About the inquiry

On 18 November 2011, Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, Senator the Hon Kate Lundy, announced the establishment of an independent panel of eminent community leaders to conduct an inquiry into Australian Government services to ensure they are responsive to the needs of Australians from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. The Inquiry Panel is examining the Australian Government's Access and Equity Strategy and Framework which applies to all Australian Government policies, programs and services.

The strategy seeks to promote fairness and responsiveness in the design, delivery, monitoring and evaluation of Australian Government services for Australians from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. The Access and Equity Inquiry Panel will provide advice and recommendations to the Australian Government on how existing services are provided and how they could be improved.

The independent panel is chaired by former Department of Immigration and Citizenship Deputy Secretary, Mr Peter Hughes, and includes:

• Mr Pino Migliorino, Chair of the Federation of Ethnic Communities' Councils of Australia
• Ms Maria Dimopoulos, member of Australian Lawyers for Human Rights and International Commission of Jurists and recipient of an Amnesty International Human Rights Award
• Ms Jatinder Kaur, a cultural diversity consultant
• Judge Rauf Soulio, Chair of the Australian Multicultural Council, as an ex officio member of the panel.

The inquiry was one of five key initiatives announced in the People of Australia—Australia's Multicultural Policy, which was launched on 16 February 2011.

The Inquiry is being conducted from November 2011 to June 2012. The Panel will present its final report to the Australian Government by 30 June 2012.

Discussion paper - Invitation to comment

The Panel is seeking submissions on the responsiveness of Australian Government services to Australia's culturally and linguistically diverse population.

A paper containing questions for communities and clients has been prepared. It is available in English as a full online (HTML) version or as a downloadable PDF.

See:

• Access and Equity Questions for Communities and Clients (HTML)
• Access and Equity Questions for Communities and Clients ( 69KB PDF file)

The paper has been translated into a range of community languages. The languages have been selected based on objective accessibility criteria.

See: A&E Questions for Communities and Clients - other languages

A discussion paper outlining the key issues has been prepared to assist peak bodies and other interested parties in providing their response.

Should you find it helpful, a response template is also available on request. The Inquiry Panel welcomes responses using the response template and other formats.

The Inquiry Panel encourages all interested parties to make a submission. It is not necessary that submissions address all matters raised in the discussion paper. Your comments and ideas will provide the Panel with valuable information about the Access and Equity Strategy and contribute to its recommendations to the Australian Government.

Submissions close 24 February 2012, and may be provided by post, email or online.

Online: Access and Equity Online Response Form