Since 1945, more than 7.5 million people have migrated to Australia, and each year we celebrate Harmony Week (starting this year on Monday 16 March) – a time to promote inclusiveness, respect and belonging for all Australians, regardless of cultural or linguistic background, united by a set of core Australian values.
Cara Haslop, Aurion’s General Manager of People & Culture, clearly sees the benefit of Aurion’s culture of diversity and inclusion: “If we are conscious about seeking out and appreciating new ideas and diverse insights, we will not only bring collective wisdom and improve decision-making, we will also build greater connections and engagement with our team and our customers. One conversation at a time, relationships are built and strengthened.”
Aurion system administrator David Nguyen was born in Australia and is one of the around 45 percent of Australians who were born overseas or have at least one parent who was. “My parents are from Vietnam, they came over to Australia in 1979. It was a really hard life because of the war, and they wanted a better life. I’m really grateful for everything that this country has offered to me, and I’m very happy to be here.”
Australia is one of the most successful multicultural countries in the world – Australians identify with over 300 ancestries and 85 percent of us agree multiculturalism has been good for Australia – and we should celebrate this and work to maintain it.
Did you know that apart from English, the most common languages spoken in Australia are Mandarin, Arabic, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Italian, Greek, Tagalog/Filipino, Hindi, Spanish and Punjabi, and that there are more than 70 Indigenous languages spoken in Australia?
Harmony Week is celebrated between 15-21 March 2020, with various events around the country – check the Harmon Week website for information and COVID-19 impacts. Harmony Week includes the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on Saturday 21 March.
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