The campaign has been developed in response to an increase in reports of racist behaviours targeting people of Asian appearance, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The campaign sends a clear message that racism is not acceptable in Australia and that no one has to put up with it.

The campaign includes print, radio, digital and out-of-home advertising focusing on multicultural communities, with additional information and support available online in 63 languages.

The Coalition of Peaks, in partnership with governments, led a comprehensive community engagement process between September and December 2019. The engagements demonstrate a new way of working between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and Australian governments by putting the voices of communities at the centre of the development of the new National Agreement.

The Bill amends nine separate pieces of legislation across six separate Ministerial portfolios, and demonstrates a cross-Government commitment to tackling family and domestic violence. 

One of the key changes is a new specific criminal offence for suffocation and strangulation, which is an important risk factor in the context of family violence. Research has found that a female victim of strangulation is seven times more likely to be the victim of homicide, compared to other family violence victims.

Persistent family violence will also become a criminal offence, in recognition of the reality of family violence for many victims, where the perpetrator commits persistent and ongoing acts of violence against them. The introduction of serial family violence offender declarations will enable courts to declare a person a serial family violence offender, making it easier for the courts and police to identify them and mitigate against the risk of reoffending.

WALGA previously provided comment to DOH in relation to Air Handling, and the submission provided general support for development of new regulations, but highlighted that more detail is required to identify the impact on Local Government. This latest discussion paper provides the detail proposed to be included in the new regulations.
 

Feedback on this part two discussion paper can be provided to DOH via an online survey (closes Monday, 31 August). WALGA will also be developing a submission on behalf of the sector and Local Governments are encouraged to provide feedback or a copy of their completed survey to Policy Officer, Community, Bec Waddington by Wednesday, 15 July to contribute to the WALGA submission.

Including practical, evidence-based resources and tools and templates to help Local Governments plan, implement and evaluate initiatives and strategies to prevent violence against women and their children, the toolkit will officially be launched at the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) Special Recovery Conference in November. The conference program will be announced by ALGA on Friday, 10 July.

The Council will contribute to the reform of the Western Australian mental health, alcohol and other drug system, by providing high level leadership on topics such as:

The At Home Guide was developed in partnership with the Department of Communities and gathers together information on health, day-to-day living, nutrition, accessing government services and finances as well as a compendium of important telephone numbers. The guide has a particular emphasis on identifying and preventing elder abuse. While the booklet is particularly relevant during the current COVID-19 period, it is designed as an ongoing companion for seniors who are living at home.

More than half of seniors are not online so the guide will be available in hard copy format as well as online. The Council on the Ageing (COTA) will be distributing the At Home Guide through Local Governments, the community sector and participants in COTA programs.

It provides a review and analysis of the demographic, social and economic data for older Western Australians from CaLD backgrounds and identifies major trends and issues to assist with service planning.

The report examines the rapid changes in the demographic and cultural composition of older people in WA, as well as related socio-economic factors that impact their everyday lives. In particular, this includes their needs related to health, well-being, aged care services and social connectivity.

It also highlights a cycle of vulnerability that exists for older Western Australians from CaLD backgrounds, arising from low English proficiency, low/no education, low employment and income, and high need for assistance in core activities. All of these increase as they age and are especially pronounced for women.

The Heritage List Guidelines assist Local Governments to develop a heritage list, with sample text to include in an associated local planning policy.
 

Local Government planners or other relevant officers are invited to work with DPLH to put the Guidelines into practice for their own heritage list and provide feedback. The testing group is for Local Governments that are preparing to review their local heritage survey or progress the adoption of a heritage list.
 

The group will engage in activities that will test the application of the guidelines against their Local Government heritage list and local planning policy and provide feedback through independent surveys and online discussion forums.
 

Expressions of Interest close at 5:00pm on Friday, 24 July.

Over the next six months the arts relief grants are set to transform public art offerings across Vincent, with the new projects including sculptures, dance, film, literature, performance art, mural art and music.

The City has been able to offer the grants by drawing on $500,000 of reserve arts funding collected through the Percent for Art scheme. Under the scheme, property developers are required to spend a portion of their budget on public art or have art commissioned on their behalf by a Local Government. Vincent was the first WA Local Government to introduce a Percent for Art policy.

Bina means ‘light of the morning’ in the local Noongar language.

The idea to rename the Princess Wallington Community Parkland (not the Reserve) with a local Noongar name was initially raised through consultation and received support from the City’s Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) Working Group. Local Balga schools were invited to provide possible names and their meanings, with the Warriapendi Primary School submitting the winning name.

 

The name Bina Parkland received nearly 70% of the votes cast. Other potential names included, Djirap-Wongin Parkland and Benang Bidee Parkland. Djirap Wongin means 'grass and trees' and Benang Bidee means ‘the path of tomorrow' or 'the journey and growth of our future leaders'.