Multicultural communities

We work with culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities to ensure they understand their voting responsibilities and participate in democracy.

To achieve this, we partner with service providers and communities to offer culturally responsive services and promote electoral participation.

Active citizenship workshop for community leaders

Our active citizenship workshop aims to increase community leaders’ political literacy and capacity to make positive change for their community; ultimately leading to increased participation in elections.

The workshop consists of 2 parts:

  1. Be heard: an all-day workshop designed to assist and build participants’ knowledge and skills on how to take action step-by-step.
  2. Be informed: a 5-and-half hour workshop for participants who want to better understand government and how preferential voting works.

Both workshops are best suited as part of existing leadership programs. Content is flexible and can be adapted to meet participants’ learning needs.

To enquire about the workshop, contact us. 

Community Voice

Community Voice is our CALD advisory group.

It provides expert advice and knowledge to ensure our work is culturally responsive to community needs. It also improves our access to communities and ensures we consult and speak with the right people when developing services and resources. Community Voice meets a twice a year.

Current members include government and non-government CALD workers, ethno-specific service providers and community members.

New members are always welcome. Please contact us to get involved.

Multicultural inclusion plan

Our Multicultural inclusion plan aims to address the needs of Victoria’s ever-growing population of CALD voters as well as making sure that our workforce is reflective of, and responsive to, the community we serve. Drawing from extensive internal and external consultations, the plan has devised realistic and achievable actions.

The plan's actions are grouped into the following priority areas:

  • access – culturally responsive information and services
  • employment – staff recruitment and retention
  • community – engagement, capacity building, collaboration and partnership
  • capability – building staff capability to provide culturally responsive information and service.

Download the Multicultural inclusion plan

Cover art of the Multicutural Inclusion Action Plan

Democracy ambassadors

Democracy Ambassadors help their communities to be heard at elections.
Video transcript

The Democracy Ambassador program is about social inclusion. People having a say at the election.

My job is to educate the community about how to vote correctly.

As a democracy ambassador I also work with disability groups, homeless groups and Aboriginal groups as well.

Before the election I want all the community leaders to be more active in the community and help them learn how to vote so the community voices can be heard.

In the information session I teach community about how to enrol, the three levels of government and how to vote correctly.

After the session I realised my community needs more people like me to come and speak to them.

You should book an information session with a Democracy Ambassador because it will help you to learn in a better way in your own language.

Democracy means to me: freedom.