Key Dates:
16 October 2026
Consultation opens at the FECCA 2026 Conference
19 October 2026
Survey circulated to Summit participants and the convening partners' networks
6 November 2026
Consultation closes
SydWest, SSI and SCOA have opened a national consultation on the Emerging Social Cohesion Roadmap, a set of five proposed actions developed from the Think Social Cohesion National Summit. The consultation opened at the FECCA 2026 Conference at Old Parliament House, Canberra, on 16 October and closes on 6 November 2026.
The Summit brought 160 invited leaders from community, government, policy, research and institutions to Business Western Sydney in Parramatta on 28 July 2026. Its overarching conclusion was that Australia does not lack ideas; it lacks a sufficiently shared and accountable framework for action.
SydWest CEO Elfa Moraitakis said the Summit grew out of what communities had been telling the organisation. “People were telling us they were worried. They were experiencing racism, feeling less safe and becoming more anxious about their place in Australia. My measure of success is whether communities can see a difference because we came together, whether their experiences influence decisions and whether we follow through on the commitments we make.”
The Roadmap proposes one action under each of the five priorities that recurred across the day:
- Rights and responsibility: establish a rights and institutional responsibility framework for social cohesion.
- Reach: invest in the local infrastructure of reach.
- Participation: unlock skills and remove barriers to participation, beginning with recognition of overseas skills and qualifications.
- Accountability: apply the accountability architecture to every Roadmap commitment.
- Narrative: develop and promote an ethical storytelling framework, and a structural response to the information environment.
The convening partners have also proposed that First Nations sovereignty and truth-telling sit within the foundation of the Roadmap. This proposal will be developed through engagement with First Nations leaders and organisations, separately from the public survey.
The survey is available at thinksocialcohesion.com.au in English, in 14 other languages and in Easy Read. People can respond as individuals, on behalf of an organisation, or anonymously. Written submissions in any language can be emailed to [email protected].
Every substantive point raised will be logged in a feedback register and given a documented outcome: adopted, amended, or not adopted, with reasons. The final Roadmap will be provided to the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion and to government, and progress against its commitments will be publicly reported six months after publication.
About us:
The Think Social Cohesion National Summit was held on 28 July 2026 at Business Western Sydney, Parramatta, on Dharug Country. It was convened by SydWest, SSI (Settlement Services International) and SCOA (Settlement Council of Australia), with SBS as media partner. Just Gold was Summit Architect. The Summit Report, the Roadmap and session videos are available at thinksocialcohesion.com.au.
Contact details:
Kyriakos Gold, Summit Architect
Just Gold
+61 423 005 332
