Multicultural Recognition Act 2016 in Queensland
Wednesday 9 March 2016 @ 10.43 a.m. | Legal Research
The Queensland Government has given assent (on 4 March 2016) to the Multicultural Recognition Act 2016 (No. 1 of 2016). The Act sets out to recognise the valuable contribution of diverse groups of people in the Queensland community. The Act also establishes the Multicultural Queensland Advisory Council as well as a Multicultural Queensland Charter to ensure that government entities as well as prospective employees are responsive to the diversity of the people of Queensland.
Queensland Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Grace Grace, welcomed the Act. She said:
“It reflects the Palaszczuk Government’s support for Queensland multiculturalism and will go a long way towards ensuring State Government policies, programs and services recognise and respond to our growing multicultural population…The [Act] includes creates a Multicultural Queensland Charter outlining the principles of promoting harmony, inclusion and fairness and acknowledging the unique cultural contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders…It also commits the Queensland Government to developing a whole-of-government multicultural policy and action plan to ensure that government services are responsive to the needs of our multicultural communities.”
Amendments Contained in the Act
The Multicultural Queensland Advisory Council as established by the Act will provide direct advice to the Minister to ensure government policies support the needs, aspirations and contributions of people from diverse backgrounds. Importantly, the advisory council’s terms of reference will focus on the economic participation of migrants and refugees.
It’s important to note that the Multicultural Queensland Charter does not impose any compulsory requirements on businesses and community service providers. Instead, it offers a guideline for anyone and everyone to adopt when implementing company or community policies and objectives. Its inclusive principles can be incorporated and championed by any socially responsible business or community service provider, from how they manage workforce diversity to, if relevant, developing tailored responses to particularly vulnerable culturally and linguistically diverse customer groups.
The Act is due to commence on a day fixed by proclamation or by default on 4 March 2017.
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Sources:
Multicultural Recognition Act 2016, as published on LawOne
Greater recognition for Queensland’s multicultural communities
