OFFICIAL LAUNCH of the Western Sydney Citizens’ Assembly
Western Sydney is an incredibly diverse region, home to 1,080,817 people with 57%1 of the region using a language other than English at home. The region is also home to one of the largest urban populations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia.
In 2023, WentWest ran two Citizens’ Juries to find out what matters to our community. The goal of this process was to better understand health and social care priorities, so we can focus our investments on what really matters to people in our region.
At the conclusion of the event, the jury members were advised that their recommendations would guide WentWest’s future investments in Western Sydney. To make sure the Citizens’ Juries have a lasting impact, WentWest promised to work with jury members to design a permanent model.
On Wednesday 17 July 2024, we officially launched our Western Sydney Citizens’ Assembly. The Assembly members shared their experience, learnings and joint recommendations for spending on health in Western Sydney. The main takeaway from their presentations was the focus on prevention of disease and the need to invest accordingly.
Each of the members of the Assembly bring a different perspective and represent a different cultural background and are united in their desire to improve health outcomes for all members of our region.
– Andrew Newton, CEO, WentWest
References
1 Australian Bureau of Statistics (2021), Combined 2021 Census data for Blacktown, Cumberland, Parramatta and The Hills LGA’s. Accessed by: Search Census data | Australian Bureau of Statistics (abs.gov.au)
Dr Coralie Wales, Lead Facilitator at WentWest; Aunty Lynette Mieni, Director at Baabayn; Aunty Elaine Gordon, Director at Baabayn; Peter McKinn and Aunty Jenny Ebsworth, Director
Healthy Western Sydney is delivered by WentWest, the Western Sydney Primary Health Network.
What Does This Mean for Community in Western Sydney?
The Western Sydney Citizens’ Assembly, which represents a cross-section of our region, will meet monthly for the first year.
The aim of these regular meetings includes:
9 Promoting better connections between health and social care.
9 Tracking the implementation of the health and social care priority recommendations made by the juries.
9 Demonstrating meaningful allyship between First Nations and other culturally and linguistically diverse communities in Western Sydney.
