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Last updated: March 2007
Respecting the diversity of the Australian community in providing services
The Charter of Public Service in a culturally diverse society
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The Charter of Public Service in a Culturally Diverse Society (the Charter) supports the Government’s commitment to implement its Access and Equity Strategy. The Charter was endorsed by Australian, state and territory governments and by the Australian Local Government Association in 1998, and represents a nationally consistent approach to the delivery of culturally responsive Government services.
The purpose of the Charter is to ensure that Government services meet the particular needs of people from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds so that they can participate fully in economic, social and cultural life.
The Charter requires Australian Government agencies to build cultural diversity considerations into:
- strategic planning
- policy development
- budgeting and reporting processes of Government service delivery.
The Charter summarises seven principles central to the design, delivery, monitoring, evaluation and reporting of quality Government services in a culturally diverse society. These are:
- access
- equity
- communication
- responsiveness
- effectiveness
- efficiency
- accountability.
Australian Government agencies are required to report annually to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) about their progress in implementing the Charter’s principles.
Agencies report against a performance management framework designed to comprehensively capture implementation of the Charter’s principles across four main roles of Government:
- policy adviser
- regulator
- purchaser
- provider.
Information on the employer role is collected by the Australian Public Service Commission and supplied to the DIAC.
