Access and Equity inquiry report delivered to government
Friday, 29 June 2012
The Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Senator Kate Lundy, today welcomed the release of the independent Access and Equity Inquiry Panel report to ensure Australian Government services are responsive to the needs of people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds.
The inquiry was a key initiative of the Gillard Government's multicultural policy announced in February 2011.
'The Federal Government announced the inquiry into departments and agencies to ensure we had a comprehensive view on how existing services were performing and how they could be improved,' Senator Lundy said.
'The Australian Government believes all Australians are entitled to equitable access to government services and programs and understands the importance of having a strong access and equity framework across departments and agencies.
'The recent release of the 2011 census figures has highlighted the diversity of the Australia community with about 47 per cent of Australians either born overseas or have a parent who was.
'Migration source countries are also continuing to diversify with China, New Zealand, India and then the United Kingdom now the leading countries for recent migration.
'Australian government agencies need to interact effectively with the whole community and be accessible to all Australians who are eligible, be responsive to their needs and deliver equitable outcomes.'
The Access and Equity Panel was chaired by Peter Hughes PSM, former deputy secretary of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship and included: Judge Rauf Soulio, chair of the Australian Multicultural Council; Pino Migliorino, chair of the Federation of Ethnic Communities' Councils of Australia; Maria Dimopoulos, a consultant in cultural awareness, workplace diversity and cultural change; and Jatinder Kaur, a cultural diversity consultant.
Senator Lundy said the government will now consider the recommendations from the panel in consultation with key agencies and departments.
The Access and Equity Panel report and recommendations to government is available on the Department of Immigration and Citizenship's website.
See: Access and Equity Inquiry
URL: http://www.minister.immi.gov.au/parlsec/media/kl/2012/kl187963.htm
Last update: Friday, 29 June 2012 at 10:41 AEST