Media Response |

- City of Ballarat Director Community Development Neville Ivey

Ballarat as a whole welcomes and embraces the idea of our city as a progressive settlement destination and we have not shied away from our intentions to be a leading regional settlement destination.

Just this year we published the Intercultural City Strategic Plan 2018-2021 which provides a direction for the City of Ballarat in planning for the needs of its diverse groups over the next five years.

This is just one of a number of initiatives which has been developed to ensure cultural diversity is used as an advantage to assure community harmony, a sense of belong and a place for all.

The Intercultural Employment Pathways (IEP) Program is yet another initiative that is creating real career outcomes for migrants and refugees.

Ballarat’s growing diversity also presents numerous opportunities to enhance social cohesion. 

We’ve seen some great examples of regional and rural communities who have fought with plummeting populations and extensive job vacancies for years, only to be bought back from the brink by embracing migration.

There are some positive outlooks for Ballarat too, with new arrivals helping to fill any jobs shortage voids for skilled and unskilled careers.