solve problems we don't measure.

• Read more

 

 Community voices 

This section has a new home and a new purpose.
From this month onwards, we'll be using this space to amplify the work, stories, events, achievements, and opportunities coming directly from our community.

At PMW, we believe we all grow stronger when we share the spotlight. Whether you're celebrating a milestone, launching a project, hosting an event, publishing a resource, or simply have something valuable to share, we'd love to help spread the word.

Have something you'd like featured in a future edition of Thriving Us? Submit your content by the last week of each month using the link below.

• Submit your content

 

RESEARCHING | Migrant Women Entrepreneurs

Are you a migrant woman running a business in Australia? A University of Tasmania PhD study is seeking participants to share their experiences as migrant women entrepreneurs. If you were born overseas and have operated a business in Australia for at least three years, your insights could help inform future research and support.

• Learn More

 

SHOWING | Saints and Sinners – A Portrait of St Kilda Exhibition

This Exhibit explores the rich cultural mythology of Melbourne's iconic bayside suburb. Bringing together a diverse group of artists inspired by the many faces of St Kilda, the exhibition invites visitors to reflect on the question: What does St Kilda conjure up for you?

• Learn More

 

FINDING | Your Place in Australia

Looking to expand your network, connect with others, and reflect on your migration journey? Latin Stories Australia's Finding Your Place in Australia workshop creates a welcoming space to explore identity, belonging, resilience, and community through meaningful conversations and activities.

• Learn More

 

AUST | MCWH | WEBINAR | Whose Health, Whose Voice? | Thursday 27 Aug 2026 | 1-2.30pm AEST

What can migrant and refugee women's experiences teach us about creating a more equitable healthcare system? This Multicultural Centre for Women's Health (MCWH) online event shares findings from new national research exploring bias and discrimination in healthcare and invites a broader conversation about inclusion, access, and systemic change.

• Learn More

 

VIC | GOV | GRANTING | Multicultural Festivals and Events Grants | applications close 31 August 2026

Planning a community event, cultural celebration, or festival? Applications are now open for the Victorian Government's Multicultural Festivals and Events Program, with grants of up to $50,000 available for multicultural and multifaith community groups.

• Learn More

 

 Connecting with PMW 

• Level Up Your Career. Join a community of migrant women growing, connecting, and advancing together.
• Subscribing. If you have been forwarded this email from a friend, you can subscribe to our newsletter
• Contributing. Do you have recommendations, resources, or information that you think would benefit our community? Share your insights and help us create a richer, more engaging newsletter for everyone!

 

Back to Topics List
Back to Section List

 5.5  AUST | RACS | UPDATING | Community News, and more | August 2026

In breaking news, the Government is expected to introduce "devastating" migration changes. 

Reports suggest Tony Burke is planning to announce:

• Work restrictions and appeal limitations for humanitarian visa applicants
• Curbing the ability of refugees to reunite with family already in Australia
• Sweeping migration cuts

RACS's Sarah Dale had this to say:

"These reports becoming reality would have catastrophic effects on the community RACS support. Deliberately denying people agency in their own lives, stripping the right to work and leaving them with no option but to rely on charity is deliberate indignity.
Our migration program must be robust, but it also must be fair and compassionate. Focusing on people seeking asylum and those separated from their families, having their rights curtailed, is bad policy and senselessly cruel."

It has been 75 years since the signing of the Refugee Convention: a cornerstone of refugee protection and a legal document that remains as relevant as ever. Refugee Advice and Casework Service (RACS) was founded on the fact that it’s legal to seek asylum. It was the Refugee Convention that set this fact in stone - and set out the obligations states like Australia have to protect refugees.

The first LGBTQI+ refugee has arrived in Australia through the Bridge to Safety program. This was a momentous milestone for the nation-first program, which was designed by our friends at the Forcibly Displaced People Network (FDPN) to help queer refugees from Asia and Southwest Asia find safety. RACS is proud to be FDPN's legal partner in this vital work. 

If you’d like to help more queer refugees reach safety in Australia, you can donate to Bridge to Safety here.

There are thousands of stateless people in Australia, living in legal limbo. Experts, including our partners at the Peter McMullin Centre on Statelessness, are calling for the introduction of a national framework. The Peter McMullin Centre's study into statelessness in Australia – the first of its kind – has just been launched. 

• Learn more about it.

 

 What We've Been Up To 

LAUNCHING | Statelessness report

We celebrated the launch of the Peter McMullin Centre on Statelessness's landmark report on statelessness in Australia. Rohingya artist, poet and activist Asma Ullah and RACS lawyer and head of our Stateless Children program Ahmad Sawan spoke, alongside report authors Michelle Foster, Katie Robertson and Amelia Walters.

CELEBRATING | Queer Habibi one year Ambassador anniversary 

Social media star Queer Habibi celebrates 1 year as a RACS Ambassador for the LGBTQI+ Safety program! 

• Watch his reflection. 

 

SHARING | Family reunion opportunities for refugee students 

RACS lawyer Ahmad was in Melbourne to speak with newly arrived refugee students! He provided important information on how they could bring their families to join them in safety, as they start their university degrees through the Skill Path Australia program.

SHARING | A day in the life of a RACS helpline volunteer

In this blog post, intern Noah writes about his time spent on the RACS "front-end" and how it gave him a crucial insight into the importance of the services RACS provides refugees and people seeking asylum.

REVIEWING | RACS | last chance, survey closing soon

Your opinion matters to us. Please help us understand what you care about and how you prefer to be involved with RACS. 

• Take the RACS Supporter Survey.

 

AUBURN | RACS | TALKING | Information session for Sudanese community

RACS is running an information session on humanitarian visas and family sponsorship for the Sudanese Community on Saturday 8 August at Auburn Centre for the Community. If you know someone who would find this session helpful, let them know! Registration here. 

SURRY HILLS | RACS | TALKING | Who gets to belong? Culture, rights and a fairer Australia | Monday 21 September 2026 | arrive 5.30pm for 6.30pm-8pm AEST

Join writer and broadcaster Benjamin Law, Rohingya human rights advocate Noor Azizah, Plate It Forward founder Shaun Christie-David and Walkley award-winner Sarah Malik as they explore what belonging means in Australia today, how our understanding of identity and community is shaped, and what we really mean when we talk about Australian values. 

• Where: Belvoir St Theatre, Surry Hills NSW
• Cost: General Admission $35.00 + booking fee $1.38
• Bookings: Reserve your tickets online via Humanitix

 

BLUE MOUNTAINS | RACS | TREKKING | For Refugees | Saturday 19-Sunday 20 September 2026

We're partnering with Emu Trekkers once again for a two-day hike along the Six Foot Track in the Blue Mountains. Accommodation and meals, including wine tasting and lunch at a local vineyard, are included!

What is included?

• A spectacular out and back hike along the Six Foot Track 
• Accommodation and welcome drink at the Six Foot Track Eco Lodge
• All meals (2 x lunch, 1 x breakfast, 1 x dinner; vegetarian options available)
• Wine tasting and lunch at a local vineyard on Day 2
• Experienced volunteer guides
• Proceeds go to RACS

• Where: Trek starts at Megalong Valley Tea Rooms 
• Cost: $​599 per person
• Bookings: Reserve your spot online via Emu Trekkers

 

Back to Topics List
Back to Section List

 5.6  AUST | RGA | UPDATING | Community, News & more | August 2026

It's a big month at Rainbow Giving Australia (RGA) as we farewell our beloved Em, begin the search for a new CEO, review amazing grant applications, launch Rainbow Giving Circle and move toward GiveOUT Day.

NSW | ICLC | ANNOUNCING | Major win: Inner City Legal Centre to establish first statewide LGBTQIA+ legal service in NSW after report funded by Rainbow Giving grant

Inner City Legal Centre (ICLC) announced they will significantly expand their offering with new government funding that will increase access to their safe and culturally-informed legal services for more LGBTQIA+ people beyond Sydney and across NSW.

Following the news, we received a touching email from ICLC which they agreed for us to share:

When the NSW Government announced the funding, one of our first thoughts was: we need to thank Rainbow Giving.

Your $60k investment in our A Blueprint for Equality report helped us make the case for what LGBTQIA+ communities need and what it actually costs to deliver it.

It's pretty incredible to think that your $60k has helped unlock more than $3.2 million for specialist LGBTQIA+ legal services in NSW. 

Thank you for backing us when this was just an idea. We genuinely don't think we would be here without you. 

We couldn't be prouder to support ICLC and can't wait to see the positive impact this vital work creates. If you’re looking for a meaningful way to invest in LGBTQIA+ communities, we’d love to hear from you.

• Visit ICLC

 

AUST | RGA | CALLING | Applicants for our next CEO | applications close 11.59pm AEST Wednesday 2 September 2026

We’re looking for an ambitious, collaborative and values-led leader who can help Rainbow Giving grow its funding, partnerships and impact while remaining deeply accountable to LGBTQIA+ communities.

• Find out more and apply

 

CALLING | Registrations of causes for GiveOUT Day 2026 | now open

It's Australia's national giving day for rainbow causes, where over 100 groups from across the sector unite to fundraise and grow support for our shared movement.

If you’re a not-for-profit with a specific focus on LGBTQIA+ communities, then GiveOUT Day is for you. 

Check your eligibility and sign up before early donations open in mid-September. 

• Join online workshops to learn more.
• Get involved

 

HIGHLIGHTING | Community

AUST | WIP | COMMEMORATING | Wear It Purple Day | Friday 28 August 2026

On the last Friday in August, schools, workplaces and community members wear purple to show they proudly support LGBTQIA+ young people and stand against discrimination. 

We’re delighted to partner with Wear It Purple to deliver the Queer Futures Fund this year, and can't wait to pop on some purple later this month.

 
SYDNEY | QSFF | SCREENING | Queer Screen Film Fest | Wednesday 2–Tuesday 8 September 2026

Across seven days, the Sydney / Gadigal 13th Queer Screen Film Fest will bring together bold features, compelling documentaries and fresh shorts from Australia and abroad. The festival also includes community events and opportunities for emerging queer filmmaking talent.

BRISBANE | PHAU | GATHERING | Reflecting on marriage equality | Wednesday 9 September 2026

Almost a decade on from the “Yes” campaign, Rainbow Giving and Equality Australia will join Philanthropy Australia (PHAU) for an evening in Brisbane / Meanjin for celebration and reflection.

 
AUST | GOV | ANNOUNCING | LGBTQIA+ Health Program 2026 Grants

Good news: $18.1 million in government funding for LGBTQIA+ health services. Funding will support a new collaborative program to assist LGBTQIA+ people in finding accessible healthcare, as well as deliver grants to 18 community-led projects, including several Rainbow Giving grant partners, Sweat with Pride beneficiary ACON and some GiveOUT Day causes. 

 
VIC | RMIT | LAUNCHING | New report: Transitional justice and historical repair for LGBTQIA+ communities in Victoria

Following a landmark research initiative by RMIT in partnership with community, legal and government stakeholders, this new report explores practical pathways for truth-telling, historical redress and institutional reform for LGBTQIA+ Victorians, and contributes to a growing national conversation.

 

RELYING | On Generosity

We rely on the generosity to help us back community-led causes that change lives. Every gift strengthens the ecosystem of rainbow love, care and creativity that enriches us all.

• Donate

 

Back to Topics List
Back to Section List

 5.7  AUST | THCO | UPDATING | Awareness, Funds and Support for independent media and more | August 2026

Our mission at The Conversation (THCO) is simple, so simple it can be easy to miss the scale of our ambition. 
We exist to unlock the knowledge of academic experts and make that knowledge freely available to anyone who wants to access it. That’s what we do every day when we contact academics and ask them to write articles on issues in the news. That’s what our editors do when they take a technically sophisticated journal article and rewrite it into plain English.

Those are the simple tasks of our daily work, but the ambition behind them is huge. It is nothing less than to save the world from the disastrous fracturing of trust that comes with misinformation and disinformation disseminated on an industrial scale. 

In the age of AI, this could not be more important. As The New York Times publisher A.G. Sulzberger pointed out in a recent speech, AI companies are consolidating their control of our data and our attention. “At the same time they are failing to embrace a core responsibility that comes with this power – to ensure that the public has access to trustworthy news and information.”

The key word here is trust. Without trusted sources, news becomes a choose-your-own-adventure. Without trust, all the wisdom and knowledge that we have accumulated over centuries of science and civilisation comes to naught, drowned out by yesterday’s misleading meme or tweet or bleat.

That’s why we value hearing how our articles are trusted by you and many in our community. Our authors tell us how their published articles have led to conversations with schools, informed local governments and NGO’s. We see their work amplified through media interviews and republished in industry publications.

• Find more examples in our latest Impact Report.

These may seem like small contributions, but at a time when trust is increasingly fragile, every informed conversation, every evidence-based decision is a step towards a more cohesive society and a healthier democracy. And that’s a grand ambition worth pursuing.

P.S Over the next few months editors of The Conversation will be attending events all over the country. If you can join us at one of these events, please come and say hello!
  

 Upcoming Events 

BRISBANE | TALKING | Brisbane Writers Festival | Thursday 8 October 2026 | 4.30-5.30pm

Dr Norman Swan: The Brain Cliff

Liz Minchin, Executive Editor & Business Editor, The Conversation in conversation with Dr Norman Swan

• Where: Parkside Marquee, Brisbane Powerhouse, New Farm, QLD
• Cost: Adult $29.90, Concession $25.00, Carers Free
• Bookings: online via Brisbane Writers Festival

 

AUST | TRANSITIONING | From Reader to Supporter

"After I first read and enjoyed The Conversation I realised the value of such informed and trustworthy communication. And, it was for free! I felt that if I donated a small amount it would not only help in some small way but signal the value of The Conversation to me and perhaps encourage you in the endeavour. " – Monthly donor, Martyn H

• Become a monthly donor

 

SHARING | Stories of Impact

The Conversation's mission is to amplify the work of academics so it can inform better decisions that affect our everyday lives. So it's encouraging to hear that more than 60% of our expert authors are contacted after publication - for interviews, policy advice, collaboration or public engagement. 
Please take a look at our latest Impact Report to discover some of the ways these conversations lead to real-world impact. 

• Read our latest Impact Report

 

ANNOUNCING | Some exciting news from us

The Mumbrella Publish Awards celebrate the best work in consumer, B2B and custom publishing across print and digital and we're delighted to be shortlisted in four categories!

Misha Ketchell has been shortlisted for Editor-in-chief and CEO Lisa Watts for Publish Leader of the Year.  And we're nominated twice for the Award for Innovation (Editorial):  for our unique model that pairs professional journalists with academics to produce evidence-based articles that help inform decision-making, and the other for our interactive story ‘How boys get sucked into the manosphere’.

Support from our donors gives us the capacity to invest in ambitious storytelling like this. Thank you for helping make this work possible.

Thank you to Friends of The Conversation.
 
With warm wishes,
Misha Ketchell, Editor

Back to Topics List
Back to Section List

 5.8  WORLD | PWR | UPDATING | Community with News, Information and more | August 2026

OBSERVING | In Memoriam

Parliament of the World's Religions (PWR) are deeply saddened to share the passing of Rev. Dr. John T. Pawlikowski, OSM and S. Kuldeep Singh. Both were former Trustees for the Parliament of the World’s Religions and they both made an incredible impact during their lives. We grieve these great losses and extend our condolences to their family and friends. Please click the links above to read more about them.

• Read More

 

CELEBRATING | 2023 Anniversary

Three years ago this week, more than 8,000 people representing over 200 faith traditions responded to a call to conscience and gathered in Chicago for the 2023 Parliament of the World’s Religions. These people brought diverse experiences and perspectives and engaged with spiritual and political leaders from around the world. They also celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Parliament’s foundational document, “Towards A Global Ethic.” Re-live the 2023 Parliament on our YouTube channel.

• Re-visit 2023

 

MEETING | Online Monthly Prayers

Current and former members of the Board of Trustees gather each month to share prayers and reflections that are timely and necessary.

Recent themes include: mothers, the environment, hope, and interfaith awareness.

• Check out our YouTube or website.
• Watch Videos

 

ANNOUNCING | Upcoming Event

• Sacred Guidance for a Planet in Crisis: A Call to Justice, Compassion, and Hope | Thursday 3 September 2026 | 2pm Central US / 5am Friday 4 September 2026 Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST). Register

 

LAUNCHING | Trustees Corner

We are excited to announce the launch of Trustees Corner, a blog with posts written by current members of the Parliament of the World's Religions Board of Trustees. Look for new Trustees Corner posts in every newsletter.

Beauty as a Practice of Interreligious Leadership by Rev. Dr. Michael Trice, Trustee & Secretary, Parliament of the World’s Religions

In a fractured world, the work of interreligious engagement is not only about dialogue, representation, or public witness. It is also about formation: the shaping of attention, habits, relationships, and institutional norms that teach people what to expect from one another and what to believe about human dignity.

One way I have come to understand this work is through the language of beauty, an area I am writing about professionally this year. By beauty, I do not mean ornament, sentiment, or aesthetic preference. I mean something closer to a moral and spiritual condition: those patterns of life in whose presence human beings become more alive, more recognizable to one another, and more capable of inhabiting a shared world.

When Women’s Dignity Is Under Attack: Keeping Faith with Our Global Ethic and Our Declaration for the Dignity and Human Rights of Women by Phyllis W. Curott, J.D., H.Ps., Trustee, Parliament of the World’s Religions; Co-Chair, Women’s Task Force

I still remember the extraordinary enthusiasm when the 2015 Parliament of the World’s Religions ratified the Declaration for the Dignity and Human Rights of Women. The world’s religions spoke with one voice, affirming that “being treated justly and with respect should not depend on whether one is male or female.” We recognized that “we are all interconnected and interdependent and when half the human race suffers, we all suffer.” And we called upon the world’s religions to honor and uphold the dignity and human rights of women and girls.

 

Back to Topics List
Back to Section List

 5.9  WORLD | WIKIPEDIA | RAISING | Awareness, Support and Funds so everyone can have equal access to knowledge

Wikimedia Foundation only exists because donors make it exist. It’s a beautiful example of what’s possible when millions work towards a common goal, despite their differences.
My name is Bernadette Meehan and I’m CEO of the Wikimedia Foundation. Thank you. Donors' generosity keeps Wikipedia strong, benefiting people all around the world.

I am truly inspired by the fact that volunteers from around the world, from all backgrounds and nationalities, choose to help us build this global encyclopedia each day. Wikipedia is now available in 326 languages and receives 5.67 edits every second!

Beyond the statistics, every edit and article reflects a human story of dedication, passion, and generosity—just like yours. Donations will help us ensure that Wikipedia can continue to grow and unite people in their pursuit of knowledge. It will help us make sure our technology remains at the highest standard to meet the needs of every reader or volunteer – whether that’s by developing new online tools or supporting Wikipedia in different languages so more people can create and access knowledge in their mother tongue.

What does donations do?

• Sustains and improves the technology that runs Wikipedia and the other Wikimedia knowledge projects.
• Empowers the 265,000+ volunteers, organizations, and groups who share their knowledge with the world.
• Advances our global mission of sharing knowledge with everyone, everywhere.

Thank you again for helping us build a world where people everywhere have access to free and fair information. We couldn’t do this without you.

• Make a Donation

With gratitude,
Bernadette Meehan, Chief Executive Officer

Back to Topics List
Back to Section List

---

 6. ANNOUNCING 

1. CoPP | PPLS | HIGHLIGHTING | St Kilda Library glow-up
2. CoPP | PPLS | MAKING | All your streams come true
3. VIC | RMIT | REPORTING | Transitional justice and historical repair for LGBTQIA+ communities in Victoria
4. AUST | OSECI | REPORTING | Islamophobia Campaign
5. WORLD | PWR | REFLECTING | Upon America’s Independence

 

 6.1  CoPP | PPLS | HIGHLIGHTING | St Kilda Library glow-up

The recently-upgraded St Kilda library is a contemporary and versatile place to learn, create and connect. Port Phillip Library Service (PPLS)'s refreshed spaces respect the library's heritage while providing a welcoming and functional environment.

Visitors will notice the new service desk, expanded reading lounges with new furniture, more power points and USB chargers, and other upgrades including better sightlines and improved circulation. 

• Find Out More

 

 6.2  CoPP | PPLS | MAKING | All your streams come true

Port Phillip Library Service (PPLS)'s digital collection brings the library to you – anytime, anywhere. You can even stream movies for free with your library card, with new releases added all the time.
Here are our picks from the latest titles to land on our streaming services. Just click each title to watch! (If you're not a member of that service, sign up with your library card.)

2026's MA15+ 4 First Dates (1h 38mins) via Beamafilm

When her cousin demands she bring a date to her wedding, Zara blunders through a series of awkward first date encounters. A modern Aussie love story.

2026's NRT The Rise and Fall of The Clash Redux (1hr 36min) via Hoopla

You'll be blown away by this up-close film about iconic band The Clash, and their trajectory through rock 'n' roll history. A new edit with previously unseen footage.

2025's PG Miss Austen (3hr 27min) via Kanopy

Cassandra Austen notoriously burned her famous sister Jane's letters. This historical drama mini-series portrays a fascinating, witty and heartbreaking story of sisterly love.

• Explore Our Digital Collection

 

 6.3  VIC | RMIT | REPORTING | Transitional justice and historical repair for LGBTQIA+ communities in Victoria

Following a landmark research initiative by RMIT in partnership with community, legal and government stakeholders, this new report explores practical pathways for truth-telling, historical redress and institutional reform for LGBTQIA+ Victorians, and contributes to a growing national conversation.

• Read Full Report

 

 6.4  AUST | OSECI | REPORTING | Islamophobia Campaign

The Office of Australia's Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia (OSECI) has launched the Report Islamophobia campaign to encourage Australians to recognise, report and respond to incidents of Islamophobia.

Reporting incidents helps build a better understanding of anti-Muslim hate, supports those affected, and contributes to safer, more inclusive communities. The campaign also encourages bystanders to report incidents they witness and stand in solidarity with those affected.

For more information and reporting resources, please visit the Office of the Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia website.

• For more information

 

 6.5  WORLD | PWR | REFLECTING | Upon America’s Independence

In 1976, I was just a four-year-old kid in Delhi, glued to our family’s small black-and-white television. 
I remember being completely mesmerized by the grainy, flickering images of the American Bicentennial fireworks. Growing up in India, a country deeply shaped by our own monumental struggle for independence, freedom wasn't just an abstract concept – it was the very air we breathed. To my young eyes, those distant flashes of light on a static screen felt like a universal celebration of human liberty that connected us all.

On 4 July 2026, America marked its 250th anniversary. That childhood memory feels more meaningful than ever. Serving as the Chair of the Parliament of the World’s Religions, I see how beautifully our global stories intertwine. The freedom we celebrate today isn't isolated; it is a shared human journey.

We see this truth so clearly in the profound connection between Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. Gandhi's philosophy of Ahimsa (non-violence) and Satyagraha – soul force born from Indian spirituality – traveled across oceans to fuel Dr. King’s fight for civil rights in America. They showed the world that true freedom is inherently spiritual, and that our diverse faiths should move us to love and justice, never division.

The American experiment started 250 years ago with a bold commitment to religious liberty. Just like India’s rich spiritual landscape, it proved that a tapestry of different faiths can flourish together. On this Semiquincentennial, let's celebrate by recommitting to deep, mutual respect.

Jai Jinendra. May peace, harmony, and understanding guide our interconnected world.

Best regards,
Nitin Ajmera, Chair, Parliament of the World's Religions (PWR)

Back to Topics List
Back to Section List

---

 7. SUPPORTING 

1. AUST | MANY | Helpers and Reliable Sources Along the Way
2. AUST | MULTI | Supporting Voices, Treaty and Meaningful Reconciliation with First Peoples, Settlers, and Those Who Come After
3. VIC | GOV | UPDATING | Coronavirus Response
4. AUST | MULTI | UPDATING | Coronavirus Response

 

 7.1  AUST | MANY | Helpers and Reliable Sources Along the Way

1. Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander
2. Ageism
3. Asylum Seeking & Refugees
4. Climate, Environment & Emergency
5. Committee Training
6. Community, Connection & Belonging
7. Difability & Disability
8. Employment
9. Family & Neighbourhood Violence
10. Health, Sickness & Wellbeing
11. Kids, Youth, Parenting & Education
12. LGBTIQA+
13. Men
14. Migrant
15. Racism & Hate Speech
16. Women

 7.1.1  Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander

• BlaQ Aboriginal Corporation (BLAQ) – National service provider and NSW State Peak Organisation supporting and representing community living with the intersection of a Cultural life and LGBTQ+SB identity.
• Bularri Muurlay Nyanggan Aboriginal Corporation school teaches Aboriginal kids in their own language started in 2022 with just 15 students and this year they already have 74 enrolments plus a waiting list!
• Call It Out: A First Nations Racism Register App – University of Technology Sydney (UTS) Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research, in partnership with the National Justice Project, are proud to announce the launch of the Call It Out App, a ground-breaking platform aimed at documenting and addressing racism against First Nations Peoples in communities across Australia. Download on Apple and Android now to report racism anytime, anywhere. 
• From the Heart (FTH) views a Voice to Parliament as a body enshrined in the Constitution would enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to provide advice to the Parliament on policies and projects that impact their lives.
• The Healing Foundation (THF) – a national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisation providing a platform to amplify voices and lived experience of Stolen Generations survivors and their families.
• Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF) Book Supply – creating and translating books with the collective storytelling of First Nations authors, illustrators and Elders
• Koorie Women Mean Business
• Mungo Explorer – online learning platform by Cultural Infusion (CUIN). An inquiry based resource aligned with the Australian curriculum and covers Year 4 First Contact and Year 7 Ancient History. Allowing teachers to share Indigenous perspectives, historical and scientific thinking to teach students about the remarkable story of Mungo Man and Mungo Lady.
• National Justice Project (NJP)
• Pathfinders National Aboriginal Birth Certificate Program (PNABCP) – Canberra not-for-profit group helping make life easier for people in need. As part of its many programs, it helps provide free birth certificates and registrations for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island community
• Reconciliation Victoria – promoting reconciliation across Victoria, promoting deeper understanding, respect and justice for and with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
• The Torch Project (TORCH) provides art, cultural and arts industry support to First Nations people currently in, or recently released, from Victorian prisons.

Back to Topics List

Back to Section 7 List

Back to Section 7.1 List

 7.1.2  Ageism

• Ageism and reducing its impact – reframing the discussion to help everyone better understand how to communicate about age, ageing and issues affecting older people. Download the Framing age message guide and Download the quick reminder Cheat Sheet
• ‘Ageing well in Victoria: An action plan for strengthening wellbeing for senior Victorians 2022-2026' supporting older Victorians from all backgrounds to connect socially and live healthy, active, and purposeful lives.
• Southern Metro Elder Abuse Prevention Network (SMEAPN) free online course: Framing Age Self-Paced Training: 5 Online Modules – EAPN LMS

Back to Topics List

Back to Section 7 List

Back to Section 7.1 List

 7.1.3  Asylum Seeking & Refugees

• Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) – independent not for profit supporting and empowering over 7,000 people seeking asylum each year to maximise their physical, mental and social wellbeing. As a movement we mobilise and unites communities to creating social and policy change for people seeking asylum and refugees in Australia.
• Brigidine Asylum Seekers Project (BASP) – providing food, housing, English classes, employment assistance, legal and medical support, and donations of money.
• City of Whittlesea (CoW) – offering a 12-week placement program for newly arrived non-student migrants and refugees. Learn more and apply
• Refugee Advice and Casework Service (RACS) – a nonprofit providing trauma-informed legal help to refugees and people seeking asylum of all nationalities, religions and gender identities
• Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS) – Witness to War hotline is a confidential service available across Australia to support individuals and communities affected by overseas conflicts.
  • Service Hours: Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays) | 9am–8pm (AEST/AEDT)
  • Telephone: Free Call 1800 845 198

Back to Topics List

Back to Section 7 List

Back to Section 7.1 List

 7.1.4  Climate, Environment & Emergency

• Better Health – Surviving Extreme Heat In-language video
• Climate Ready Communities – an innovative program empowering you and your neighbours to tackle climate challenges head-on, right where you live. Through this partnership from City of Port Phillip (CoPP) with The Resilience Canopy, you will be supported to establish, sustain and grow climate action projects for your local community. 
• Country Fire Authority and Fire Rescue Victoria recommend your smoke alarms are tested regularly, that batteries are replaced once a year, and smoke alarm units are replaced every 10 years. Learn more
• Country Fire Authority advises Reduce fire risk by using lithium-ion battery powered devices safely
• Country Fire Authority  – Summer Campaign Communications Kit includes a range of resources in different languages to help you stay safe during a bushfire
• Crime Stoppers Victoria (CSV) with Ethnolink – video on how to report a crime, now available in our 11 priority languages: Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Dinka, Farsi, Greek, Hindi, Italian, Punjabi, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese. Watch videos
• Emergency management improvement report with engaged multicultural communities, government and emergency services
• Fired Up (36 mins) short documentary which tells the story of Australian Islamic Centre (AIC) volunteers who travelled to areas impacted by the devastating 2019-2020 bushires to provide essential supplies to communities in critical need.
• Fire Safety – translated information
• Fire season preparation in Regional Victoria – visit Country Fire Authority's website, sign up to MyCFA to get local information on how to plan and prepare for fires and other emergencies in your area or learn more
• Life Saving Victoria (LSV) – remembering safety is everyone’s responsibility – especially around water. If you're new to pools or water settings, please take a moment to speak with a lifesaver or lifeguard before entering the water. Always read and follow the safety signs at your location to ensure you're fully informed.
• Port Phillip Eco Centre (PPEC) –  events, educational programs and community projects.
• Royal Life Saving Society of Australia with The LOTE Agency (LOTEA) – Make Safe Decisions Around Water campaign highlighs five key messages to keep our multicultural and multilingual communities safe in and around water while swimming, boating, and fishing. Resources: Water safety information in community languages or  Download: RLSSA-Stakeholder-Pack-2024.pdf or resources by Language
• Mortgage Stress Victoria (MSV) – Australia’s only free service dedicated to helping Victorian homeowners manage their finances. The service, supported by the Victorian Government, offers expert legal, financial and social work support both in-person and remotely.
• Royal Life Saving – a handy checklist to help identify any areas of drownings concern, allowing everyone to be fully prepared when around water.
• Scamwatch – Scams targeting people from non-English speaking backgrounds remain a serious concern. To help protect all Australians, free information and resources has been developed in 22 languages, empowering people to recognise and report scams using three simple steps: Stop. Check. Protect.
• Solar Savers – Start saving on energy bills with City of Port Phillip
• State Emergency Service – SES flood guide – Be aware of your risk, check your local area or call VIC SES on 132 500 for support
• Staying Safe During Extreme Heat by The Victorian Health Department
• Staying safe in fire season. Know your fire risk to keep you and your loved ones safe. You need to leave well before fire impacts your home and community.
• Vic Emergency app or Call 1800 226 226 for Vic Emergency hotline
• Victoria Health Department – in hot weather or extreme weather, be neighbourly, check in on vulnerable neighbours
• Water safety – vital for all Victorians.
• Yarra Energy Foundation (YEF) and sustainability consultancy Point Advisory have produced a comprehensive document full of relevant information, step-by-step advice, and guidance on how to tackle the roadblocks faced by apartment tenants, owners, and management companies when approaching solar for apartments. Download guide

Back to Topics List

Back to Section 7 List

Back to Section 7.1 List

 7.1.5  Committee Training

A series of free educational volunteer training videos designed to educate and empower nonprofit organisations. 

These engaging Cardinia Shire Council resources are available thanks to the Non Profit Training and provide essential skills and knowledge, helping volunteers and committees maximise their impact and enhance their contributions to the community. 

Grant Writing

• Developing a project plan
• The budget
• Evaluations
• Acquittals
• SMART goals

Conflict of Interest

• Understanding conflict of interest
• Managing conflicts of interest
• Conflict of interest scenario - Committee contractor 
• Conflict of interest scenario - Local contractor

Financial Records and Reports

• Budgeting and using the budget effectively
• Financial record keeping
• Understanding GST
• Financial reporting

Running Successful Meetings

• Important information about your AGM
• Holding the AGM
• Meetings of the Committee
• Making decisions at meetings
• Positive Committee meetings

Contractor Management

• Before you select a contractor
• Selecting a contractor
• Contractor accountability

Managing Difficult Conversations

• Difficult conversations
• Why do difficult conversations arise
• Tips for dealing with difficult conversations
• Where to get support

Governance

• Recruiting committee members
• Committee legislative responsibilities
• Planning and implementing
• Governance and risk 
• Governance framework

Risk Management

• What is risk 
• Risk management process 
• Documenting risk
• Crisis management

For more information

Back to Topics List

Back to Section 7 List

Back to Section 7.1 List

 7.1.6  Community, Connection & Belonging

• Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) – learn more about unit pricing, a simple tool to help you find the best value at the supermarket by comparing cost per 100g, 100ml, or item across different brands and sizes. For more information
• Australian GLBTIQ Multicultural Council (AGMC) – Living and Loving in Diversity: An anthology of Australian multicultural queer adventures. Read More and buy
• Australian National Anthem in more than 60 different languages by  Special Broadcasting Service (SBS). Videos, Audio and text and Multilingual text versions of the citizenship pledge.
• Australian Social Cohesion Summit Report – published results from Australian Social Cohesion Summit (ASCS) that brought together community leaders, researchers, advocates and practitioners to explore what strengthens belonging, trust and participation in Australia.
• Australian Taxation Office (ATO) – resources available to help you prepare and lodge your Australian tax return. Read more about tax time resources and if necessary choose a language other than English. ATO publications ordering serviceExternal Link – enter the publication name or NAT number (DE-20789) to download these resources. Audio guides - listen to our audio guides to learn about tax and super in your preferred language.  
• Better Boards Australasia (BBA) – free online minute-taking course
• Better practice guide for inclusive engagement published by Victorian Government (GOV)
• The Boîte is a cornerstone of Victoria's multicultural music scene and champions diverse artists and musical experiences, enriching Australia's cultural landscape.
• Carer Gateway (CAGA) Real Carers, Real Stories - In Their Own Words digital photographic exhibition. 
• Carer Gateway (CAGA) is a national initiative program funded by the Australian Government – free and diverse range of short term services to help you manage your caring role and improve your wellbeing. There are more than 2.65 million unpaid carers in Australia, and 1 in 12 are under 25 years old. If you are an unpaid carer and wish to get access in your language you can call Uniting on 1800 422 737 or visit website to learn more.
• City of Port Phillip (CoPP) Neighbours and Seniors Register creates links between Port Phillip residents over 55, enabling getting to know each other and better supporting each other. Register by using the seniors registration form (PDF 78 KB)
• Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) – ‘Know the Funda-rentals’ campaign to help renters across the state understand their rights and access support.
• The Conversation (THCO) – continuing to grow, making an important contribution to public knowledge
• Cultural Infusion (CUIN)'s online Cultural Calendar is designed to assist schools with organising cultural incursions throughout the year.
• Embrace Access – Easy Read books
• Equality Project (EQPR) Better Together Training Academy – for LGBTIQ+ and Allies to hone advocacy, transform leadership Initiate, activate, lead to make a positive impact in your community.
• Ethnic Communities' Council of Victoria (ECCV) Speak My Language podcasts feature people sharing stories and practical advice about living well with disability in a range of community languages.
• Ethnolink Language Services – Multi-lingual resource library with information available on coronavirus in 71 languages.
• Expression Australia – Keep up to date with regular Auslan videos on breaking news in Victoria, Australia and abroad.
• Faith and LGBTQA identity can coexist resources kit developed by Victorian Equal Opportunity & Human Rights Commission (VEOHRC).
• Foundation House – The Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture for a world without torture and where communities respect, embrace and empower people from refugee backgrounds to thrive
• The Jeder Institute - Toolkits for creating positive change for individuals and communities, around the world, by bringing people together to realise their full potential, build on their existing networks and community strengths and to empower individual’s choice and control.
• Multifaith Calendar 2026 – Faith Communities Council of Victoria (FCCV) has issued a calendar with major holy days and festivals for Baha'i, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism and Sikhism.
• Multifaith Calendar 2027 – Faith Communities Council of Victoria (FCCV) has issued a calendar with major holy days and festivals for Baha'i, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism and Sikhism.
• Multicultural Film Festival | 10 November 2025-9 November 2026 by Victorian Multicultural Commission(VMC) streaming on SBS On Demand   
• Multicultural Framework Review (MFR), ‘Towards Fairness – a multicultural Australia for all’ – towards realising Australia's full potential as a nation made up of many cultures, faiths and lived experiences.
• Mungo Explorer – online learning platform by Cultural Infusion (CUIN). An inquiry based resource aligned with the Australian curriculum and covers Year 4 First Contact and Year 7 Ancient History. Allowing teachers to share Indigenous perspectives, historical and scientific thinking to teach students about the remarkable story of Mungo Man and Mungo Lady.
• National Anti-Scam Centre (NASC) is an activity of Australian Competition and Consumer Commission(ACCC) – Australia's national competition, consumer, fair trading and product safety regulator. Read more and hear or download The Little Book of Scams a useful resource available in 18 languages. Other translated resources include posters, audio recordings, and short videos.
• National Ethnic and Multicultural Broadcasters' Council (NEMBC) is the peak organisation representing ethnic community broadcasters across Australia. Listen to news
• Paramount Chief Kuol Adol Foundation (PCKAF) aiming to improve the livelihoods of South Sudanese communities through programs in both South Sudan and Melbourne.
• Port Phillip Men’s Shed provides a safe and caring mateship environment. Our members hail from all walks of life and from different age groups. Women are welcome to participate.
• Professional Migrant Women (PWM) – Undefeated is a collection of 118 stories from 90 migrant women, who against all odds, overcame the challenges and barriers of living in a foreign land, speaking a different language, and being singled out for the wrong reason. Find out more and buy
• Road Safety is for Everyone – keeping our roads safe is a shared responsibility across Victoria’s diverse communities. Risky driving behaviours put lives at risk and are likely to be detected anywhere, anytime and to anyone.
• Social Connection - Explore Practice Toolkits brimming with actionable strategies, tips, and guidelines to foster stronger community bonds.
• St Kilda Repair Cafe (SKRC) – free monthly repair cafe sessions at the Port Phillip EcoCentre on the second Sunday of each month from 2-5pm. Volunteers fix or mend, offer their time and skills to help make possible repairs free of charge to damaged items from home 
• SBS عربي News streams live at 8pm on weeknights and SBS 中文 News is live from 8.30 pm on weeknights and available to stream at any time on SBS On Demand.
• SBS Interactive 2021 Census Explorer
• SBS 2023 Multicultural Film Festival via SBS OnDemand! 
• SBS 2025 Multicultural Film Festival online via SBS On Demand
• Scanlon Foundation Research Institute's (SFRI) 2022 Mapping Social Cohesion
• Spiritual Health Association (SHA) in partnership with Victorian Transcultural Mental Health (VTMH)  has been running The Spirituality & Diversity Discussion Project since 2019. Read More 
• Statewide Treaty Bill 2025 has been introduced into the Victorian Parliament. It is the first time in Australia's history a Treaty has been negotiated with First Peoples.
• Statement on Interfaith Responsibility in a Time of Rising Authoritarianism – Parliament of the World’s Religions calling all communities to choose courageous presence over silence, dignity over fear, and solidarity over division.
• Towards a Global Ethic: An Initial Declaration – Parliament of the World’s Religions calling all communities to choose courageous presence over silence, dignity over fear, and solidarity over division.
• Transport Accident Commission (TAC) encourages our communities to drive responsibly. Speeding is the most prevalent risky behaviour on the roads and is a factor in approximately 30% of casualty crashes. Exceeding the speed limit by just 3 km/h is associated with a 25% increase in crash risk. At 5 km/h over the limit, crash risk increases by close to 50%. Learn more
• Transport Accident Commission (TAC) – Highlighting the risk associated with fatigue to reduce fatalities and serious injuries on our roads.
• Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) is an interpreting service provided by the Department of Home Affairs for people who do not speak English and for agencies and businesses that need to communicate with their non-English speaking clients. Over 70 years' experience in language services and access to more than 2700 interpreters in more than 150 languages. The phone interpreting service is available 24 hours a day, every day of the year for the cost of a local call for any person or organisation in Australia who needs an interpreter.
• Victorian Department of Families, Fairness and Housing has recently launched 37 profiles of cultural communities. The profiles are designed to be a snapshot of each community, showing their diverse and unique needs.
• Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC), free voter education sessions about elections can be delivered in some community languages and we can provide interpreters. Free online education sessions to your community or Learn to vote | Victorian Electoral Commission
• Volunteer West (VOWE) – culturally inclusive toolkit. 
• Victorian Multicultural Commission have published Victorian Multicultural Commission Impact Report. or Watch 40 years of the Victorian Multicultural Commission video (6 min)
• Victorian Transcultural Mental Health (VTMH)'s new podcast episode 'Diversity Of Communities: Who Is Left Behind?' Read More or Listen to podcast (38 mins)
• Voices of Australia - Scanlon Foundation Research Institute (SFRI) podcast exploring all things interesting in the world of social cohesion. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also watch the recording on video, in addition to audio-only! Tune in every Thursday at 10am for a new episode!
• You Decide Who Decides – a Australian Guardianship and Administration Council (AGAC) guide about important things to think about before making an enduring power for financial decisions. A video about the guide is now available to watch in: Arabic, Cantonese, Filipino, Greek, Hindi, Italian, Mandarin, Nepali, Punjabi, Spanish and Vietnamese as well as English.
  

Back to Topics List

Back to Section 7 List

Back to Section 7.1 List

 7.1.7  Difability & Disability

• Arts Access Victoria (AAV) offers Future Reset – Maker Space is a year of free in person and online visual and digital arts workshops and is for young Deaf and Disabled people aged 18–25 who live in Victoria. Beginners welcome!
• Aspergers Victoria (ASVI) – support groups and events for people who have Aspergers, autism, or other similar neurodiverse profiles.
• AUSLAN – Updates by Expression Australia - Regular Auslan only videos on updates of breaking news in Victoria, Australia and abroad.
• Australian Government Department of Social Services – Daily update on NDIS participants and workforce and easy English information on COVID-19. 
• Autism friendly workplaces – We all deserve a workplace that works and sometimes the smallest things can make the biggest difference. Find out how you can start to make your workplace more autism inclusive by learning more at amaze.com 
• Blind Citizens Australia – Information on coronavirus for people who are blind or vision impaired. 
• Disability, Engaging Australians with Ask Me First and How to – 16 mins episode of a discussion on support and advocacy for people with disability and inclusion from CALD communities.
• Disability Gateway Service – the Australian Government provides free information and services to help people living with disability, their families, friends and carers in key areas including finance, employment, health and equipment. Translated fact sheets and videos
• Down Syndrome Australia – Easy Read guide about using money on the internet.
• Extended Families (EXFA) – vibrant social events for children and young adults with a disability in Melbourne’s Southeastern suburbs.
• IncludeAbility: employment for people with disability –  an initiative of the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), designed to support employers who want to create meaningful employment opportunities for people with disability, and people with disability seeking employment, developing a career or considering self-employment. Learn more
• LGBTIQ+ Health Australia – free training activities for LGBTIQ+ people with disability
• MiACCESS Multilingual Information Access to resources & information – A purpose-built website for CALD people with disability, carers and communities.
• Migrant Resource Centre North West Region (MRCNWR) – Diversity and Disability YouTube Channel 
• National Disability Gateway –  a one-stop shop from the Department of Social Services assisting all people with disability, their families and carers to locate and access services across Australia
• National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) – Information about changes to how the NDIS work during the COVID -19 pandemic in 12 languages.
• National Ethnic Disability Alliance (NEDA)  – free training activities for LGBTIQ+ people with disability
• NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission – Information contains links to updates, training, alerts, and resources for NDIS participants and providers.
• Self Advocacy Resource Unit (SARU) supports Victorian self-advocacy groups run by and for people with intellectual disability, people with acquired brain injury and people with complex communication support needs. Watch 'Live Our Lives' (4 mins music video).
• Summer Foundation (SUFO)'s Reasonable & Necessary podcast series helps simplify the NDIS for participants, their families and anyone supporting NDIS participants.
• VALID – 16 Page plain language guide to NDIS Specialist Disability Accommodation
• Vietnamese resources supporting people with disability and their families, friends and carers – a suite of Vietnamese resources available in English and Vietnamese informing how to articulate rights and entitlements, negotiate service agreements and conditions with support providers.
• Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA) – women and non-binary people with disability, sharing a diverse range of experiences

Back to Topics List

Back to Section 7 List

Back to Section 7.1 List

 7.1.8  Employment

• Apprentice Employee Assistance Program – Apprentices and employees in Victoria can access free counselling and support. Get help with work, finances or relationships.
  
• Bicultural workforce toolkit - The Victorian Government toolkit is an online resource that aims to educate public sector organisations so they can harness the value bicultural workers bring to the workforce.
• Equal pay matters – educational resources for organisations by Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission (VEOHRC). For small-to-medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to understand and implement equal pay in their workplaces.
• Fair Work Ombudsman – language help
• Jobs that Matter campaign highlights a range of roles available across the community services sector in Victoria.
• Middle Years and Youth Services (MYYS) are now offering a platform for local businesses or organisations to advertise job opportunities that would suit young people. The jobs appear regularly on the Port Phillip Youth Instagram page.
• Migrant Workers Centre –  resources
• Modern slavery is when a person forces someone to work, marry or do other things through coercion (like manipulation, control or violence), threats or lies. What is modern slavery, Types of modern slavery, Warning signs, Modern slavery in Australia & Research and data
• Professional Migrant Women (PWM) – Undefeated is a collection of 118 stories from 90 migrant women, who against all odds, overcame the challenges and barriers of living in a foreign land, speaking a different language, and being singled out for the wrong reason. Find out more and buy
• Social Services Jobs Guarantee program - Victorian Diploma of Community Services graduates 1 September 2022–31 August 2024
• The Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission (VEOHRC) – supporting employers in fostering safer, more inclusive environments with Guideline: LGBTIQA+ Inclusive Workplaces.
  
• The Victorian Sick Pay Guarantee provides 38 hours a year of sick and carer's pay at the national minimum wage ($21.38 per hour). Translations available in 19 different languages.
• Victorian Volunteering opportunities available.

Back to Topics List

Back to Section 7 List

Back to Section 7.1 List

 7.1.9  Family & Neighbourhood Violence

• Domestic and family violence and your visa Department of Home Affairs web page. Learn more
• Federation of Ethnic Communities' Councils of Australia (FECCA) – free online training to help you safely support those affected by family, domestic and sexual violence (FDSV), while strengthening leadership and fostering positive change in the community. Learn more
• Orange Door – for adults, children and young people experiencing family violence
• Our Watch (OURWATCH) – Australia’s leader in the primary prevention of violence against women. We work to embed gender equality and prevent violence where Australians live, learn, work and socialise. Download Change the story summary (698 kb); Download Change the story full suite of graphics (4 mb); Change the story: Three years on (2018) reflecting on the uptake and impact of Change the story since publication in 2015.
• Public Transport Victoria (PTV) – STOPIT aims to educate public transport users on what constitutes inappropriate behaviour while empowering vulnerable communities – including women, girls, LGBTIQA+, and multicultural passengers – as well as bystanders to report incidents to Victoria Police’s STOPIT service.
• Respect Victoria (REVI) – brings light to common types of non-physical violence that can be used in intimate relationships, how to spot the warning signs, and how to look out for yourself and your friends. 
• Safe and Equal (SAE)'s Are You Safe at Home? website features lots of helpful information around family violence and where to go for help. Learn about family violence. Watch a video in your language
• Safe Steps Family Violence Response Centre – Victoria’s statewide first response service for women, young people and children experiencing family violence. Tel 1800 015 188 – family violence specialists available 24/7
• Safer and Stronger Communities Pilot, South East Community Links (SECL) – In-language videos for family violence prevention and multilingual resources for Dari, Hazaragi, Hindi, Punjabi and Tamil speaking community members. View on SECL website
• Until every Victorian is safe – Victorian Government has committed in 2025 to 106 actions to help prevent and respond to family and sexual violence over the next three years

Back to Topics List

Back to Section 7 List

Back to Section 7.1 List

 7.1.10  Health, Sickness & Wellbeing

• 1800MEDICARE – free national phone service, website and app providing expert health information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• Ambulance Victoria (AV) deliver FREE presentations and courses on a range of topics to community groups. All presentations are presented by a qualified paramedic. We are Better Together (30 minutes), Call Push Shock (30 minutes), GoodSAM (20 minutes), Chain of Survival (45 min), Act F.A.S.T Saves Lives (45 minutes), Parents & Caregivers of Young Children (45 minutes), Heat Health (30 minutes)
• Anxiety Recovery Centre Victoria (ARCVic) – a state-wide, specialist mental health organisation, providing support, recovery and educational services to people and families living with anxiety disorders.
• Australian Psychological Society Referral Service – Tel 1800 333 497
• Be You is the national mental health in education initiative delivered by Beyond Blue, in collaboration with Early Childhood Australia and headspace. Offering a range of online, evidence-based tools, resources and professional learning aimed at improving the skills and knowledge of educators to support mental health and wellbeing in children and young people.
• Beyond Blue –  translated information on managing your mental health during COVID-19 in 63 languages. 
• Cancer Council Victoria (CCV) – online resources in simple English to support linguistically diverse Victorians learn about bowel cancer screening. Watch video (10 mins). Download cancer information in Vietnamese and Modern Standard Arabic. Read Victorian Cancer Plan 2024-2028
• Dementia information for multicultural communities
• DirectLine alcohol and drug counselling - 1800 888 236 - confidential drug and alcohol counselling and referral
• Gambling Help Online (GHO). Free, confidential and available 24/7. Take a step forward
• GP Expert Advice Matters – a website for patients translated into Arabic, simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Hindi and Vietnamese, and has practical information on how to access a local GP, telehealth and interpreter services
• Headway – a small business package of free wellbeing services and resources for all Victorian sole traders and small business owners, their employees and advisers.
• Health Translations – Australian health and wellbeing information - free online library multilingual translations including Auslan and Easy English.
• Eating for your health – at every stage of life. Our bodies need different kinds of food as we grow older – and understanding these changes can help us stay healthy for longer.
• Hepatitis B and the importance of testing and management to reduce liver cancer risk. Protect against liver cancer by raising awareness message by Cancer Council Victoria (CCV)
• Hepatitis B In-language videos – allowing people in CALD communities to access clear and simple information about liver health, available in Arabic, Burmese, Khmer, Mandarin Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese.
• Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA) is a free state-wide non legal advocacy service for people at risk of or subject to compulsory treatment in Victoria.
• Influenza vaccines are free under the National Immunisation Program (NIP) for: children aged 6 months to under 5 years; pregnant people at any stage of pregnancy; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people; people 65 years or over; people who have certain medical conditions which increase their risk of serious illness. Translated resources are available in 15 languages. You can also get more information from your doctor or clinic.
• Lifeline – 13 11 14 – crisis support available 24/7 via phone, text or online chat
• LiverWELL advises liver cancer is now the fastest growing cause of cancer death in Victoria, with a 191% increase in deaths over the past four decades. Now is the time to act. Learn more, talk to your doctor about screening, and help spread awareness in your community. Read more information and find culturally appropriate support
• Measles – a highly contagious virus that spreads through the air and can cause severe illness, especially in babies, young children, pregnant people, and those with weakened immune systems. For more information, visit Better Health Channel – Measles, call 1300 651 160
• Medicare Mental Health offers free, confidential support for everyone in Australia. This includes people who speak a language other than English.  Access resources about Medicare Mental Health services in a range of languages. Learn more about Medicare Mental Health or call 1800 595 212. Find out more about support for people from multicultural backgrounds  
• Mental Health & Wellbeing Hubs – 1300 375 330 – appointments for anyone feeling overwhelmed or in need of support with mental health.
• Mental Health Complaints Commission (MHCC) – Digital and print resources in 20 languages through community-approved translations that are culturally and linguistically appropriate for each community.
• Mental Health Foundation Australia (MHFA) – Small Business Engagement Program to benefit business owners, staff, and customers.
• Moving Pictures launched 12 new short films aimed at raising awareness about dementia, and the importance of early diagnosis to enable better treatment and quality of life. Watch the films
• mpox vaccine – protect yourself and your loved ones
• from this virus. Find out if you qualify for free vaccination and get vaccinated today.
• Multicultural Anxiety Support Group – an inclusive and confidential space for people of varying ethnic and cultural backgrounds who experience persistent anxiety: 
• Regular meetings seek to foster connection and confidence by providing participants with the opportunity to discuss challenges, self-help ideas, and coping strategies.
• Multicultural Health Connect (MHC) – hotline that can be used to find health services such as doctors, hospitals, and community health centres. The hotline is available 11.30am-8pm, 7 days a week - including public holidays. Call the hotline on 1800 186 815.
• MyMedicare is a new, voluntary and free way by Australian Government to register with your regular doctor or clinic. These are government-funded telehealth consultations with your regular doctor and it gives your doctor more resources to treat you
• NURSE-ON-CALL – 1300 60 60 24 – expert health information and advice
• Palliative Care Advice Service (PCAS) – supporting people diagnosed with life-limiting illnesses and those who support them.
• Quit Victoria – Tired of letting cravings control you? Beat the cravings, one at a time.
• R U OK? is a national suicide prevention charity that encourages people to stay connected and have conversations that can help others through difficult times. Key resources are also translated in six languages Arabic (العربية), Simplified Chinese (中文), Greek (Ελληνικά), Hindi (हिन्दी), Korean (한국어) and Vietnamese (tiếng Việt)
• Staying safe in the water – how to enjoy our state's waterways including beaches, rivers and lakes.
• Stop kidding yourself. If you drink, don’t drive – a Transport Accident Commission (TAC) campaign, which aims to shift safe driving behaviour away from the 0.05 BAC reference point and towards complete separation of drinking and driving. Translated resources available for culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
• Survive the heat campaign – raising awareness of the risks extreme heat poses to the health of all Victorians.
• Trans Justice Project (TJP) – building a movement standing up for justice, freedom, and equality for all trans and gender diverse people.
• Transport Accident Commission (TAC) - safest way to know for sure that you are under 0.05 Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) level is to completely separate drinking and driving. Sign up for the Spokes newsletter. Read more about Only Protected for a Moment campaign.
• Victorian Polio immunisation factsheets
• Victorian Transcultural Mental Health (VTMH) seminars are open to individuals, from all disciplines and working in all sectors, who are based in Australia and interested in diversity and mental health.
• Victorian Transcultural Mental Health (VTMH) – 'Community Engagement with Purpose' resource.
• Victorian Transcultural Mental Health (VTMH) – Introduction to Community Engagement in Mental Health. Available on our new, redesigned Learning Hub
• Water Well Project works with people with migrant, refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds to provide health education to improve health and wellbeing. Releasing a series of simple but informative videos on health and wellbeing topics including COVID-19 vaccination, mental health for kids, and preventative healthcare. Learn about The Water Well Project

Back to Topics List

Back to Section 7 List

Back to Section 7.1 List

 7.1.11  Kids, Youth, Parenting & Education

• Child Care Subsidy (CCS) is the main way the Australian Government is helping families with the cost of early childhood education and care. For translated materials
• Couch International Student Centre is a safe and free lounge space in Melbourne for international students to socialise, relax, study, and seek assistance
• Courage to Care Victoria (CTCV) has launched a set of six digital ‘How to be an Upstander’ lesson plans for years 9&10, complementing their existing face to face Upstander Programs. Find more here
• Kids Helpline – 1800 55 1800 – for kids, teens and young adults
• Little Dreamers (LIDR) is Australia’s leading Young Carer organisation, supporting young people who provide unpaid care for a family member affected by disability, chronic or mental illness, addiction or frail age. Watch 3 min video
• Middle Years and Youth Services (MYYS) are now offering a platform for local City of Port Phillip businesses or organisations to advertise job opportunities that would suit young people. The jobs appear regularly on the Port Phillip Youth Instagram page.
• Parentline – 13 22 89 – for parents and carers
• Parenting courses by Relationships Victoria (REVI) offers free 6 to 12 week courses for parents to learn better ways to connect with their children and family in a culturally sensitive way.
• Raising Children Network – Translated parenting resources
• Red Earth (REEA)'s School Immersions are all-inclusive, comprehensive programs designed to open the hearts and minds of students to the beauty and realities of life in remote Indigenous Australia. Find out more
• Refugee Council of Australia (RCA) – Face-to-Face program involves presentations to students from a speaker with a refugee background. Learn more
• Study Melbourne (STME)  has many free or low cost events for international students who are studying and living in Victoria. Find student events near you
• Smile Squad – school dental program is helping thousands of families save up to $400 per child per year by providing free, high-quality dental care at government schools across Victoria.
• Teachers are the foundation of Victoria’s future, and as classrooms across the state become more diverse, there is a growing need for passionate teachers who reflect the communities they serve.
• Under 16 social media ban – A new nation-wide law by The Australian Government (GOV) requires social media users to be 16 or older.
• Victorian Multicultural Commission (VMC) online community VMConnect is home to a dedicated Group for multicultural young people living in Victoria
• WHISE, in collaboration with the Promoting Respect and Equity Together (PRET) Regional Partnership. Teaching children about respect and gender equality is crucial for their personal and social development. It equips them with essential life skills, fosters positive relationships, and contributes to a more compassionate and harmonious society. Download Colouring Sheets
• Youth and Family Support Network (YFSN) delivering activities and initiatives that empower local African-Australian communities to tackle racism and support social cohesion. Watch video (2 mins)
• YouthNav - helping young Victorians understand, plan for and succeed in skills like getting a job, moving out of home, getting around, having their say and managing money.

Back to Topics List

Back to Section 7 List

Back to Section 7.1 List

 7.1.12  LGBTIQA+

• Australian GLBTIQ Multicultural Council (AGMC) – Living and Loving in Diversity: An anthology of Australian multicultural queer adventures. Read More and buy
• BlaQ Aboriginal Corporation (BLAQ) – National service provider and NSW State Peak Organisation supporting and representing community living with the intersection of a Cultural life and LGBTQ+SB identity.
• Equality Project – training and conferences
• Faith and LGBTQA identity can coexist resources kit developed Victorian Equal Opportunity & Human Rights Commission (VEOHRC).
• Fitted for Work (FfW) – job-readiness services provider for Women and Gender-Diverse Jobseekers with practical skills, knowledge, and connection, so that they can move forward with confidence in their careers.
• Gay Asian Proud (GAP) – a social group for same sex-attracted Asian men based in Melbourne and wider Victoria. Find out more
• GiveOUT – growing the pot of gold under the rainbow by supporting LGBTQIA+ organisations to access and use resources for the better. 
• I'm From Driftwood – LGBTQIA+ first-person stories
• LGBTIQ+ Health Australia – free training activities for LGBTIQ+ people with disability
• Our Point 3 (OP3) – not-for-profit organisation, led by and for LGBTQIA+/queer international students, alumni, and allies.
• Trans Justice Project – Impact Report 2023
• Unsaid Says A Lot is an Australian-first campaign by Victoria's Department of Families, Fairness and Housing(DFFH) in support of trans and gender diverse communities. A nation leading campaign. It was co-designed, produced and created by TGD communities. Watch Video (2 mins) and stay connected via Socials Facebook | Instagram | Linked In | Youtube

Back to Topics List

Back to Section 7 List

Back to Section 7.1 List

 7.1.13  Men

• The following crisis and counselling services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week:1800RESPECT – Call 1800 737 732 or visit website
• Lifeline: 13 11 14 or visit website - Counselling, information and referrals for personal crisis
• Mensline: 1300 789 978  or visit website - 24/7 Support for men
• Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636 or visit website - Advice and support for depression and anxiety.
• Headspace: 1800 650 890 or visit website - National youth mental health foundation, chat, email or speak with a qualified professional.
• Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467 - Counselling for anyone suicidal or affected by suicide
• Tomorrow Man visit website - Australian social enterprise committed to redefining masculinity and improving men’s mental health.
• When No One’s Watching (WNOW) – not-for-profit organisation working to improve men’s health through connection, mateship and community. Learn More in City of Port Phillip

Back to Topics List

Back to Section 7 List

Back to Section 7.1 List

 7.1.14  Migrant

• Australian citizenship test resource booklet Australian Citizenship: Our Common Bond is developed by Department of Home Affairs. Available for download, it has all the information you need to help you pass the test. Australian Citizenship: Our Common​​ Bond - Testable - English (14MB PDF)​​​
• The Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) is an interpreting service provided by the Department of Home Affairs for people who do not speak English and for agencies and businesses that need to communicate with their non-English speaking clients. Eligibility Requirements and Free Translating Service or by calling 1300 847 387
• Migrant Workers Centre –  resources
• Modern slavery is when a person forces someone to work, marry or do other things through coercion (like manipulation, control or violence), threats or lies. What is modern slavery, Types of modern slavery, Warning signs, Modern slavery in Australia & Research and data   
• Professional Migrant Women (PWM) – Undefeated is a collection of 118 stories from 90 migrant women, who against all odds, overcame the challenges and barriers of living in a foreign land, speaking a different language, and being singled out for the wrong reason. Find out more and buy

Back to Topics List

Back to Section 7 List

Back to Section 7.1 List

 7.1.15  Racism & Hate Speech

• Australian Government – Addressing Hate in Our Communities. Everyone deserves to live free from hate and discrimination. Learn more and access reporting links
• Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) – campaigning Racism. It Stops With Me. Learn more
• Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) – releasing National Anti-Racism Framework, a comprehensive plan featuring 63 recommendations aimed at addressing racism across critical sectors including justice, health, education, media, and workplaces. Read full report
• Call It Out: A First Nations Racism Register App – University of Technology Sydney (UTS) Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research, in partnership with the National Justice Project, are proud to announce the launch of the Call It Out App, a ground-breaking platform aimed at documenting and addressing racism against First Nations Peoples in communities across Australia. Download on Apple and Android now to report racism anytime, anywhere.
• Combatting Islamophobia – a resource guide and active bystander toolkit resources to help Victorians identify, respond to, and report Islamophobia.
• Courage to Care Victoria (CTCV) has launched a set of six digital ‘How to be an Upstander’ lesson plans for years 9&10, complementing their existing face to face Upstander Programs. Find more here
• Eastern Community Legal Centre (ECLC) is supporting culturally and linguistically diverse community leaders to become Anti-racism Ambassadors in partnership with IndianCare, the Centre for Holistic Health and the Communities’ Council on Ethnic Issues. Learn more
• Educate 10,000 – an invitation by Jewish Community Council of Victoria to learn, to listen, and to better understand the lived experiences of Jewish Australians. Make a pledge today.
• Independent Broad-Based Anti-Corruption Commission (IBBACC) is Victoria's independent body responsible for preventing and exposing police misconduct. You can report anything police do to deny your rights to IBAC.
• National Justice Project (NJP) – Hear Me Out, free online tool, AI-powered complaint platform in Australia, direct-to-consumer, generative AI-powered, legal self-help tools.
• Prejudice Motivated Crime in Victoria and Reporting –  Victoria Police website, an animated video (2 min) and poster. Resources are available in English, Arabic, Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), Hindi, Korean, Persian, Punjabi, Somali, Urdu and Vietnamese. Explore the resources
• Set The Standard – a campaign to prevent and reduce racism in community sport through practical, everyday actions.
  
• Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission (VEOHRC) partnering with Cinespace developed a fictional short film that tests contestants on their knowledge of racism. Watch the video (6 mins) and how to report racism in Victoria through VEOHRC. Visit Reducing Racism information hub to understand your rights, know the options available to report your experiences, and obtain help.
• Victorian Equal Opportunity Act 2010 in April 2026 extended protections for more people who experience hate speech and hateful behaviour because of parts of their identity. Watch the short explainer video (4 mins) | make a complaint or report vilification | seek professional support through the services directory at Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission (VEOHRC).

Back to Topics List

Back to Section 7 List

Back to Section 7.1 List

 7.1.16  Women

• Fitted for Work (FfW) – job-readiness services provider for Women and Gender-Diverse Jobseekers with practical skills, knowledge, and connection, so that they can move forward with confidence in their careers.
• Free Pads & Tampons in Public Places Victorian Government program. 
• Koorie Women Mean Business
• National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) - envisioning Zero Deaths from breast cancer
• Made by Many Minds is a one-stop digital platform that provides migrant women in business with a range of services including legal, finance, marketing and merchandising.
• My Body. My Health – a five-part series of educational presentations to help organisations deliver health information to women from migrant and refugee backgrounds.
• Professional Migrant Women (PWM) – Undefeated is a collection of 118 stories from 90 migrant women, who against all odds, overcame the challenges and barriers of living in a foreign land, speaking a different language, and being singled out for the wrong reason.
• Respect Victoria
• Rural Health Connect (RHC) – telehealth psychology sessions to women and families who have experienced stillbirth or miscarriage. Sessions are bulk-billed or available at low cost, depending on a person’s situation. Find out more 
• Safe and Equal 
• SisterWorks is a not-for-profit social enterprise, empowering migrant and refugee women by connecting them with entrepreneurship and employment opportunities. Empowerment Hubs are workplaces and training centres providing opportunities for women to share their experiences with other women and develop pathways to education, employment, entrepreneurship and leadership.
• Victorian Women’s Trust
• Women Leading Locally is delivered by the Institute of Community Directors Australia in partnership with Women for Election.
• Women’s Information and Referral Exchange (WIRE) – Free support, referral and information for all Victorian women, nonbinary and gender-diverse people.
• Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA) – women and non-binary people with disability, sharing a diverse range of experiences

Back to Topics List

Back to Section 7 List

Back to Section 7.1 List

 7.2  AUST | MULTI | Supporting Voices, Treaty and Meaningful Reconciliation with First Peoples, Settlers, and Those Who Come After

• AUST | GOV | OFFERING | Resources and Translations on The Voice and Referendum 2023
• AUST | AICR | ENCOURAGING | YES23. Recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the Constitution through a Voice
• AUST | LWB | TRANSLATING | Resources in 45+ community languages on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice
• AUST | REAU | EXPLAINING | Voice to Parliament and Referendum 2023
• AUST | RJfV | ISSUING | An Open Letter to the Australian Public: The Voice to Parliament would enhance Australian governance
• AUST | TLW | CALLING | Those Interested to Lace Up Your Shoes and Come Walk with Michael Long in support of the "Yes" campaign
• AUST | WRITERS | ENDORSING | The Voice as a major reform leading to better outcomes for First Nations Peoples
• AUST | GiveOUT | SUPPORTING | Proudly for a First Nations Voice to Parliament
• VIC | ECCV | ADVOCATING | Victorian Multicultural Voices for ‘Yes’ campaign
• VIC | VWT | ENGAGING | Listen and learn together through kitchen conversations. It’s time to say yes
• VIC | VTMH | DEMONSTRATING | Solidarity In Context to the Referendum
• AUST | GEIFN | HOW | To Accept No: Contest of Binaries | Sunday 15 October 2023
• AUST | GEIFN | WHY | To Accept No: Contest of Timing | Monday 16 October 2023
• AUST | GEIFN | WHEN | To Accept No: Contest of Terra nullius | Tuesday 17 October 2023 and beyond
• AUST | VTMH | OFFERING | Reflections following the Referendum
• CoPP | PPCR | STRIVING | Towards Meaningful Reconciliation
• AUST | CHGR | BUILDING | First Nations kids learning and loving to learn. Their families walking beside. Seeing hope for the future
• AUST | YSS | EDUCATING | Aboriginal Pedagogy, Social Justice and Self-Determination
• AUST | EVCO | BUILDING | Stronger, more inclusive organisation through Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Competence Training Programs
• MELB | NGVA | EXHIBITING | Wurrdha Marra – Many Mobs

AUST | GOV | OFFERING | Resources and Translations on The Voice and Referendum 2023

Australian Government in late 2023 held a referendum about whether to change the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice would be an independent and permanent advisory body. It would give advice to the Australian Parliament and Government on matters that affect the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have called for members of the Voice to be chosen by First Nations peoples based on the wishes of local communities.

• Read the referendum question and constitutional amendment.
• Multilingual poster

Back to Topics List

Back to Section 7 List

Back to Section 7.2 List

AUST | AICR | ENCOURAGING | YES23. Recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the Constitution through a Voice 
Australians for Indigenous Constitutional Recognition (AICR) asks all to consider voting Yes. It’s time to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the Constitution through a Voice.

What is the 2023 Referendum?
This vote will give all Australians the chance to come together and consider a change to our constitution that will honour and celebrate the rights, history, and ongoing relationship of Indigenous Australians with this land. It’s a rare chance to make a major positive impact now and for future generations.

Australia has been considering constitutional recognition for more than 15 years. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have asked that the form of recognition come through a Voice to Parliament, which will give advice on laws and policies that affect Indigenous people. 

This is what the Australian people are now being asked to decide: Should we recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in The Constitution, with a Voice? 

A Voice will provide advice to the Federal Parliament about laws and policies, through a consultative policy making process that delivers meaningful structural change.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people know and understand the best way to deliver real and practical change in their communities. When they have a say through a Voice, we can finally start to close the gap that still exists between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australians on practical issues like life expectancy, educational outcomes, and employment. 

This is why a “Yes” result is important.

• Pledge your support
• Volunteer
• Stay up to date
• Stay informed 

Back to Topics List

Back to Section 7 List

Back to Section 7.2 List

AUST | LWB | TRANSLATING | Resources in 45+ community languages on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice
To encourage participation in the Referendum for all Australians, Polaron Language Services with Life Without Barriers (LWB) and several partner organisations have developed accessible translated resources in more than 45 languages.

These are free to download and aim to break down language, literacy and communication barriers among Australia’s diverse communities. This includes:

• Three social media tiles in 45+ languages that are shareable and easy to disseminate.
• Factsheets in 45+ languages letting communities know about the Referendum 
• 30-second in-language videos – with subtitles and voiceovers.

• For more information

Back to Topics List

Back to Section 7 List

Back to Section 7.2 List

AUST | REAU | EXPLAINING | Voice to Parliament and Referendum 2023
Reconciliation Australia (REAU) advises First Nations Voice to Parliament protected by the Constitution is a key element of the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
The Bill to enable the referendum became law in mid-June, but we are waiting for the referendum date to be announced.

The referendum question contained in the Bill is:

A Proposed Law: to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. Do you approve this proposed alteration?

What is a referendum

Find out more at Australian Electoral Commission.

Or click the following Reconciliation Australia links that interest you:

• Why do we need a First Nations Voice?
• How do we get a First Nations Voice to Parliament?
• What work has been done so far?
• What will be added to the Constitution?
• Guiding principles of the Voice
• Do Australians want change?
• Common myths and misbeliefs
• Multilingual information
• See learning resources and information

 

Why do we need a First Nations Voice?

A Voice to Parliament will give Indigenous communities a route to help inform policy and legal decisions that impact their lives. Giving people a say will lead to more effective results.

Embedding a Voice in the Constitution would recognise the special place of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia’s history, but importantly would also mean that it can’t be shut down by successive Governments.

This is important because Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and bodies have called for voice for close to 100 years. 

Back to Topics List

Back to Section 7 List

Back to Section 7.2 List

AUST | RJfV | ISSUING | An Open Letter to the Australian Public: The Voice to Parliament would enhance Australian governance 
We are individuals representing no political party or political interest. We speak, rather, as retired judges (RJfV) who spent our professional lives listening to, and seeking to evaluate, contending arguments.

We have since considered carefully both the case for, and the case against, the proposed Voice to Parliament. Having done so, we confidently believe that, by raising the quality of our public debate, the proposed Voice will both enrich our democracy and increase the likelihood of governments making correct decisions about matters that affect Indigenous peoples. It will also, and very importantly, give Indigenous Australians their due recognition in our Constitution as this nation’s first peoples.  

Democracies are at their best when decisions are made after informed and respectful debate to which all may contribute. Life being what it is, the rich and the powerful have and will retain that privilege to a greater degree than most. Some, among them Australia’s First Nations peoples, have continually battled to be heard at all.

If successful, the referendum on the Voice will not diminish the influence of anyone. But it will help to correct an historic wrong. It will give recognition, and a voice, to those who for thousands of years owned and lived in balance with this land, only to have their rights to it disregarded during the centuries which have followed settlement from other lands. No consideration was given to the deep connections with country which the original inhabitants have incorporated into their very being; and the newcomers who now occupy their land listened, if they listened at all, with none of the empathy to which everyone should be entitled.

Constitutional recognition of the Voice in a successful referendum will acknowledge these facts, and do much to rectify a long-existing injustice. It will not, in our opinion, divide our nation. On the contrary, it will heal a wound which presently divides us. Nor will it disrupt government or destabilise the presently stable and appropriate division of power between the parliament, the executive and the judiciary.

The possibility of disruption and instability is a concern which nevertheless deserves respect (although not when it descends to ridiculous fears such as that Anzac Day will be ‘cancelled’). It is also reasonable to have doubts about the detail of the arrangements which will follow a successful referendum. We nevertheless firmly believe that these are not reasons for voting ‘No’. First, Australia can draw upon its wealth of common sense and its capacity for sensible compromise. The Voice will not waste its time, energy, finances or goodwill with silly claims that have no chance of political or judicial support. And secondly, detailed arrangements must allow for a degree of flexibility which is impossible if incorporated into a less than flexible constitution. The details are properly to be determined by the parliament of the day according to the changing circumstances of the day.

Advocates for the ‘No’ case point to the proposed amendment’s inclusion of a power in the parliament to make laws with respect to the powers of the Voice. The referendum if passed does not confer powers on parliament that it does not already have to pass such laws. We believe that the likelihood of parliament acting inappropriately in this respect is small. In our opinion it fails to justify a ‘No’ vote.  

Advocates for a ‘No’ vote also claim that the Voice is a creature of Canberra. That is untrue. The call for the Voice was made in the Uluru Statement from the Heart, which is the product of the widest survey of the views of First Nations peoples ever undertaken and which is a deeply respectful call “from all points of the Southern Sky”. 

It includes an invitation to all Australians to create a better future. We think this invitation should be accepted.

Signed:

• The Hon Mary Gaudron KC, Former Judge of the High Court of Australia
• The Hon Carmel McLure AC KC, Former President of the Supreme Court of Western Australia Court of Appeal
• The Hon Stephen Charles AO KC, Former Judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria Court of Appeal
• The Hon David Harper AM KC, Former Judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria Court of Appeal
• The Hon Robert Redlich AM KC, Former Commissioner of the Victorian Independent Broad-based Anti-Corruption Commission (IBAC), former Judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria Court of Appeal
• The Hon Paul Stein AM KC, Former Judge of the Supreme Court of NSW Court of Appeal, former President of the Anti-Discrimination Board
• The Hon Anthony Whealy KC, Former Judge of the Supreme Court of NSW Court of Appeal
• The Hon Margaret White AO, Former Judge of the Supreme Court of Queensland Court of Appeal

Thank-you for reading the open letter supporting the Voice. Please forward this letter to anyone you think would be interested to read it.

Back to Topics List

Back to Section 7 List

Back to Section 7.2 List

AUST | TLW | CALLING | Those Interested to Lace Up Your Shoes and Come Walk with Michael Long in support of the "Yes" campaign 
The Long Walk (TLW)'s Michael Long is once again setting off from Melbourne to Canberra in support of the "Yes" campaign.
Michael Long is one of the most recognisable Aboriginal figures in AFL football. He played for the Essendon Football Club between 1989 and 2001, was a member of two premiership sides and the winner of the 1993 Norm Smith Medal.

Michael championed the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cause within the AFL. In 1995, Michael made a stand against racial abuse, following an on-field incident with another player, asserting that racism had no place in sport.

Ultimately this lead to Michael being one of the pioneering forces behind the racial abuse code that was adopted by the AFL in the 1990s. Michael retired from football in 2001.

"Lace Up Your Shoes and Come Walk with Me. We walked in 2004 for a Voice and a Vision.
This year I have decided to bring forward my 20th Anniversary Long Walk to support the campaign for an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament."

Walk with Michael Long in support of the "Yes" campaign on one or more legs of the walk from Melbourne to Canberra.

• Register to share with us which legs you'll be joining.
• Subscribe to get special offers, free giveaways, and once-in-a-lifetime deals.
• Make a donation. Financial support will help to make this journey a reality.

Back to Topics List

Back to Section 7 List

Back to Section 7.2 List

AUST | WRITERS | ENDORSING | The Voice as a major reform leading to better outcomes for First Nations Peoples
It’s only fair. Writers for The Voice (WRITERS) accept the generous, modest invitation of First Nations Peoples in the Uluru Statement from the Heart to walk with them towards a better Australia. 

We support their call for recognition via a constitutionally enshrined Voice to Parliament because we believe passionately that this major reform, the product of broad grassroots consultation and supported by the great majority of First Nations Peoples, will lead to better outcomes for First Nations Peoples.

• Testimonials
• Supporting Writers
• Read more

Back to Topics List

Back to Section 7 List

Back to Section 7.2 List

AUST | GiveOUT | SUPPORTING | Proudly for a First Nations Voice to Parliament
The GiveOUT Team (GiveOUT) supports Australia saying YES in the Referendum for a constitutionally enshrined First Nations Voice
LGBTQIA+ people understand the significance of a public vote about their lives, and the importance of allies in advocating for change. It is time for the LGBTQIA+ community, and the Australian people as a whole, to stand in solidarity with our First Nations communities, including our Brotherboys, Sistergirls and other LGBTQIA+ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

At GiveOUT, we know that there is no substitute for the wisdom of lived experience when it comes to designing policies and programs.

“As an organisation that exists to address systemic disadvantage, and provide impacted communities the resources they need to drive their own solutions, GiveOUT fully supports this much needed reform to ensure First Nations people are recognised in the constitution and are given a voice on the issues and interventions that impact them.” – Georgia Mathews, Chair of GiveOUT

Polls have demonstrated that over 80% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people support a Voice to Parliament*. We call upon our LGBTQIA+ friends and allies to join this historic movement and vote ‘YES’ in the Referendum. We must take this important step toward a fairer future for this country. 

You can show your support by: 

• Going public with your support of YES to a Voice 
• If you’re an LGBTIQA+ community organisation, adding your organisation’s name to Equality Australia’s statement
• Take action via yes23.com.au 

*Source: https://www.unsw.edu.au/news/2023/06/ten-questions-about-the-voice-to-parliament---answered-by-the-ex 

Back to Topics List

Back to Section 7 List

Back to Section 7.2 List

VIC | ECCV | ADVOCATING | Victorian Multicultural Voices for ‘Yes’ campaign
The Ethnic Communities' Council of Victoria (ECCV) joins forces with Yes23 and the Multicultural Australia for Voice alliance for Victorian Multicultural Voices for ‘Yes’.

Harnessing the power of multicultural communities to raise awareness about why the recognition of our First Nations People in the Constitution is important and how voting ‘Yes’ will achieve that.

Multicultural and multifaith leaders, along with First Nations Elders, attended the launch, with guest speakers Aunty Esme Bamblett, CEO of the Aboriginal Advancement League and a member of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria, Minister for Multicultural Affairs Colin Brooks, and the Minister for Treaty and First Peoples Gabrielle Williams.

Victorian Multicultural Voices for ‘Yes’ will be organising community town hall forums and community workshops in the lead-up to the referendum. These engagements aim to empower and equip multicultural communities with how to have conversations about the referendum and why it matters.

ECCV Members will be hosting their own community forums to inform members of their communities about why voting ‘YES’ matters, including the Islamic Council of Victoria and the Greek Community of Melbourne.

The launch follows the success of a national multicultural town hall forum at Springvale City Hall with Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney, which was attended by more than 700 people in August 2023.

The ECCV is the peak body for multicultural Victoria, with over 220 organisational members.

• Read full article

Back to Topics List

Back to Section 7 List

Back to Section 7.2 List

VIC | VWT | ENGAGING | Listen and learn together through kitchen conversations. It’s time to say yes 
Together, Yes is a kitchen conversations movement by Victorian Women’s Trust (VWT) in support of a YES vote in the 2023 referendum on a First Nations Voice to parliament. It’s a powerful way you can participate in the referendum to enshrine an Indigenous Voice in our constitution.

In 1967 we were counted, in 2017 we seek to be heard. We leave base camp and start our trek across this vast country. We invite you to walk with us in a movement of the Australian people for a better future. – Uluru Statement from the Heart, May 2017

By voting YES in the referendum, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will finally have a say on the policies and laws that affect their communities.

But voting ‘yes’ isn’t enough. We need to unite to ensure it’s a resounding YES from every corner of the country.

Is Together, Yes working with First Nations people?
Yes. The Victorian Women’s Trust (creator of Together, Yes) have been working in partnership with Koorie Women Mean Business for more than 30 years, which has guided much of our work since.

Since October 2022 we have been in close collaboration with indigenous-led campaigners to ensure Together, Yes helps achieve a positive referendum outcome.

Together, Yes uses ‘kitchen table conversations’, a model designed by the Victorian Women’s Trust more than twenty years ago. Tried and tested, it arose from a powerfully simple idea: engaging people in respectful and honest dialogue creates real and lasting change.

This civic engagement model is built on a set of important values. People are encouraged to:

1. Help create a safe place for thinking, talking and taking action
2. Acknowledge the experience and wisdom each person brings to the table
3. Enter discussions in good faith with an open, constructive spirit
4. Engage in respectful discussion, even in the face of dissent
5. Be prepared to listen, gain new insight, and test one’s own opinions

Together, Yes invites people from all walks of life to gather in small group discussions and engage in an honest reckoning of the harm and injustice of our colonial past; Australia’s history of constitutional indifference; and how a Voice to parliament can make a difference.

• Watch video (3 mins)
• Visit website
• Stay in the Loop
• Become a Conversation Host. Bring others with you.

Back to Topics List

Back to Section 7 List

Back to Section 7.2 List

VIC | VTMH | DEMONSTRATING | Solidarity In Context to the Referendum
At an important moment in history, Victorian Transcultural Mental Health (VTMH) supports the national vote adding an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice (The Voice) to the Australian Constitution.

VTMH aligns with the principles of unity and understanding promoted by Reconciliation Australia, and we also endorse the stance taken by St Vincent's Health Australia on this matter.

VTMH sees this as a big chance to bring people together and make things better. We know that health and wellness are connected to making things right between different groups of people in Australia. VTMH thinks this vote can make real changes and respect the different viewpoints of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

• Read More

Back to Topics List

Back to Section 7 List

Back to Section 7.2 List

AUST | GEIFN | HOW | To Accept No: Contest of Binaries | Sunday 15 October 2023
With any adversarial system where only 2 options (aka binary) are offered, part of informed consent is accepting that for every winner there has to be non-winners.
Binaries (this OR that) is Absolutism. It takes time for people to realise that there are no lasting Absolutes.

To explore further, every thing with a beginning has also got within the seeds of its end. As daybreak begins it has ended night. As night begins it ends daylight. But when we understand fully we understand that the sun is always shining, it is just our personal vantage point that moved while individually we might be standing still. The spherical planet we all call home is spinning on its own axis as it revolves around the sun. It is only the side facing the sun that gets the sun at any given time. The half in darkness hasn't lost, it is just waiting again for its time in the sun. So dark does not exist without light.

"To be or not to be – that is the question." – William Shakespeare, English playwright, poet and actor (1564-1616 CE)

And when that gets easy, consider "To be AND not to be – that is the answer."

Accepting No majority means you're ready to continue the national conversation reconciling Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders' (aka First Nations') existence with Colonialism and those who come after. A No majority result is an acknowledgment that this conversation has now began in earnest. And also being just another day in a functioning civil democracy finding its way, steady as we go, full steam ahead.

When this proposition gets easier to understand, the opportunities for an outcome that benefits everyone becomes self realising. So if not now, then take comfort in the old wise saying "a journey of a 1,000 steps begins with the first but made realisable with the 2nd and subsequent."

Back to Topics List

Back to Section 7 List

Back to Section 7.2 List

AUST | GEIFN | WHY | To Accept No: Contest of Timing | Monday 16 October 2023
With big gains come the potential for big setbacks, obstacles and arguments. With practice, patience and perseverance, wisdom, compassion and non-selfish generosity always prevails.

"Life is a hard battle anyway. If we laugh and sing a little as we fight the good fight of freedom, it makes it all go easier. I will not allow my life's light to be determined by the darkness around me."
Sojourner Truth, American abolitionist and activist for African-American civil rights, women's rights, and alcohol temperance (died 1883 CE)

A No majority doesn't mean "never" it just means "not now". For 235 years there has only been 1 resounding No: Terra nullius (nobody's land). Countering this false fact, has now formally recognised a resounding 40% yes to preexistence, a marked improvement from its 0% starting position. Meaning Australia is now ready to begin a conversation reconciling Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders' (aka First Nations') existence with Colonialism and those who come after. 

A No majority result is an acknowledgment that this conversation has now began in earnest. While also being just another day in a functioning civil democracy finding its way, steady as we go, full steam ahead.

When this proposition gets easier to understand, the opportunities for an outcome that benefits a greater number until including all becomes self realising. So if not now, then take comfort in the old wise saying "a journey of a 1,000 steps begins with the first but made realisable with the 2nd and subsequent."

Back to Topics List

Back to Section 7 List

Back to Section 7.2 List

AUST | GEIFN | WHEN | To Accept No: Contest of Terra nullius | Tuesday 17 October 2023 and beyond
Terra nullius is a Latin expression meaning "nobody's land".  It was a principle sometimes used in international law to justify claims that territory may be acquired by a state's occupation of it. Denying the existence of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders' existence by the British gave the British permission to land, stay and colonise.

Reconciling this falsehood in Australia's birth began 265 years ago and continues in our minds, hearts and actions. As testimony to this, the Australia today was unimaginable to our forebears. If we accept what we do today influences the future, it is also how brighter futures for a greater benefit is made possible – the real work being undertaken in the majority of ordinary days between the extra-ordinary milestones.

"I am my ancestor’s wildest dreams" – Maxine Beneba Clarke, Australian writer of Afro-Caribbean descent (1979- CE)

Accepting No majority means you're ready to continue the national conversation reconciling Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders' (aka First Nations') existence with British Colonialism and those who come after. A No majority result is an acknowledgment that this Australian conversation has now began in earnest. Celebrate just another day in a functioning civil democracy finding its way, steady as we go, full steam ahead.

When this proposition gets easier to understand, the opportunities for an outcome that benefits everyone becomes self realising. So if not now, then make comfort by applying the old wise saying "Conquer anger through gentleness, unkindness through kindness, greed through generosity, and falsehood by truth."

Back to Topics List

Back to Section 7 List

Back to Section 7.2 List

 

AUST | VTMH | OFFERING | Reflections following the Referendum

Victorian Transcultural Mental Health (VTMH) has taken some time following the Voice Referendum to reflect and attempt to find words to express our disappointment regarding this outcome. 
We deeply acknowledge the courage and generosity of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders and leaders who extended this invitation to the Australian community to walk together in this journey for learning and healing together.

In the weeks since the referendum we have reflected on the impacts that colonisation has had in shaping practices in the mental health sector, including our service, and the continued challenges faced in providing culturally responsive care given the history of these lands.

VTMH deeply admires the strength and resilience of First Nations communities across the country. We commit to rising strong, leaning in, and to finding ways to honour our commitment to learning and healing together.

We encourage teams and individuals in all sectors to continue joining collective efforts to support a more culturally safe and humanistic system and society. 

To learn more about what is happening in Victoria towards truth, treaty and voice, we encourage you to visit the links below: 

• Yoorrook Justice Commission 
• TREATY FOR VICTORIA | First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria

Back to Topics List

Back to Section 7 List

Back to Section 7.2 List

 

CoPP | PPCR | STRIVING | Towards Meaningful Reconciliation

Port Phillip Citizens for Reconciliation (PPCR) is a voluntary, not for profit community group. 
It began in 1997 at a public meeting, at St Kilda Town Hall, convened by Jacki Willox and attended by hundreds of people, including politicians, councillors, indigenous musicians and general public.

Objectives

• To maintain local awareness of the reconciliation agenda, recognising that information, understanding and community discussion are integral to the process.
• promoting an understanding of the history of Aboriginal people, particularly in our local area.

Mungo, our monthly newsletter, continues to be a good news source for events, circulating annually to over 3,500 as well as members of other networks.

Back to Topics List

Back to Section 7 List

Back to Section 7.2 List

AUST | CHGR | BUILDING | First Nations kids learning and loving to learn. Their families walking beside. Seeing hope for the future

Children's Ground Limited (CHGR) introduces you to our ongoing bold vision for change – a future in which every First Nations child can experience a lifetime of opportunity, entering adulthood strong in their identity and culture, connected to their local and global world, and economically independent.

Children’s Ground vision includes:

• First Nations people across Australia having self-determination and enjoying social, cultural, political and economic justice.
• First Nations' next generation of children knowing and celebrating their culture and identity, having freedom of choice and expression and living with opportunity, peace, harmony and wellbeing.
• Australians recognising our shared history and celebrating First Nations' culture and strength.

• Watch video (4 mins)
• Make a donation

Back to Topics List

Back to Section 7 List

Back to Section 7.2 List

AUST | YSS | EDUCATING | Aboriginal Pedagogy, Social Justice and Self-Determination

Yarn Strong Sista (YSS) has over 20 years of experience and excellence in Aboriginal pedagogy, social justice and self-determination.

YSS is a National Indigenous Educational Consultancy and Training Provider. Indigenous owned and run specialising in Aboriginal Pedagogy, providing authentic Aboriginal training for early childhood professionals, primary school teachers and corporate teams.

YSS are specialists with offering a range of services including:

• visits to Early Childhood environments to facilitate storytelling and arts workshops with children, 
• hosting Professional Development training for Educators
• facilitating arts experiences and face-painting at festivals and events, and 
• providing First Nations-designed resources and educational tools on our website.

Working beyond Early Years, customising our programs to meet the curriculum needs of Primary and Secondary students, and work in community contexts supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Our Aboriginal Early Childhood Education Resources include: Artefacts, Dolls, Children’s Music, Children’s Books, Games, Felt Hand and Finger Puppets, Felt Mats for Storytelling, Puzzles, and Teachers Resource Guides.

Other projects include:

• Foregrounding Anti Bias Perspectives
• Yarn Strong Brutha
• Enterprise for Empowerment.

Providing relevant resources and books that assist parents, teachers and organisations to acknowledge and celebrate Aboriginal Ways of Being. All our resources are ethically made and sourced, in collaboration with Indigenous artists and Fair-Trade partners.

Back to Topics List

Back to Section 7 List

Back to Section 7.2 List

AUST | EVCO | BUILDING | Stronger, more inclusive organisation through Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Competence Training Programs

Be part of the big 10 year goal to inspire 10 million Allies to create a kinder, more inclusive Australia.

Build a stronger, more inclusive organisation through Evolve Communities Pty Ltd (EVCO)'s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Competence Training Programs.

When it comes to cultural awareness training, there isn’t necessarily a one-size-fits-all solution for education, reconciliation and allyship training. 

That’s why Evolve Communities offer different training courses and programs to suit any team’s size or style and let you choose the cultural competency training that is the best fit for your business including:

• 7 Steps Online Course
• Yarning Circle Workshops
• Ally Accreditation

Evolve Communities is a NSW-based Trusted Authority for Australian Indigenous cultural awareness, ally & facilitator training.

Back to Topics List

Back to Section 7 List

Back to Section 7.2 List

MELB | NGVA | EXHIBITING | Wurrdha Marra – Many Mobs

Welcome to Wurrdha Marra – meaning ‘Many Mobs’ in the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung language. 
The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia (NGVA) is a home to Australian art, presenting First Nations and non-First Nations art from historical to present day. The name comes from the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation, supporting the purpose of this space in sharing the work of First Nations artists, from emerging to senior figures, and across time and place. 

For First Nations peoples around the world, art and design are part of a continuum where the past intersects with the present, different materials converge, and diverse perspectives come together. The central role of art in passing down important cultural knowledge is celebrated in this display through the diverse approaches that artists take to maintaining and regenerating customary cultural practices and iconography while also creating new forms of expression.

Wurrdha Marra is a dynamic exhibition space in which familiar works from the NGV’s collection of First Nations Australian art and design are displayed alongside new acquisitions. Presented through a series of changing thematics, the works on display offers a series of visual dialogues as a way to explore how parallel innovations and continuities can continue to inspire new ways of thinking about art.

The works included in this inaugural hang are by emerging artists as well as senior figures across both time and place. Each of these artists has in their own way been at the forefront in creating new forms of expression, and in maintaining and regenerating customary cultural practices and iconography. Great individual artists, working in Aboriginal-owned art centres or independently after studying at art school, continue to shape and transform art in Australia, inspiring many others to follow their example.

• Read More
• Where: NGV Australia (NGVA), The Ian Potter Centre, Fed Square, Melbourne
• Cost: Free entry
• Bookings: no booking required. Now showing 10am–5pm daily

Back to Topics List

Back to Section 7 List

Back to Section 7.2 List

 7.3  VIC | GOV | UPDATING | Coronavirus Response

Stay up to date on the latest health advice and please consider both the COVID-19 and flu vaccinations if eligible. If you need access to food or financial relief, there is information available for how to get this support.

UPDATING | COVID safe and vaccination information to support CALD people with disability

The COVID safe and vaccination information to support CALD people with disability translated fact sheets are now obsolete and will not be updated or maintained.

The following links are currently being used to promote COVID-19 resources in language (via the translations icon):

• Protect yourself and others from COVID-19 | Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care
• Coronavirus (COVID-19) translated information | Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care

 

Free RATS Now Available to everyone through your local council

The Victorian Government has now made Rapid Antigen tests free and available at more than 200 local council distribution sites such as libraries and council customer service centres. The program is open to all Victorians, with all eligibility requirements removed.

Individuals can collect up to two packets for themselves plus up to two packets for each household member per visit. People with a disability or their carer can collect up to four packets of tests.

• To find out if your local council is participating, check the collection sites in your neighbourhood at coronavirus.vic.gov.au/get-a-covid-19-test
• For simple tips on staying ahead of COVID-19 and staying well this summer, visit: coronavirus.vic.gov.au/health-advice
• Coronavirus in-language information

To learn in other ways about Victoria's responses:

• Call the Victorian Coronavirus Hotline on 1800 675 398. International, interstate and mobile callers can phone (+613) 9096 9000.
• Department of Health's website in English or Other Languages
• What to do if you are a close contact
• Financial support for coronavirus (COVID-19)
• Isolation and quarantine – extra help and support
• Mental health resources 
• Mental health support services
• Information for people with disability - coronavirus (COVID-19) 
• Emergency relief packages 
• COVID business information 
• COVIDSafe religion and ceremony guidance
• Safe accommodation and support for family violence is available. Call Safe Steps on 1800 015 188 or email safesteps@safesteps.org.au for help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• People with a high risk of getting very sick with COVID-19 can get medicine to help them stay well. There are medicines to reduce your chances of getting COVID-19 and treat COVID-19 symptoms if you get infected. Only people most likely to need hospital care can get COVID-19 medicines. This includes people who are aged 70 and over; are aged 50 and over with certain health conditions (or 30 if they're Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander); or have a weakened immune system, disability or are born with heart disease. Learn more

Back to Topics List
Back to Section List

 

 7.4  AUST | MULTI | UPDATING | Coronavirus Response

• Coronavirus hotline: If you are concerned, call the coronavirus hotline on 1800 675 398 (24 Hours).
• Coronavirus in-language information
• If you are an NDIS participant you can also call the national hotline on 1800 020 080.
• Information and referrals for people with disability and their supporters about Coronavirus: Contact the Disability Information Helpline on 1800 634 787. 
• If you are deaf, or have a hearing or speech impairment, you can also call the National Relay Service on 133 677.
• Interpreting service: If you need an interpreter, call TIS National on 131 450.
• Testing locations: Find a testing location near you.
• Call-to-Test-at-Home service, providing in-home coronavirus testing to Victorians who would otherwise be unable to get tested, call the DHHS Coronavirus hotline on 1800 675 398.
• Triple Zero: Please keep Triple Zero (000) for emergencies only.

Other Resources

• Australian Government Department of Health – Translated resources into 60 different languages, informing communities about COVID-19 vaccines and availability across Australia.
• Access Easy English – Over 70 resources developed on coronavirus.
• Amaze – step-by-step social scripts outlining the COVID-19 vaccine process to help people with autism.
• Better Health – COVID-19 and flu vaccinations health information available in more than fifteen languages. Learn more
• Centre for Culture, Ethnicity & Health (CEH) has translated Long COVID fact sheet into nine in-language written resources and five in-language audio recordings. The Long COVID project focuses on priority CALD communities particularly impacted by COVID-19 in 2020. Read the factsheet 
• Council for Intellectual Disability (CID) – Easy English information for people with intellectual disability and videos about COVID-19.
• DHHS – Victorian Government Department of Health and Human Services advice and information on coronavirus available in 56 languages
• Ethnic Communities' Council of Victoria (ECCV) – Multicultural COVID-19 Outreach Program
• Ethnic Communities' Council of Victoria (ECCV) – COVID-19 video series Protecting Our Communities
• MyAus Covid-19 app – Multilingual resource application produced by Migration Council Australia (MCA) for Australia's culturally and linguistically diverse communities about COVID - 19, it's impact and available support.
• National Ethnic and Multicultural Broadcasters' Council (NEMBC) – translated audio explainers of COVID-19 and flu vaccinations on SoundCloud. Translated audio available includes Arabic, Cantonese, Dari, Dinka, Hindi, Mandarinand Vietnamese. Listen today
• NWMPHN Maintaining good mental health through the pandemic through in-language videos. Help spread the message of looking after our mental health in Hindi, Cantonese, Mandarin, Dinka and Vietnamese.
• Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) – promoting The Older Persons COVID-19 Support Line (OPCSL) within ethno-specific communities.
• SBS – news and information about coronavirus (COVID - 19) available in 63 languages.
• Scope - Key word sign video, posters and easy english resources on communicating COVID-19.
• StarHealth fact sheets on COVID-19 are now available – using only valid information sources for its fact sheets, distilling the key points from only trusted sources. 
• Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission (VEOHRC) surveyed 1500 Victorians and targeted follow up interviews were used to create the commission’s new research pandemic snapshots – Supporting workers with disability and Juggling parenting, caring and work. Explore the research snapshots, FaceBook

  Back to Topics List
  Back to Section List
  
  

---

 8. ACKNOWLEDGING 

1. Acknowledgment to Sources
2. Bye bye to Essentialists
3. Self-Isolators, Non-Essentials and the Homebound

 

 8.1  Acknowledgment to Sources

This is a consolidated account of information current at time of issuance, sourced, collated and provided by Victorian Multicultural Commission, Ethnic Communities' Council of Victoria, various Government Authorities, community organisations, public domain and individuals, received with gratitude.

 8.2  Bye bye to Essentialists

Us non-essentialists will endeavour to manage our expection of miracles and do our best to follow rules while staying out of the way. 

Contact your closest friendly non-essentialist if you need anything that can be done remotely. Bye bye to Essentialists for now, please leave to attend to the essential work. That is all from the Caretaker at this time.

 8.3  Self-Isolators, Non-Essentials and the Homebound

Meanwhile, if with a surplus of time, this is offered. Discuss with sincerity. Deny untruth. Dismiss unuseful. Accept useful. Adapt to change. Adopt least effort most benefit. Adept with sharing. Enjoy throughout. As each case may be. Round about. And again. Or not.

Back to Topics List
Back to Section List