With a culture that is deeply rooted in Indigenous heritage and multiculturalism, Newcastle has always been a diverse and eclectic city.
Today, all walks of life make up the fabric of Newcastle and as such, there is a robust effort being made to ensure that Newcastle remains a safe, welcoming, and accessible city for generations to enjoy.
City of Newcastle’s Disability Inclusion Action Plan informs the work of the Access Inclusion Advisory Committee centred around improving outcomes for people with a disability.
The Local Social Strategy are looking at ways in which all communities across the Newcastle LGA could be further connected.
These are broader pieces of work that really are addressing communities, such as the LGBTQIA+ and Indigenous communities across Newcastle to make sure that for groups that, in the past, have experienced exclusion and worse, that we are now actively working towards creating more connections between all members of the community.
One recent example of this is the first-ever raising of the Torres Strait Island flag at City Hall in 2021 for the first time in the building’s 92-year history, where it is now a permanent fixture.
The work being done by the Guraki Aboriginal Standing Committee in providing a united voice to City of Newcastle on issues that affect Newcastle’s Indigenous people is also helping foster a culture of inclusion across the city.
City of Newcastle endorsed the Uluru Statement From The Heart, which calls for the establishment of a constitutionally enshrined Voice To Parliament and, in partnership with Guraki, Local Government NSW and From The Heart will hold community awareness forums to further conversations about reconciliation.
In February 2022, the Progress Pride Flag flew proudly above City Hall for the first time, to reaffirm City of Newcastle’s commitment to supporting the LGBTQIA+ community.
City of Newcastle was the city with the highest 'Yes' vote in regional Australia in support of marriage equality. We want to ensure that our community feels safe and supported, which is why we fly the Progress Pride Flag on days and for events that hold significance amongst Newcastle's LGBTIQ+ community.
Flying the flag demonstrates to our local lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer community members that our city stands with them, not only during Mardi Gras, but at all times.
Another way Newcastle is cementing its reputation as an inclusive city for all is the establishment of the annual Count Us In festival.
Count Us In is all about bringing the community together and placing disability inclusion at the forefront of the conversation. Led largely by the disability community, the festival aims to bring the community, business, and people with a disability together to have much-needed conversations about how everyone can contribute to inclusivity in Newcastle.
Count Us In is a festival to celebrate people with a disability in the community and really to draw in other members of the community to start talking to people with a disability about the issues that matter to us.
One of the real focus points for last years’ festival was a business breakfast to talk about employment of people with a disability.
So, it’s safe to say that, no matter your background, there’s always a home for you in Newcastle.
