The Australian Standard for Welcoming Cities (The Standard) is a central element of the Welcoming Cities network. The Standard establishes the framework for local councils to:

• benchmark their cultural diversity and inclusion policies and practices across the organisation;
• identify where and how further efforts could be directed; and,
• assess progress over time.

The Standard applies to all local councils in Australia. This includes cities, shires, towns, or municipalities. Councils can access and progress through the Standard according to their capacity and resources. We describe these stages (from lowest to highest) as Established, Advanced,Excelling, and Mentoring.

The extent to which local councils measure their activity against the Standard will be based on their understanding of their community’s needs. It is noted that local councils are already addressing elements of the Standard. The Standard validates existing efforts and recognises the connections to fostering cultural diversity and inclusion.