City of Parramatta is inviting local businesses to demonstrate their commitment to providing safe places for the LGBTQIA+ community by joining the Welcome Here Project.
In partnership with Woolworths Group, City of Parramatta is now taking Expressions of Interest from local businesses to be involved in the Welcome Here Project.
The project seeks to support businesses and services throughout Australia to create and promote environments that are visibly welcoming and inclusive of LGBTQIA+ communities. Parramatta Council is one of four councils in NSW to have joined the program.
City of Parramatta Lord Mayor Donna Davis said it’s important that all members of the community feel safe and included, and that the City of Parramatta supports everyone by standing up against discrimination and violence.
“The Welcome Here Project is an opportunity for the City of Parramatta to lead the way and become a more inclusive city, by offering ally training and creating safe, welcoming spaces,” she said.
“Council-owned facilities, including libraries and community centres, already proudly display the ‘Welcome Here’ sticker and we hope local businesses will follow suit.”
Now known as Sydney’s second CBD, Lord Mayor Davis believes Parramatta’s diversity is what makes the city so unique and said safe spaces need to be available for the LGBTQIA+ community in Parramatta.
“Council continues to proudly work with our partners to improve community inclusion and reduce discrimination in the City of Parramatta,” she said.
“As the City of Parramatta continues to grow, we need to be mindful of the needs of everyone, including ensuring there are safe and welcome spaces for the LGBTQIA+ community, particularly for those with a Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) experience.”
Successful participants in the program will be required to commit two staff members to attend LGBTQI+ Workplace Championship Training, display the Welcome Here rainbow stickers in a prominent place and register their work site in the Welcome Here Project registry.
The project is based on the research and recommendations put forward through the ‘Advancing LGBTQ+ Safety and Inclusion: Understanding the Lived Experiences and Health Needs of Sexuality and Gender Diverse People in Greater Western Sydney’ report from Western Sydney University (WSU) and ACON.
“Research has shown that active and visible inclusion of LGBTQIA+ people in workplaces, public places and institutions has a direct positive impact on people’s mental wellbeing and initiatives like the Welcome Here Project continue to promote inclusion,” Lord Mayor Davis said.
“We want to make sure people feel free to be themselves without the threat of discrimination.”
Expressions of Interest close on Monday, August 8. More information can be found at cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au/welcome-here.
Ellie Busby is a news reporter for Western Sydney Publishing Group. A graduate of the University of Hertfordshire and Western Sydney University, she is a journalism Major. Ellie has worked with Universal Media, The Cova Project and for a range of other organisations. In 2024, Ellie was named Young Writer of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.