Good practice in building social cohesion starts with local governments making a long-term strategic commitment and then implementing systems and processes towards achieving this. Critically, local governments need to assess internal readiness and build internal capacity before engaging the community and leading change.
The key steps are:
Social cohesion can be measured qualitatively, for example how and whether people feel connected or their views on how cohesive their community is, and quantitatively, for example levels of representation in government or organisations or rates of participation.
The most comprehensive measure of social cohesion in Australia currently is the Scanlon-Monash Index of Social Cohesion.
The Index measures social cohesion across five social cohesion objectives or ‘domains’:
The Index is determined based on the findings of the national ‘Mapping Social Cohesion’ surveys conducted by Monash University for the Scanlon Foundation, with results reported annually.1
Community Indicators Victoria is a wellbeing framework2 for local governments in Victoria with indicators split into five outcome-orientated themes around:
Under each theme is a range of policy areas, each with a variety of indicators. The data for the indicators is collated from a range of sources including ABS census data, phone surveys, local government records and state government data.
Whilst the key purpose of the indicators is to measure community wellbeing at the local government level (with comparisons to adjacent local governments and state averages), many of the themes and associated policy areas and indicators could be used as a basis for developing social cohesion measures within local government itself.
| Example: City of Sydney, NSW – Measuring social cohesion |
The City of Sydney has a diverse mix of cultures and lifestyles with a higher proportion of people from non-English speaking backgrounds and younger people than Greater Sydney, NSW and Australia. Cultural diversity is increasing with the arrival of new overseas-born residents, workers and students.
Part of the City’s vision for 2030 is to create a place where people feel at home, connected to the local community and the wider world. In order to measure progress towards this, the City set a target of at least 65% of people believing most people can be trusted. Progress is measured through a Community Wellbeing Indicators Framework based on the Community Indicators Victoria framework.
About 48% of indicators and measures in the framework use data from City of Sydney records or surveys, including the Household and Resident Survey (run every four years). The rest use national and state data such as the ABS Census and the NSW Health Population Health Survey.
Sources: City of Sydney (2014). Target 10, Sustainable Sydney 2030, Community Strategic Plan 2014. p.24.
City of Sydney (2015). Measuring Wellbeing.
City of Sydney (n.d.). City of Sydney Community Wellbeing indicators.
Olesson, E., Albert, E., Coroneos, R., Leeson, R., & Wyatt, R. (2012). Options for a local government framework for measuring liveability, Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government, University of Technology, Sydney.
| Tip: Measure social cohesion using elements of the Community Indicators Victoria framework |
Review this data framework for themes and policy areas related to social cohesion and develop an indicator set relevant to your local government. Source the indicator information from existing sources where possible.
| Other resources to measure social cohesion |
Index of Neighbourhood Social Fragmentation: Ivory, V., Witten, K., Salmond, C., Lin, E-Y., Quan You, R. & Blakely, T. (2012). 'The New Zealand Index of Neighbourhood Social Fragmentation: Integrating theory and data'. Environment and Planning A, 44: 972-988.
Community Cohesion Guide: Local Government Association (2004). Community Cohesion – An Action Guide: Guidance for local authorities.
Indicators in an Australian country town: Holdsworth, L. & Hartman, Y. (2009). 'Indicators of community cohesion in an Australian country town'. Commonwealth Journal of Local Governance, Issue 2: January 2009: 76-97.
Local governments need to make social cohesion a priority in strategic planning. This commitment needs to be explicit and requires a clear line of sight between strategic plans, policies, actions and performance indicators. Key organisational drivers for this are the clear links to Local Government Acts.
The process for strategic planning is now well defined within most local governments and involves a high degree of community engagement and consultation. The end result needs to deliver strong, tangible strategies aimed at achieving social cohesion which are targeted and focus on priority groups in the community.
| Example: Penrith City Council, NSW – Community engagement programs |
The Place Management division at Penrith City Council started the Neighbourhood Renewal Program in 2006. Its aim is to address infrastructure and service needs in disadvantaged neighbourhoods, including using local suppliers for goods and services and local artists (or those from Greater Western Sydney) for creative community engagement activities.
The program uses innovative community engagement methods involving residents, businesses, schools and community groups to take a strengths-based approach to develop Neighbourhood Action Plans to address physical infrastructure and service needs.
Source: Andersen, L. & Malone, M. [Eds.] (2013). All culture is local: good practice in regional cultural mapping and planning from local government. The CAMRA toolkit. pp. 54-59.
Public spaces are vital for a sense of belonging, so land use planning needs to include public spaces for people to meet, share and establish relationships. In addition, public spaces are places where tensions may arise between different community groups in terms of access to services and facilities. It is important for planning processes to take this into account.
| Example: City of Greater Dandenong, Victoria – Creating safe public spaces |
The 2008 Rights of passage report by the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission provided an understanding of human rights and social inclusion issues from the perspectives of Australian-Sudanese young people in the City of Greater Dandenong. A key finding was that feeling safe in public places is critical to a young person’s social inclusion and that young people in the City had limited access to low cost and accessible recreational spaces. In particular, Australian-Sudanese young people said that they often felt like outsiders in general spaces intended for young people. In addition, they also experienced racism and discrimination in public places, such as bus stops and train stations.
The City established a Community Safety Advisory Committee to guide its thinking regarding key aspects of safety. This strategic committee includes senior members of Victoria Police, state government, community agencies, transport providers, Neighbourhood Watch, Council’s Media and Communications Department and Council’s Youth Services. It meets bi-monthly and oversees the development and progress of the City’s Community Safety Plan.
Sources: Victorian Equal Opportunity & Human Rights Commission (2008). Rights of passage: The experiences of Australian-Sudanese young people.
City of Greater Dandenong (2011). City of Greater Dandenong Community Safety Plan 2011-14.
| Example: City of Greater Dandenong, Victoria – The library as a community hub |
The Libraries without borders: Library Strategy 2012-2016 (developed in the context of a range of other council plans) recognises the changing role of libraries and aims to put the City’s library service as a central hub of learning, knowledge, socialisation and community life.
Recently built, the library has 20,000 visits every week and is a key public space for community engagement and development. It is seen as a ‘safe space’ for young people and the internal fit out encourages interaction between users and staff. The Strategy has KPIs for target membership levels (52% of the City’s population) and customer satisfaction (great than 92% via an annual survey).
In a community with more than 140 different languages, lower than average literacy and the highest intake of migrants in Victoria, the aims of the library are to:
Sources: City of Greater Dandenong (2012). Libraries without borders: Library Strategy 2012-2016.
Personal communication with Arts and Cultural Development Projects Leader, City of Greater Dandenong (2015).
A tailored approach, based on an analysis of gaps and barriers which may exist within local government, is needed to prepare senior executives, staff and elected members to commit to implementing social cohesion objectives.
This analysis needs to be appropriately resourced and planned. It should use staff questionnaires, focus groups, and/or online surveys to assess:
Internal stakeholders should understand their roles and responsibilities such as:
|
Role |
Responsibility |
What this means |
|
Elected members |
Representative |
Ensure they act for the whole community not the vocal minority |
|
Inclusive |
Understand potential biases and prejudice | |
|
Advocacy |
Advocate for social cohesion objectives | |
|
Partnership |
Help strengthen partnerships between local government and the community and act as a bridge between different community groups | |
|
Executive team |
Leadership |
Acknowledge the role of local government in building social cohesion |
|
Commitment to diversity |
Commit to employing a workforce which reflects the community | |
|
Enabler |
Drive the formation of strong partnerships with other organisations that can build more cohesive communities | |
|
Staff |
Take a community view |
Look at the community from a holistic perspective |
|
Evaluation |
Understand the importance of delivering effective outcomes | |
|
Participative |
Work with the community rather than doing things to the community | |
|
Reflection |
Analyse their own potential bias and prejudice | |
|
Collaborate |
Work with staff across departments to gain a better understanding of community issues and needs |
| Example: City of Greater Bendigo, Victoria – Strategic partnerships for social cohesion |
In 2011, the City of Greater Bendigo had a greater proportion of residents with Australian, English and Irish ancestry compared to other areas of regional Victoria. However, its cultural landscape is changing with increased ethnic and religious diversity. Whilst many community members are embracing these changes, there has also been some resistance.
In December 2013 the Council received an application to build a mosque in an industrial zone of Bendigo. There was significant objection from some parts of the community who launched a very public campaign against the proposal. Council received hundreds of objections, including threatening emails to individual staff. Council’s response was reactive and focused on liaising with police, large businesses in Bendigo and the applicant, as well as training and support for Council customer service officers.
Originally seen as a planning issue, in hindsight, Council recognised that a more holistic approach might have been more appropriate and this has resulted in a stronger strategic approach across departments to support cultural diversity.
Subsequently, Council has forged strong relationships with the community leaders and businesses that took a public stance against the anti-mosque protests. It has also developed a Human Rights Charter, established an interfaith council and is in the process of developing a cultural diversity strategy.
In response to the controversy about the mosque, La Trobe University convened a multicultural round table with business leaders, NGOs, community groups and the mayor and CEO of Council to debrief about the events, discuss learnings and develop future initiatives. This group will continue to meet and act as an external reference group for the Bendigo Cultural Diversity Strategy which will seek to entrench social inclusion and diversity in everyday life in Bendigo.
Council approved the mosque application in mid-2014. However, objections to its development (based on planning issues) are currently being heard in the Victorian Civic and Administrative Tribunal.
Source: Personal communication with the Coordinator Inclusive Communities, City of Greater Bendigo (2015).
Human resources departments within local governments will be able to assess what policies and processes exist to recruit and retain culturally diverse staff and identify what might be needed to ensure the workforce is a reflection of the community.
It may be appropriate to undertake a comprehensive review to ensure the workplace reflects not only the community, in terms of cultural and ethnic diversity, but also the range of skill sets and abilities that are important in today’s multicultural and multilingual environment.
| Example: Blacktown City Council, NSW – Focus on employment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples |
Blacktown City Council is the largest local government area in NSW and one of the most culturally diverse places in the Greater Sydney metropolitan area. It has the largest urban population of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of in NSW, representing around 2.6% of the population.
In consultation with its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, Council developed a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) focused on four key areas: relationships; respect; opportunities; and tracking and reporting. As part of the 'opportunities' area, Council developed an Aboriginal Employment Strategy which started implementation in late 2014.
Source: Blacktown City Council (2010). Reconciliation Action Plan. Blacktown City Council and Reconciliation Australia.
Staff and elected members need to be able to engage appropriately with people from culturally diverse backgrounds. An assessment of this capacity is important and further training and development may be required. Such training can include, but ideally will go beyond, cultural awareness towards responding to racism and building cultural competence. Cultural competence refers to the behaviours, attitudes and policies that enable a system, agency or group of professionals to work effectively in cross-cultural situations.3
Due to staff turnover and role changes, training needs assessment should be ongoing with training scheduled regularly.
| Example: City of Whittlesea, Victoria – Cultural competency training |
Aboriginal cultural awareness training was a key part of the Council's 2012 Aboriginal Employment Pathway Strategy and Action Plan. It aimed to build internal cultural competency and skills to attract, recruit and retain Aboriginal staff members. The Kangan Institute was contracted to provide Aboriginal-specific cultural awareness training.
The training was delivered over two sessions of 3.5 hours each and targeted leaders, managers, supervisors, human resources staff and employees in contact roles, such as personal assistants to directors and equal opportunity contact officers. Around 150 people completed the training.
Source: City of Whittlesea (2012). Aboriginal Employment Pathways Strategy and Action Plan (October 2012-October 2017). p.14.
| Other resources for cultural competency |
Australian Human Rights Commission: Social Justice Report: Chapter 4 Section 4.4: Cultural safety and security: Tools to address lateral violence. This resource helps understand the continuum of cultural competence and the characteristics of competence for individuals and organisations.
Following a commitment to social cohesion as a strategic priority, local governments need to embed clear social cohesion objectives towards this commitment in organisational policies and processes.
| Tip: Checklist to audit current policies and processes |
Conduct an audit of current policies and processes to ensure they will support social cohesion.
Use this checklist to conduct the audit.
If current policies and processes do not support social cohesion, they may need to be adjusted to reflect the strategic priority.
Social cohesion objectives need to be included in the following policies or their equivalents:
The Racism. It Stops With Me campaign, led by the Australian Human Rights Commission, aims to empower individuals and organisations to prevent and respond effectively to racism. Organisations can pledge their support for the campaign and commit to undertake activities to combat racism and support social cohesion.
More than 60 local governments have signed up as campaign supporters to date, and local governments have been some of the most active in undertaking activities in support of the campaign's objectives. These include public events at which residents pledge their support for diversity, development of anti-racism training packages for schools and local organisations, communication campaigns to share information about culturally diverse communities and the promotion of anti-racism messages on billboards, at bus stops and train stations.
Source: Australian Human Rights Commission (n.d.). Racism. It Stops With Me.
| Example: Darebin City Council, Victoria – Anti-racism strategy |
Early in 2011, a national research project found that Darebin City Council had higher levels of racism than the state average. However, views on multiculturalism were more positive than average. As a consequence, Council launched a Racism Inquiry to better understand these contradictory findings. This resulted in the Darebin City Council Racism Inquiry Report 2012 and the City of Darebin Anti-Racism Strategy 2012-2015.
The strategy is explicitly located in a legal and policy framework derived from federal and state legislative requirements and policy initiatives. The goals of the strategy are to:
Source: City of Darebin (2012). Darebin Anti-racism strategy 2012-2015.
| Example: Ipswich City Council, Queensland – Implementation in policies |
The Council adopted a Multicultural Access and Equity Policy to complement its Social Justice Policy and has used external funding to improve social cohesion. The current focus is on structural change within Council ensuring that people from multicultural groups use Council and other local organisations' services and that people from all backgrounds participate in social and cultural events.
One such event is the Pasifika Spring Festival, a showcase of multicultural performances and food stalls including an Elder Marquee and children's activities.
Source: City of Ipswich (2014). Multicultural.
Social cohesion objectives in this document need to be included in organisational processes such as:
| Example: City of Fremantle, Western Australia – Elected decision-makers initiating change |
In 2009 Council underwent a generational change with the election of a new mayor and five new Councillors, most of who were under 40 years old. In 2010, one of the Councillors proposed a motion to implement set of employment values to guide the City. This set was expanded in the council meeting to include an Aboriginal employment target of 4% for 2015/16. At that time, Aboriginal staff made up only 0.5% of the workforce.
Early work included:
In 2013/14 further progress included:
Aboriginal staff now make up 3.4% of the workforce and work continues towards the 2015/16 target.
Source: City of Fremantle (2014). Shared Work – the City of Fremantle's Indigenous Employment Story. Presentation by Councillor J. Wilson at the 4th Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Employment in Local Government Round Table, July 2014.
Social cohesion objectives need to be included in:
Social cohesion objectives need to be included in various standards and protocol such as:
| Example: City of Cockburn, Western Australia – Standards and protocols |
The City of Cockburn developed its second Reconciliation Action Plan 2013-2016 (RAP), building on previous work. It aims to build community relationships with elders and via community events and programs and has a focus on employment, health, community services and education.
Key achievements relating to standards and protocols include:
Source: City of Cockburn (2014). Reconciliation in Action. Presentation by G. Bowman, Manager Human Services at the 4th Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Employment in Local Government Round Table, July 2014.
Social cohesion objectives need to be included in the following plans and frameworks or their equivalents:
| Example: Blacktown City Council – Strategic planning for social cohesion |
Blacktown City Council has a range of plans to address social cohesion including:
Source: Dandy, J. & Pe-Pua, R. (2013). Research into the Current and Emerging Drivers for Social Cohesion, Social Division and Conflict in Multicultural Australia. Report prepared for Joint Commonwealth, State and Territory Research Advisory Committee. pp.88-91.
| Example: Cardinia Shire Council, Victoria – Capacity building young people in a growth area |
Cardinia Shire Council used the Growth Areas Social Planning Tool to research and implement programs to improve cultural and religious harmony in the emerging growth corridor of Officer in Melbourne's south-east. It aimed to build the capacity of young people from diverse backgrounds and mitigate racist incidents through preventative interventions.
Schools were extensively involved in the project and the project evaluations highlighted specific changes in policies and programs as a result of their involvement. In addition, surveys showed that children displayed increased respect towards students from other cultures with an increased number who agreed or strongly agreed that they were aware of, and could learn from, other religions and cultures.
Source: Social Planning Tool (n.d.). The Growth Areas Social Planning Tool.
| Other resources for embedding social cohesion for positive place-making outcomes |
Social cohesion objectives need to be included in the following systems and reporting processes:
Social cohesion objectives need to be included in a range of communication methods and strategies such as:
| Example: Bathurst Regional Council, NSW – Dual naming of local landmark |
The Bathurst Aboriginal Land Council applied to the Geographic Names Board to have Mount Panorama dual named Wahluu. Mount Panorama is the location of a car racing circuit and the annual Bathurst 1,000 car race but is also a site of specific significance to the original inhabitants of the land, the Wiradjuri people.
The application was strengthened by Council's official support, demonstrating its commitment to recognising the traditional owners of the land and was approved by the NSW Geographical Names Board in April 2015.
Sources: Bathurst Regional Council (2014). Media Release: Dual naming of Mount Panorama (Wahluu): Frequently asked questions.
Department of Finance and Services (2015). Dual Naming of Wahluu and Mount Panorama.
| Example: City of Greater Geraldton, Western Australia – Welcome to Country guide |
The City has an ongoing program of Aboriginal cultural awareness training, supported by the Aboriginal Community Development Officer.
The City was one of the first local governments to adopt a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). The RAP includes actions that are deliverable across the whole of the City's operations. The City created a Reconciliation Committee to monitor and report on deliverables and the RAP is audited annually.
A Welcome to Country Guide was recently adopted by Council and is now available to the public. This guide was created to ensure a better understanding of Welcome to Country processes and provide Councillors and City staff with a step-by-step guide for arranging a Welcome to Country.
Source: Personal communication with Coordinator Community Development, City of Greater Geraldton (2015)
Social cohesion objectives need to be included in a range of policy and processes relating to recruitment, training and staff appraisal:
| Example: NSW Police – Training and development |
NSW is the second most diverse place to live in the world with over 241 language groups and over 500 Aboriginal languages. This means that many police interactions are 'diversity interactions'.
In response, NSW Police has moved from cultural training (providing information about different cultures) towards diversity training (understanding the international and NSW context and developing skills such as self-awareness). Staff capability building now emphasises reflective practice and critical and systemic thinking to engage staff in creative problem solving and the analysis of current and future situations.
The Force's Integrated Diversity Training and Capability Model is highly participative and is underpinned by human rights concepts. It goes beyond a traditional compliance approach towards developing knowledge about diversity as a skill, a management approach and a workforce recruitment and retention tool as well as underpinning policing in context. Key elements include learning about:
Sources: Saba, J.T. (2010). The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust of Australia: Report by 2010 Churchill Fellow.
Personal communication with the NSW Police Force Cultural Diversity Team (2015)
| Example: Shire of Katanning, Western Australia – Employment of staff from diverse backgrounds |
The Shire of Katanning is one of the most culturally diverse communities in WA with many migrants and refugees having moved to Katanning over the last 30 years to take up employment opportunities. This has presented the Shire with a range of challenges in terms of community engagement and ensuring that staff are aware of cultural issues which may affect their capacity to provide services to the community.
One successful strategy used to improve staff understanding of cultural differences has been to employ staff from amongst the community's new arrivals. This ensures that staff have daily contact with people from diverse cultures and allows easy access to staff who can provide advice about new services and events that are being planned.
The shire currently has staff from nine different cultural groups in roles as diverse as Youth Development Coordinator, Art Gallery Coordinator, payroll officer, recreation centre staff, life guards, parks and gardens crew, road construction and maintenance crew and ranger services.
The Youth Development Officer has developed a rapport with younger members of the community and has implemented a number of programs aimed at reducing crime and raising awareness of mental health issues. Programs such as Midnight Basketball are delivered in partnership with the police and a DJ workshop program is delivered in partnership with other service providers and NGOs. The Shire has also formed strong relationships with community religious leaders who are regularly consulted on issues and act as a voice between the Shire and their communities.
Employment of staff from diverse cultures also ensures the Shire can provide basic translation services. Feedback from members of the Shire's culturally and linguistically diverse communities has also indicated that they feel more welcome in facilities which employ members of their communities such as the recreation centre, aquatic centre and art gallery.
Sources: Government of Western Australia (2010). Implementing the Principles of Multiculturalism Locally: A planning guide for Western Australian local governments. p.22
Personal communication with the Youth Development Officer, Shire of Katanning (2015).
| Other resources for cultural competence |
Cultural competence – transforming policy, services, programs and practice:
Although written from an Aboriginal and Torres Strait peoples mental health perspective, this resource discusses some of the complex issues around the notion of cultural competence and the critical need to develop knowledge, values, skills, and attributes to be responsive in diverse cultural settings. It also sees cultural competence as a continuous process which needs to be built into organisational culture.
Importantly, it stresses the use of critically reflective practice for understanding individual level values and biases and driving professional competence. The templates for reflective exercises and individual and organisational cultural competence audits (pp. 212-216) could be highly valuable in local government settings.
Available at: Walker, R., Schultz, C. & Sonn, C. (2014). Chapter 12: 'Cultural Competence – Transforming Policy, Services, Programs and Practice' in Dudgeon, P., Milroy, H., Walker, R. (2014) Working together: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health and wellbeing principles and practice, 2nd edition. Telethon Kids Institute, Kulunga Aboriginal Research Development Unit, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Australia).