Livingstone Shire first Council in Queensland to join Welcoming Cities
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Livingstone Shire Council is proud to join 33 Council’s nationwide and be the first local government in Queensland to take part in the Welcoming Cities initiative, committed to welcoming and inclusion.
Launched in early 2016, Welcoming Cities facilitates a national network of inclusive, vibrant communities internationally recognised for their ability to foster a sense of belonging and participation.
Mayor Bill Ludwig said the initiative would not only align us with other like-minded communities to enhance social cohesion, but also assist in growing our regions workforce.
“In the next five to 10 years, it’s estimated that Central Queensland will see upwards of 3,500 jobs created through major infrastructure projects and we currently don’t have the population to meet that need,” Cr Ludwig said.
“The Welcoming Cities initiative will help to support new residents who may come from another country and choose to call our beautiful region home, whilst also creating long term benefits to the stability of our economy. “Council acknowledges that creating an Inclusive Community is essential in order to maximise the social and economic performance of our region.”
Deputy Mayor Nigel Hutton said this initiative will allow Council to benchmark its cultural diversity and inclusion policies and practices across the organisation, identify where and how further efforts could be directed and assess progress over time.
“Regional communities really value and benefit from the contributions of new residents not only through diversity but also jobs skills,” Cr Hutton said.
“The positive counterbalance is that this programme helps to make sure migration occurs to help communities meet their needs, while also making communities stronger and enriching the lives of all those that are part of that community.”
Chief Executive Officer of Welcoming Australia Aleem Ali said he was thrilled to see the Livingstone Shire region join the 33 government entities already taking part in the initiative.
“Livingstone Shire joins a national network representative of 20% of the Australia population and an international network of more than 135 municipalities across New Zealand, North America, Germany and the United Kingdom,” Mr Ali said.
“We appreciate Council’s leadership and we’re looking forward to working with them to advance communities in which all residents can belong, contribute and thrive.”
For more information, visit https://welcomingcities.org.au/