Projects and initiatives

Building Social Cohesion a Resource for Local Government (PDF 7.25MB)

The challenges and opportunities to strengthen social cohesion in NSW are as diverse and varied as our communities. Local Governments are well placed to understand the unique dynamics of their communities and to design and support initiatives and strategies that will foster stronger social cohesion for their local areas.

Connected Communities is working together with local government to develop our shared knowledge of how to strengthen social cohesion, including what works and why and to learn from the strong practice already occurring across NSW and Australia. 

Connected Communities has developed a resource in collaboration with local government and social cohesion experts to support best practice efforts across NSW at local government area level to strengthen social cohesion.

Connected Communities also administers the NSW Social Cohesion Grants for Local Government, which seek to identify social cohesion opportunities and challenges in local communities and support local councils and their community partners to deliver innovative solutions.

In 2021/22, Connected Communities partnered with Multicultural NSW, Office of Local Government, and Regional NSW to administer the inaugural round of the NSW Social Cohesion Grants for Local Government. Six successful applicants were funded:

• Georges River Council: Better Together - Community Bystander Anti-Racism Training
• Lane Cove Council: Neighbourhood and Resilience Building amongst medium-high density residents
• Canada Bay Council: Nurturing Emerging Leaders to Build Social Cohesion
• Hay Shire Council: Hay Community Champion
• Bathurst Regional Council: ReConnect Bathurst
• Muswellbrook Shire Council: Building community cohesion by connecting to local Aboriginal languages

In 2022/23, Round Two of the Social Cohesion Grants funded seven applications focussing on improving civic participation through innovation in volunteering, including: 

• Port Stephens Council: Futureproofing for Vibrant Volunteers in Port Stephens
• Bega Valley Council: Our Communities – Our Spaces, Reactivating and Rejuvenating Our Halls
• Byron Shire Council: Connecting: Rebuilding our Volunteers
• Ryde Shire Council: Supporting Inclusive Volunteering
• Ku-ring-gai Shire Council: Volunteer Spirit in the Community – Let it Shine
• Wollondilly Shire Council: Empowering Volunteers to Provide Community Led Resilience & Recovery Support
• Hornsby Shire Council: Community, Creeks and Critters

Digital Threats To Democracy Dialogue Summary Report (PDF 4.97MB)

On the 12 October 2022, Connected Communities convened a Senior Executive level dialogue on digital threats to democracy.

In partnership with the Lowy Institute, this one-day event brought together NSW and federal government Senior Executives as well as prominent international and domestic academics, subject matter experts, and representatives from impacted communities, with a view to develop a deeper understanding of these complex and intersecting policy issues and to scope practical initiatives in response.

The dialogue addressed the following key themes and generated pathways forward to:

• Online disinformation
• Online hate and extremism
• Tech-enabled interference (foreign and domestic) in public discourse
• Providing an evidence-based understanding on the impacts of these threats on democratic governance
• Providing potential options to mitigate and address digital threats to democracy in Australia
• The dialogue event highlighted the complexity of these themes and clarified the diverse digital threat landscape that Australia currently faces.

Empowering Communities through Strategic Communication Project Report (PDF 3.09MB) (PDF 3.09MB)

videocam 4:40

In December 2020, the NSW Government delivered a series of unique workshops supporting communities to be better able to respond to (and recover from) traumatic events, such as acts of terrorism or violent extremism.

The Safeguarding Social Cohesion (SSC) initiative grew out of community need in the wake of the 2018 terrorist attack on Christchurch masjidain. At the time, although NSW community leaders and community groups acted to support those affected in New Zealand and in local Australian communities, many had no training or skills in how to provide support under such circumstances.

Workshop Round 2: Safeguarding Social Cohesion During COVID-19 (2021)

Safeguarding Social Cohesion During COVID-19 workshops (PDF 795.45KB) (PDF 795.45KB)

videocam 4:15

Following the success of this first round of workshops, in mid-2021 the ‘Safeguarding Social Cohesion During COVID-19’ (SSC) workshops were developed in response to the outbreak of the COVID-19 Delta variant in New South Wales. The outbreak placed much of NSW in lockdown for 82 days and led to tighter restrictions in several local government areas across West and South-West Sydney. 

The SSC workshops covered psychosocial impacts and strategic communication and were developed and delivered during and after the outbreak. 

A total of 35 online workshops — a combination of introductory sessions and in-depth learning modules — were held between September and December 2021. Almost 500 participants from local governments, faith and cultural groups, peak bodies, advocacy groups and state government agencies attended the workshops. The participants represented 95 different organisations, including 35 local councils from across NSW.

Feedback from the workshops was overwhelmingly positive. Demonstrated outcomes included: 

• More than 90 per cent of participants reported that the workshops increased their understanding of the community, psychosocial impacts of Collective Trauma Events (CTEs) and strategic communications.
• 84 per cent of participants reported an increase in their knowledge about emergency management processes during CTEs.
• 85 per cent of participants agreed that they gained practical ideas to support their communities.

Affinity Intercultural Foundation and Macquarie University

Faith, Social cohesion and Community Resilience Summary Report (PDF 3.45MB) (PDF 3.45MB)

Organised by Affinity Intercultural Foundation and Macquarie University, this one-day interfaith symposium held in June 2022, aimed to highlight, and strengthen the positive role played by faith traditions and cultures in Australia’s multicultural society, particularly in the wake of the stresses imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic and other societal security challenges. 

The symposium demonstrated how faith communities are an integral element of a diverse society and contribute to societal resilience and social cohesion through times of stress.

The symposium addressed a set of interconnected challenges that have affected faith communities and wider society:

• The growth of religious and political extremism and violence
• The spread of misinformation and disinformation
• The rise of pandemic related conspiracy theories, and
• Increased community polarisation.

The NSW Government is committed to building the resilience of our communities to violent extremism. We have invested in programs to strengthen our community bonds and counter all forms of violent extremism. Responsibility for this is shared between Australian governments, communities, education providers, non-government organisations (NGOs) and the private sector.

NSW is a welcoming and connected society. One which respects the different views, backgrounds and cultures that make us stronger.
But there is a small number of individuals who purposely use extreme views to divide us, encourage violence and threaten our safety. This can have an impact on the way we live.

As part of the NSW Government's comprehensive approach, Connected Communities coordinates the whole-of-government Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) Program. We work across government agencies to ensure we have robust programs in place to divert, and disengage individuals from violent extremism.
We also work closely with academics, experts, and impacted communities to ensure our countering violent extremism efforts are underpinned by a strong evidence base and robust consultation.

The NSW CVE approach focuses on efforts that not only seek to prevent terrorist incidents but also recover from them. By focussing on social cohesion, Connected Communities seeks to mitigate the impact of acts of terrorism and violent extremism, which can undermine togetherness and our collective unity. 

This reflects the rationale that the better we respond to and recover from terrorism and violent extremism, the better chance we have of preventing retaliatory acts of terrorism and the incidence of violent extremism and terrorism in the long term.

The NSW Government CVE Program is a whole of government program coordinated by NSW Premier’s Department in partnership with Multicultural NSW, NSW Police Force, NSW Department of Communities and Justice (including Corrective Services NSW and Youth Justice NSW), NSW Department of Education and NSW Health.

The Program has four key pillars:

• Stronger social cohesion
• Support and advice for vulnerable people
• Divert and disengage people engaged in violent extremism
• Continued leadership and engagement 

The Program invests in:

• The Community Partnership Action (COMPACT) grants program, the online campaigns to address hate and developing community resilience networks. COMPACT supports community-driven youth engagement projects that aim to inspire and empower young people as champions for community harmony. 
• Diversion and disengagement of young people and adults in custody. This includes resourcing for the Proactive Integrated Support Model (PRISM), and specialised case management capability in Youth Justice. 
• Police capability to identify and respond to bias crime, including training for frontline police officers, database enhancements, additional intelligence and analysis resources and online campaigns to raise awareness of hate crime.
• Student wellbeing and support programs in schools addressing anti-social and extremist behaviour.
• Integrated case management programs, strengthening coordination of CVE case management for those vulnerable to extremism.
• Community advice and support for people who are worried about a friend or family member vulnerable to violent extremism. 
• Specialist mental health capability to enhance advice and education in the context of violent extremism and fixated threats.
• Engagement with communities, academics, private enterprise and local government to codesign CVE measures and programs. 
• Research ensuring CVE programs are responsive to emerging trends and issues and align with best practice. 

Engagement & Hate Crime Unit

Launched by NSW Police in early 2023 and developed in consultation with community groups, this campaign aims to educate and encourage reporting of hate-motivated crimes and incidents.

The education package includes a series of animated videos which define hate crimes and hate incidents and provide simple advice to the community about reporting options as a victim or witness, as well as print materials for display in police stations, government and council offices, local businesses, and other community areas.

With the assistance of Multicultural NSW, the posters, cards, and pamphlets are available in five languages other than English: Arabic, Hindi, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, and Vietnamese.

The launch of this campaign comes after almost two years of community, stakeholder, academic and expert consultation, and collaboration; extensive research, a redevelopment of the Hate Crime Guidelines and the Hate Crime Policy Statement, and the delivery of new training packages for all NSW Police Force staff.