- The Multicultural Queensland Advisory Council (MQAC) is meeting in Mount Isa today and tomorrow and will hold discussions with local community members and leaders.
- The MQAC meeting will look at barriers facing people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds in Queensland's regional, rural and remote areas and focus on how to foster enhanced inclusion.
- These discussions will help shape initiatives to combat issues impacting people from diverse backgrounds in these rural areas and beyond.
The Multicultural Queensland Advisory Council will hold a two-day meeting in Mount Isa today and tomorrow focusing on barriers facing people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds living in Queensland's regional, rural and remote areas and solutions to foster enhanced inclusion.
Council members will hold discussions with First Nations representatives, Mount Isa City Council and community organisations to hear first-hand the opportunities and challenges facing people from diverse backgrounds in regional Queensland.
The Council and community leaders will also discuss the crucial work being done to foster inclusion and ensure people from diverse backgrounds are supported to connect, contribute and belong.
The Multicultural Queensland Advisory Council advises the Minister on issues impacting people from diverse backgrounds and promotes the Multicultural Queensland Charter to support a unified and harmonious community.
This Council is the third to be appointed under the Multicultural Recognition Act 2016 and includes regional members from Cairns and Bedourie.
Quotes attributable to the Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Leanne Linard:
"The Multicultural Queensland Advisory Council provides advice to me on opportunities and barriers facing people from CALD backgrounds and I am proud of the work it is doing to foster inclusive and harmonious communities.
"With more than half of Queensland's population living outside of Greater Brisbane, its essential that the MQAC engages with those living in regional, rural and remote parts of our state to ensure they are being supported to contribute, thrive, and belong just as much as those living in Brisbane.
"We are here in Mount Isa to hear first-hand from local leaders and community members.
"This is a great opportunity for us to discuss what we can all do to ensure everyone is supported to forge new connections and contribute meaningfully to their communities.
"Mount Isa is a wonderfully diverse community - more than 16 per cent of the local population were born overseas, and more than 10 per cent speak a language other than English at home.
"With such a culturally diverse population, it's crucial that we continue to ensure barriers to social and economic participation for people from CALD backgrounds are identified and addressed.
"When migrants and refugees are given the best chance to settle into a community, not only do they thrive, but they help our economy and community to prosper and grow.
"The Palaszczuk Government deeply values the advice this Council provides. The members bring diverse cultural experiences to the table and are each committed to ensuring Queensland is inclusive and responsive to the needs of our increasingly diverse communities.
Quotes attributable to MQAC member, Mr Ameya Bhagwant Deshmukh:
"As a migrant who now calls Australia home, it is a great honour to have the opportunity to meet with First Nations elders in Mount Isa and to share how we can build respectful engagement and intercultural understanding between First Nations and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds as we move forward harmoniously as a country.
"My personal journey has involved coming to Queensland from India in 2018 as an international student, and now living and working in Bedourie which although a very welcoming and inclusive community has given me a deep understanding of the challenges faced by migrants and their journey to acculturate in an English-speaking country."
