Georges River Council was named a Finalist in the 2021 Premier's Multicultural Communications Awards for the communications campaign of this year's In Good Taste event series.
Georges River Council General Manager, Gail Connolly, said, "We're thrilled to be recognised in the Business Campaign of the Year category for our multicultural communications.
"42% of the Georges River population were born in countries where English is not the first language, so inclusion and participation of diverse communities is something we consider when planning and delivering our services, including our communications."
2021 In Good Taste was Council's inaugural month-long food festival which featured bush tucker walks, local tasting tours, cooking demonstrations and the Little Lunar new year celebration.
Reaching over 20 million people, Council's communications campaign resulted in an unprecedented amount of TV, radio, print and online media coverage in English, Chinese, Japanese, Indonesian and Vietnamese.
There were over 150 media stories in local media sources such as the St George and Sutherland Shire Leader; major metro mastheads including the Sydney Morning Herald and The Daily Telegraph; national media outlets including 10 News, The Australian, SBS Radio Mandarin, IndoMedia and TimeOut; as well as international media such as Nguoi Lao Dong and China Central Television.
In additional to traditional platforms, Council also encouraged all media to promote the event series on their own social media channels in order to reach a younger highly engaged, audience. On popular Chinese social media platform Weibo, close to 300,000 views were received on posts about In Good Taste.
Council also supported the events with promotions on its own channels through Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Community e-Newsletter and the quarterly print Community Magazine.
The Premier's Multicultural Communications Awards recognise the vital role multicultural communicators play in delivering critical information and connecting with diverse communities.
Ms Connolly said, "Multiculturalism is something we celebrate here at Georges River, and Council is proud of our work with, and for, our multicultural communities.
"We are very pleased and honoured to be acknowledged alongside big names such as SBS and the Australian Taxation Office.
"As the only NSW council recognised in the Awards, this is a fantastic achievement and I congratulate Council's Communications and Engagement Team for their commitment to serving our diverse community."
