Anti-Racism Strategy Guidelines and Template for Local Government

NSW Premiers Department

NSW is home to people from more than 275 cultural backgrounds, making it one of the most diverse states in the world. Yet racism and discrimination continue to impact many people’s lives.

Our communities have faced, and are continuing to face, a rise in incidents of hate and racism.

Local governments have long played a critical role in responding to these challenges, as they are uniquely placed to understand and support their communities – bringing deep local knowledge, trusted relationships, and a commitment to delivering economic, environmental, and social outcomes that make a real difference in people’s lives.

In response to this, CRED Consulting partnered with the NSW Premiers Department and NSW local governments, to develop the States first Anti-racism Strategy for NSW Local Government Guidelines, and supporting Template. The Strategy Guidelines and Template have been developed to support local governments across NSW to build and strengthen anti-racism strategies to a local context.

Services
Strategy

“Strengthening the relationship between local government and the collective NSW community

is especially important in the current climate, as NSW has seen a rise in incidents of hate and racism. These incidents weaken the social fabric that binds us together and challenge our inherent values of respect, inclusion and unity.”

Anti-Racism Strategy
for NSW Local Government

HOW WE DID IT​

The Guidelines and Template were developed through research, collaboration and co-design with the local government sector.

We delivered:

  • A literature review examining national and international best practice in anti-racism policy, social cohesion and local government responses.
  • A co-design workshop involving 50 mayors, councillors, general managers and representatives form 27 local governments across NSW. Representing diverse communities, participants came together to explore how to foster social cohesion and take meaningful action against racism.
  • Collaborative development of the Anti-racism Strategy for NSW Local Government Guidelines providing a step-by-step framework for councils to develop locally relevant strategies.
  • A practical strategy template, enabling councils to translate the guidelines into a tailored anti-racism strategy aligned with their community’s priorities.

OUTCOMES

The project delivered a robust, practical framework to help NSW councils develop long-term anti-racism strategies that address racism and discrimination while strengthening community connectedness.

The launch of the resource coincided with the announcement of the NSW Social Cohesion Grants for Local Government Round 5 – Addressing Racism and Discrimination, which provides $800,000 in funding for councils to develop and implement tailored anti-racism initiatives.

You can access CRED Consulting’s Co-Design Workshop Report here

You can access the NSW Premier’s Department Anti-Racism Strategy for NSW Local Government Guidelines here and download the Template on the NSW Government website here.