​​​​There are over 129 nationalities and around 200 languages represented by people living in the City of Canterbury Bankstown. These culturally and linguistically diverse residents create a vibrant, resourceful and resilient community where people are valued for their unique strengths and personal qualities and where diversity is seen as a community asset.

The City also continues to welcome humanitarian entrants including refugees and asylum seekers and has been a Refugee Welcome Zone since 2002. Most of the humanitarian entrants are young families with children and their needs in adapting to a new country and fulfilling their life aspirations are very complex.

A wide range of services are available in our area for people of diverse cultures but access to those services needs to be promoted and improved and collaborations and partnerships need to be formed to ensure a full participation of culturally and linguistically diverse residents in the social, cultural and economic life of our City.

This also applies to residents of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds who call Canterbury Bankstown their home. While this community is relatively small in the area, it has a unique place in our local history and as other residents it makes a great contribution to our community life here.

We are working with our diverse communities to increase their participation and social inclusion and to help them become more connected, more resourceful and more self-reliant in our City.