Cities #WithRefugees Campaign

The City of Sydney (the City) council is responsible for the central districts of Sydney, the state capital of New South Wales.

The City is proud to deliver and support a number of initiatives and programs supporting refugees and people seeking asylum, including the following:

• Refugee Welcome Zone - in 2005 the City became an official Refugee Welcome Zone, an initiative of the Refugee Council of Australia.  At that time, Council declared a commitment to welcoming refugees and people seeking asylum.  Council reaffirmed this commitment in 2014 and has since celebrated Refugee Week annually.
• Each year, the City demonstrates its commitment to the Refugee Welcome Zone initiative during Refugee Week by delivering and supporting programs and events, as well as promoting welcoming messages throughout the City.
• The City's Grants and Sponsorship Program, provides grants and in kind support  to a range of organisations for local projects and events to support and welcome refugees and people seeking asylum and to celebrate their contributions to the community.
• The City actively encourages organisations that support refugees and people seeking asylum to apply to our Charity Partners Program. The Refugee Council of Australia was the 2020 official charity partner for the City's New Year's Eve celebrations.
• The City partners with not-for-profit organisation CareerSeekers to participate in the CareerSeekers New Australian Internship Program. The program creates internship opportunities for refugees and asylum seekers who want to restart their professional careers in Australia. The City has employed four CareerSeekers interns since 2016.

• The City provides free or low-cost access to City programs, venues, facilities and services (including pools, gyms and libraries) for refugees and people seeking asylum including:
• Free swimming lessons specifically for refugees and people seeking asylum at the City's Cook and Phillip Park Aquatic and Fitness Centre and Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre.
• The City's Access Card program offers refugees and people seeking asylum a concessional rate to swim at any of the City's five swimming pools and tennis court hire.
• The City's nine Library branches offer free annual library membership under a special Temporary Membership, which allows a borrowing limit of 5 items for 3 weeks, and access to all Library facilities including free WiFi.
• The City's community and recreation centres offer free and low cost programs and activities for everyone.
• The City values and celebrates its diversity by organising and sponsoring a number of major multicultural events and festivals each year, including the  largest celebration of the Lunar New Year in the southern hemisphere, comprising lantern displays, night markets, food stalls, art exhibitions, dragon boat racing, and tours.
• The City supports the Racism Not Welcome campaign and recently installed a number of street signs across the City to support the campaign, including signs at Circular Quay, Sydney Town Hall, Chinatown and Central Station. To complement the campaign, the City organises and supports racial literacy workshops to build capacity community capacity and skills.