Ethnic Affairs Priorities Statement
The framework for developing policies and programs to meet the needs of New South Wales' culturally diverse society is the Ethnic Affairs Priorities Statement (EAPS) program, which is administered by the Community Relations Commission [external link].
EAPS is a measure of agency performance where the needs of culturally diverse clients are fully integrated into core business, which in turn results in quality service delivery within the framework of the Principles of Multiculturalism and social justice obligations.
State programs in New South Wales are governed by the four Principles of Multiculturalism:
Principle 1
All individuals in New South Wales should have the greatest possible opportunity to contribute to, and participate in, all aspects of public life in which they may legally participate.
Principle 2
All individuals and public institutions should respect and make provision for the culture, language and religion of others within an Australian legal and institutional framework where English is the common language.
Principle 3
All individuals should have the greatest possible opportunity to make use of and participate in relevant activities and programs provided or administered by the Government of New South Wales.
Principle 4
All institutions of New South Wales should recognise the linguistic and cultural assets in the population of New South Wales as a valuable resource and promote this resource to maximise the development of the State.
Key issues are:
- service delivery, as appropriate to a culturally diverse client group, is made part of core business
- flexible, inclusive consultation processes are integrated into agency planning
- all staff are trained on cultural diversity issues, as these issues apply in their jobs
- the provision of language services and information is accessible to all clients