- Welcoming Week 2026 officially launched on 10 September in Logan, Queensland, with the theme *Belonging Is Everyone's Business*, inviting communities, workplaces, councils, sporting clubs and organisations across Australia to celebrate actions that foster inclusion and belonging.
- This year's theme emphasises that belonging is a collective responsibility, created in the places where people live, work, learn, gather and connect, rather than the responsibility of any single community or sector.
- The national launch was co-hosted by Welcoming Australia, SSI and Logan City Council at SSI's new Logan Hub, highlighting Logan as a model of diversity and inclusion, with residents from more than 234 cultures and approximately 12,000 people choosing to move to the city each year.
- Logan Mayor Jon Raven noted the city became Queensland's first council to achieve Advanced Welcoming Cities Accreditation in 2023, with its inclusive culture cited as a key driver of population growth.
- Welcoming Week events across Australia will include community dinners, English classes, sport, craft and conversation groups, and neighbourhood gatherings, with the campaign also joining thousands of events held across eight countries globally.
10 September 2026
Communities across Australia are being invited to make welcome, connection and belonging visible as Welcoming Week 2026 officially launches tonight in Logan, Queensland.
The annual global celebration brings together individuals, communities, councils, workplaces, universities, sporting clubs and organisations to celebrate the everyday actions that create communities where everyone belongs, thrives and shapes a shared future.
This year’s theme, Belonging Is Everyone’s Business, invites us to see belonging not as the responsibility of any one community or sector, but as something created collectively in the places where we live, work, learn, gather, play and connect.
Welcoming Australia CEO Aleem Ali said the campaign offered an opportunity to tell a different story about Australia – and to tell it bolder, louder and better than the voices of those who seek to divide us.
"Modern Australia is multicultural Australia. That is simply who we are, and Welcoming Week is our invitation to every community, workplace, and sporting club to make that visible,” Me Ali said. “Belonging doesn't happen by accident. It's built, every day, by ordinary people doing extraordinary things."
“That’s why this year’s theme, Belonging Is Everyone’s Business, matters. Every workplace, school, sporting club, council, university, neighbourhood and community has a role to play.”
The national launch is being held at SSI’s new Logan Hub, recognising the importance of local communities in telling a national welcoming story. Co-hosted by Welcoming Australia, SSI and Logan City Council, the launch invites the world to take a look at the everyday actions of welcoming and belonging happening at this local level.
Mayor Jon Raven said Logan's selection to host the national launch recognised the city's longstanding commitment to inclusion and belonging.
“With people from more than 234 cultures and backgrounds choosing Logan as their home, we’re one of the most diverse cities in the world,” Mayor Raven said.
“We’re the most welcoming city in Australia because we create opportunities for migrants, refugees and people of all backgrounds to participate in community life. Wherever you’re from in the world, you’re welcome in Logan.”
He said Logan's growth was proof that people were drawn to the city's inclusive culture, with around 12,000 people choosing to move to Logan each year. Logan became Queensland’s first council to achieve Advanced Welcoming Cities Accreditation in 2023.
The launch will centre local people and organisations through Stories from the Kitchen,
showcasing stories from community leaders, Elders, recent arrivals, and organisations who have helped make Logan a place where people belong and thrive.
Across Welcoming Week, communities around Australia will host events and activations ranging from dedicated celebrations to the everyday activities that create connection year-round; including community dinners, English classes, sport, craft and conversation groups and neighbourhood gatherings.
Mr Ali said the campaign was deliberately focused not only on the challenges facing social cohesion, but on showing the alternative already being built in communities:
“Belonging is not something you earn. It is a starting point. When systems and communities are designed with everyone in mind, people don't just arrive and survive; they contribute, they lead, they become the connective tissue of the communities around them. That is what Welcoming Week makes visible. And that is the Australia we are building together."
Welcoming Week puts the stories of welcome from Logan and Australia onto the global stage, joining thousands of events held across 8 countries.
Media are invited to attend the launch tonight at the Logan Hub, alongside Welcoming Australia CEO Aleem Ali, Logan City Council Mayor Jon Raven and Queensland community leaders:
Thursday 10 September
6.00pm-8.00pm
The Logan Hub
Corner Ewing Road and Carmody Street
About us:
Welcoming Australia is a national organisation dedicated to advancing a future where everyone belongs, thrives and shapes a shared future.
Contact details:
Kate Leaney
Community Partnerships and Communications Manager
Niyati Acharya
COO
