We can all help celebrate our cultural diversity by living the Harmony Week message ‘everyone belongs’. It’s about inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone.
It’s as easy as wearing orange to show your support or attending or hosting a Harmony Week event. Get together with friends and family and through schools, workplaces and our wider communities, to celebrate our diversity.
The week-long celebration of Australia’s cultural diversity was first held in 1999 and has grown to become a significant time to come together and celebrate our nation’s cultural diversity.
It is an opportunity to celebrate Australian multiculturalism, embrace our differences and to share what we have in common.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics has some fascinating statistics about Australia’s diversity:
• Almost half (49 per cent) of Australians were born overseas or have at least one parent who was;
• We identify with more than 300 ancestries;
• Since 1945, more than 7.5 million people have migrated to Australia;
• 85 per cent of Australians agree multiculturalism has been good for Australia;
• Apart from English, the most common languages spoken in Australia are Mandarin, Arabic, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Italian, Greek, Tagalog/Filipino, Hindi, Spanish and Punjabi; and
• More than 70 Indigenous languages are spoken in Australia.
To get involved or find an event, visit harmony.gov.au.
