Welcome to Cultural Diversity

Over the past 200 years Queensland has become home to people from more than 150 countries.  Queensland is home to people of many different countries, traditions, religions and language groups. The first cultural groups in Queensland were the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

We all belong to a cultural group with its own values, practices and ways of doing things.

The Australia Bureau of Statistics 2006 census results indicate that:

• 17.9 % of Queenslanders were born overseas
• 86.4 % of people stated that they only speak English at home

The Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) supports councils to better assist, engage and foster connections with their culturally diverse communities through Council planning, policies, and services.  

Resources, training, and information kits are also provided by the LGAQ to assist Council to respond to the challenges and opportunities of skilled migration, accessible service delivery and intercultural relations.

LGAQ Policy Statement 2003 states that :
"Local Government recognises the importance of cultural and linguistic diversity to the social, cultural, and economic life of local communities. It is committed to inclusion of that diversity, in order to enhance and celebrate the richness of community identity and to capture the benefits of that diversity for the benefit of all." 

Through the LAMP program, the Local Government Association of Queensland provides leadership, resources, training and advice to all Queensland Councils interested in improving their local community relations.

The following pages will provide you with a comprehensive suite of resources, tools and research about cultural diversity:

• Local Area Multicultural Partnership (LAMP)
• News and Stories 
• Networks and Useful Links 
• Resources and Research 
• Policies and Plans
• Funding