Background

Every citizen of Hume City deserves a quality of life that allows them to reach their full potential.

The Social Justice Charter has been a central basis for policy and service planning at Hume since 2001. Each iteration of the Social Justice Charter has sought to further advance a fair and just community, supporting the ability to achieve equitable outcomes for the people of Hume.

Through this commitment Council wants to be responsible and support a society that is fair. We also want economic and social participation for all.

Consultation to inform the draft Charter

The development of the draft Social Justice Charter was informed by Council surveys related to access and participation in health and wellbeing services and the development of the Council Vision and Plan. This included:

  • Community consultation workshops and focus groups (over 2,600 people engaged) and the Hume Community Vision Deliberative panel members (46 Hume residents).
  • 2019/20 community survey (responses received by 612 Hume City residents) via telephone, online and hardcopy. The survey was available in three community languages, Turkish, Arabic and Vietnamese and recorded the top five issues and priorities for Council.
  • 2020/21 Community Indicators Survey conducted in November 2020 (502 residents completing the survey).
  • Engagement with key stakeholders and advisory groups (including Hume Community Hubs, 2021 Change Makers, Multicultural Advisory Group and Reconciliation Action Plan Working Group).

Guiding Principles

The new guiding principles were created based on the extensive feedback received from Hume's community, key stakeholders and advisory groups. The 2021 update of the Charter continues to place social justice as a central basis for what we do, based on the following guiding principles:

Hume City Council's standards for access and inclusion support all residents to be well-informed, connected, and able to participate in community life.

We consider the needs of all people, including possible barriers they may face, how they access information, utilise services and engage in spaces.

We lead by example and ensure inclusive thinking is standard practice.

Hume City Council delivers policy, programs and services with an active consideration of equity and fairness.

We prioritise fairness in all initiatives, including a fair assessment of the unique and sometimes overlapping challenges community members may face, whether that is on the basis of age, ability, gender, religion, socioeconomic status, sexuality or nationality.

We provide targeted policies, programs and services for specific cohorts in the community to foster equitable outcomes.

We nurture opportunities for engagement and participation.

We will engage with individuals and communities to work collaboratively and deliberatively to facilitate and encourage community involvement.

Council seeks to address systemic challenges that may prevent or limit participation in community life and decision-making processes, particularly those faced by people who have been historically under-represented.

Council has an ethical duty and legal obligation to respect, protect, and fulfil the human rights of our residents and to hold ourselves accountable for human rights outcomes.

Council will measure the advancement of social justice across Hume’s policies, services and programs.

We will maintain robust measurement and evaluation mechanisms so that the community can hold Council accountable for the delivery of social justice outcomes.

How you can participate

Consultation is now closed.