It’s a strange and turbulent world we’re living in at the moment, but I feel that now more than ever we have to make sure we continue to show respect and empathy to each other; those in our community who are our neighbours, the strangers we meet and those in the wider world around us.

Let’s embrace the richness that diversity brings and continue to create a truly inclusive commu­nity that benefits us all. Brigh­ton Council feels very strongly about ensuring everyone in our area has the opportunity to feel a sense of belonging and to feel safe. In a world where you can be anything, let’s choose kindness.

The Brighton Council is cur­rently consulting with our LGBTIQA+ community to develop an action plan to help make the Brighton area a more welcoming and inclusive place for all.

There is a survey available for anyone 14+ years of age who identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, asexual or if you are a parent, carer, friend, or fam­ily member of an LGBTIQA+ person. We want to hear what life is like in the Brighton area and what you would like to see the Council do to promote diversity and inclusion in your community. There is a link available on the ‘Have Your Say’ page of Brighton Council’s web­site. Please share this opportu­nity with friends and family.

Against the backdrop of an escalation in racist behaviour in our communities in 2024 and a resulting increase in fear for safety amongst many migrants living in Tasmania, Brighton Council called together a meet­ing of councils within Greater Hobart, along with the CEO of the Migrant Resource Centre Tasmania, to discuss some joint initiatives and in particular the idea of a communications campaign that shows leader­ship and puts our councils in the forefront of making a public stand against racism in all its forms.

Our group of councils was further motivated by ‘The Walk’ undertaken in June 2024 by Peter Gutwein in his role as Chair of the Migrant Resource Centre, to bring attention to the challenges faced by our migrant and refugee communities and celebrate the huge contribution made to Tasmania by people from migrant and refugee back­grounds.

The idea is that all Mayors and CEOs of the six councils involved (i.e. Brighton, Sorell, Clarence, Glenorchy, Hobart and Kingborough) share a positive message of support for our migrant communities and consistently convey how much we value the contribution of migrants to Tasmanian society overall. This joint initiative will be launched on the Interna­tional Day For the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on 21 March, 2025.

I have been thinking how fortu­nate we are to live where we do. We’re a community that cares for each other and are proud of that. We can pride ourselves on calling out racism, respecting diversity and making our new residents feel welcome.

On behalf of Council, I wish ev­eryone a very Merry Christmas and happy New Year. May the festive season be a truly happy and safe time for everyone. I hope we can all find some peace and share some kindness with others.

Brighton Mayor

Leigh Gray