Community Connections March 2026
CEO Message
Elfa Moraitakis, CEO
Building
Australia Through Inclusion, Not Division
In recent months I have spent a great deal of time listening to the diverse voices across Western Sydney. I am hearing anxiety about safety, fairness and belonging, but I am also hearing something else; a deep concern about the way migrants are once again being blamed for the pressures facing our country.
As someone who leads a multicultural organisation and as the daughter and granddaughter of migrants, I find it hard to stay silent on this. Migration is not Australia’s weakness. It is one of our greatest strategic advantages. Our future living standards depend on a strong workforce, new skills, innovation and the care economy that supports older Australians. Migration is what has helped this country age with dignity and stability. To suggest that shutting the door will somehow make Australia stronger is not only misleading but it risks making all of us worse off. But this debate is not just about economics. It is about who we are.
More than half of Australians were either born overseas or have a parent who was. Migration has shaped our society, our culture and our identity.
Western Sydney demonstrates this every daycommunities living, working and raising children together across cultures, languages and faiths.
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When migrants are targeted in public debate, it is not abstract. It lands on real families. It lands on children who are told - directly or indirectly - that they do not quite belong and those wounds last far longer than a news cycle.
In my role, I see every day the determination of families who came here seeking safety, opportunity and a future for their children. I see the contributions they make not just economically, but socially and culturally. But I also see the risk when trust erodes. When people feel excluded or targeted they can only withdraw from civic life. That weakens not only social cohesion, but our democracy. Western Sydney is proof that diversity can work; not perfectly, but powerfully.
Our task now is to protect that success, not undermine it. Australia’s future prosperity will not be secured by fear or division. It will be secured by courage. The courage to tell the truth about migration, to invest in inclusion, and to recognise that our diversity is not something to manage, but something to value. It is not a deficit but a strength.
I want to remain hopeful because every day I see communities choosing connection over division. And finally we need to realise that we cannot build Australia’s future by blaming the very people who are helping to build it.
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Join us as a Disability Support Worker and make a difference daily. We offer: full training, flexible hours, competitive pay, and a supportive team.
Click here to apply now or contact info@sydwestms.org.au or 9621-6633.
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For International Women’s Day, the Western Sydney Region Settlement Consortium (WSRSC) and SSI celebrated women’s strength from multicultural and refugee backgrounds in Western Sydney. The event focused on women’s voices, community leadership, and advocacy for fairer systems.
WSRSC highlighted stories from new arrivals and CALD communities, showing the power of collaboration in achieving gender equality and to balance the scales for women everywhere.
