Harmony Week is a time to celebrate Australian multiculturalism, and the successful integration of migrants
into our community. Australia is one of the most successful multicultural countries in the world and we
should celebrate this and work to maintain it.
The message of Harmony Week is everyone belongs.
It is about inclusiveness, respect and belonging for all Australians, regardless of cultural or linguistic
background, united by a set of core Australian values.
Your workplace is the perfect place for you to join together with your staff and networks to celebrate
diversity. We have created this kit to help make celebrating Harmony Week easier for you.
The best way for your workplace to celebrate is to hold an event. Events can take any form you like, for
example a simple multicultural morning tea or a guest speaker at an all staff meeting. It creates an
opportunity to think, talk about and recognise how our differences make our workplace and more broadly
Australia stronger.
Did you know?
· Nearly half (49 per cent) of Australians were born overseas or have at least one parent who was.
· We identify with over 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.
· More than 70 Indigenous languages are spoken in Australia.
These facts are taken from ABS 2016 Census Data. Check out the Australian Bureau of Statistics website