News Archive

The University's annual Harmony Day celebrations took on a more official role this year, with the launch of UWA's new Action Plan for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) staff.

A fifth of UWA staff are from culturally diverse backgrounds, a fifth of the students are from overseas, and between them, the staff and students speak 80 different languages.

The CALD Action Plan aims to help all UWA staff to reach their full potential regardless of race, first language or religion.  The movement began at Deakin University last year.  In joining the program, UWA will bring together all its cultural competence programs under one framework.

Already UWA has the extraordinarily successful Courageous Conversations about Race , initiated and run by Senior Diversity Officer Malcolm Fialho. Three students spoke at Harmony Day in the Tropical Grove about the impact of the Conversations .  All had thought themselves above racism and were shocked by what they learned about themselves.

UWA also has a Cultural Diversity Inclusive Practice Toolkit, an interfaith calendar to help planning and understanding, and the Language and Cultural Exchange (LACE) program, promoting intercultural friendship.

Aspire UWA and Fairway UWA are programs that actively help and encourage school students who would not normally consider a university education and mentor them when they get here.

All these programs will be united to offer a focus on first generation migrants, visible minorities and religious diversity.

The Action Plan states: "It is only by embedding cultural competence strategies systematically and systemically that lasting social change, cultural shifts and genuine racial equity can be achieved."

We were one of more than 100 organisations around Australia marking Harmony Day, or the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

At UWA's event, Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor Bill Louden also spoke about Indigenous programs at UWA, particularly the extremely successful ongoing Medicine and Dentistry project, and the University's active acceptance of people with different sexual orientations.

"LGBTI people tell me they feel safe here," he said. "We are one of the nation's top 10 employers for LGBTI people."

Professor Louden thanked Beverley Hill, Associate Director, Equity and Diversity, and Malcolm Fialho for their leadership.

In a light-hearted finish, he also acknowledged the parrots, with whose loud squawking the speakers had been competing. "They too are migrants - and welcome to this campus!" he said.

Published in UWA News , April 2013