Queensland is a culturally and linguistically diverse state with over one in five Queenslanders being born overseas.

Health equity means everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible. However, people from multicultural backgrounds continue to experience significant disparities in accessing and navigating our health services, leading to poorer health outcomes.

To achieve better health outcomes and improve health equity, we must transform our health system to be inclusive and culturally responsive. This involves developing new ways of working and enhancing access to care for people from multicultural backgrounds in Queensland.

Statistics

  • People from multicultural backgrounds in Queensland come from more than

    220

    countries and territories

  • More than

    190

    different languages are spoken in Queensland

  • Over

    40%

    of the population in Queensland are born overseas or have a parent born overseas

  • 36,000+

    humanitarian entrants to Queensland between 2000 - 2021

The Queensland Multicultural Health Policy and Action Plan

The Queensland Multicultural Health Policy and Action Plan (MHPAP) will guide the vision that all people from multicultural backgrounds in Queensland can access safe, equitable and culturally appropriate public healthcare throughout the state.

The plan represents a significant milestone, marking the first statewide policy document dedicated to multicultural health in over a decade. It commits Queensland Health to improving the health and wellbeing of people from multicultural backgrounds in Queensland.

The plan will pave the way for a healthier, more inclusive Queensland by addressing challenges such as:

  • language and cultural barriers
  • health literacy
  • difficulties in navigating the health system
  • socio-economic obstacles
  • discrimination

Read the plan

Queensland Multicultural Health Policy and Action Plan 2024-2029 [PDF 11.5 MB]

Read the summary

Queensland Multicultural Health Policy and Action Plan Summary [PDF 3.9 MB]

How was the plan developed?

Since mid-2023, extensive consultation has been undertaken with community members, sector organisations, departmental staff, primary health and Hospital and Health Service (HHS) representatives.

This included 725 people, 27 organisations, 22 targeted workshops, 15 submissions,  43 one-to-one meetings and 161 survey responses across the state. We thank everyone with lived or living experience for their courage and willingness to participate.

  • Phase 1 consultation: gather initial input and feedback from community and sector stakeholders to identify key issues and opportunities to inform the development of the action plan.
  • Phase 2 consultation: conduct a series of deep-dive internal workshops within Queensland Health to help identify system-level improvements and actions for the plan.
  • Phase 3 consultation: feedback provided on the draft plan through a series of consultation sessions with community leaders, members and service providers in the sector.

Investment and implementation

To improve the health and wellbeing outcomes of people from multicultural backgrounds, the Queensland Government has committed over $11.67 million of new investment specific to multicultural health. The plan captures this new investment as well as various reform actions, including:

  • $4.36 million for nine new Multicultural Health Liaison Officers to support people from multicultural backgrounds in navigating the health system, ensuring our services are more culturally safe and inclusive
  • $3.03 million for five additional refugee health nurses to address unmet demand for refugee health assessments and support. This is a 50% increase in the number of refugee health nurses across Queensland
  • $1.1 million to develop a new centralised booking system for language services to support frontline staff to engage and monitor language services more seamlessly,
  • $3 million to support the Mater Refugee Complex Care clinic to continue providing specialist primary care to people seeking asylum and refugees with complex needs, especially those that are Medicare ineligible.
  • $0.18 million to support Settlement Services International (SSI) maternity hub to provide targeted programs that address cultural and societal barriers experienced by expecting mothers accessing antenatal care.

This investment is in addition to $5.56 million committed through Better Care Together: A plan for Queensland’s state-funded mental health, alcohol and other drug services to 2027 for dedicated Multicultural Mental Health Coordinators to work with and respond to the needs of multicultural communities.  Additional funding has been provided to the Queensland Transcultural Mental Health Centre to provide statewide coordination, mentoring and supervision, support and capability of the mental health, alcohol and other drugs workforce.

It also complements the $15.36 million provided to non-government organisations through current service agreements to support multicultural populations with mental health, sexual health, dementia and early childhood and family health. It supplements our existing recent investment across Queensland Health and the Mater, including:

  • $18.08 million in 2024 for language service provision, which has grown 50% since 2020.
  • $0.93 million per year for the Multicultural Health Coordination Program, which provides access to specialist health care coordination for people from multicultural backgrounds with complex health and wellbeing needs.
  • $2.60 million per year of recurrent funding for the Logan Community Health Action plan (CHAP).

Translated resources

Find information about The Queensland Multicultural Health Policy and Action Plan in your language.

Get in touch

If you have any questions or you'd like more information, please email Multicultural@health.qld.gov.au

Last updated: 29 April 2024