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City of Greater Shepparton
URL: http://www.greatershepparton.com.au/residents/cultureandcommunitystrengthening/lead/leadexperiences/
Local experiences survey
As part of the LEAD project a local experiences survey has been conducted with our Aboriginal and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities within Greater Shepparton.
Conducted in late 2010 and early 2011, this survey aimed to understand community experiences of racial discrimination, ways of responding to racist incidents, and the mental health impacts of these experiences.
More than 300 surveys were collected from both the Aboriginal and CALD communities, which could not have been achieved without the invaluable assistance of community members.
On 15 September an event was held to share the results of the CALD survey with the community at GOTAFE Shepparton, while a similar event is being planned for the Aboriginal community.
Developed in partnership with GOTAFE, the Ethnic Council of Shepparton and District and University of Melbourne, the CALD information session provided an opportunity to present feedback to survey participants and further discus the results and issues raised in the survey.
Of the 298 surveys completed, the largest group of respondents were from Afghanistan (34 per cent) with other respondents from Africa (Sudan, Congo, Zimbabwe, Nigeria and Burundi); the Middle East (Iran, Iraq and Kuwait); and India and Sri Lanka. The average age of the respondents was 34 and on average they had been living in Australia for eight years.
The majority (87 per cent) of participants said they felt a sense of belonging in Australia and 85 per cent felt a similar sense of belonging to the Shepparton area.
Almost 70 per cent of those surveyed had Year 12 or equivalent or higher qualifications with 27 per cent having tertiary qualifications and 16 per cent TAFE or trade qualifications.
Thirty-five per cent of survey respondents had not experienced a racist incident in the past 12 months - which, unfortunately means 65 per cent have; with most incidents occurred in the work place or in public places and involved racist name calling, jokes or teasing.
The Greater Shepparton respondents' experience of race-based discrimination generally reflected Victoria-wide trends.
As a result of Council's continuing involvement in the LEAD project, it is anticipated that through local level interventions, including training, education and increased community awareness, that when the CALD community is re-surveyed at the end of the LEAD project, they will have experienced less race-based discrimination at work and in the community.
More information regarding the Aboriginal survey results will be published soon.