The Significance of Harmony Day

Featured News: March 21, 2019

Nearly half (49%) of Australians were either born overseas or have at least one parent who born outside Australia.

Millions of immigrants have moved across the world to start a new life in Australia. Today, it’s difficult to imagine Australia without pizza, spaghetti bolognese, sushi, kebabs or Indian curry. This shows how wonderfully culturally diverse is Australia.

To celebrate and acknowledge this cultural diversity, Harmony Day is celebrated on 21 March.


The Significance of Harmony Day
The message that Harmony Day wants to convey is that ‘everyone belongs’. Harmony Day celebrates the core values of inclusiveness, mutual respect for one another’s culture and religious diversity and fosters a sense of belonging for everyone who calls Australia their home.

Australia welcomes immigrants from many countries every year, specifically from the UK, China and India. These immigrants have different cultures, different foods, different dressing styles, languages, customs and beliefs that come together in Australia.

Harmony Day is about celebrating differences and embracing new cultures.

To bring equality between different cultures and religious groups, 21 March has been selected to mark this day as it coincides with the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination since 1999.

Why Harmony Day is represented by the colour Orange?

Orange is the official colour of Harmony Day. Traditionally, the colour orange is associated with social communication and stimulating two-way conversations. A warm and inviting colour, it motivates people to think and have a meaningful talk!

It also relates to the freedom of thoughts, ideas and encouraging people to develop mutual respect. The colour orange is taken as a symbol of a change in attitude from racism and discrimination to understanding, peace and harmony.

With all the attributes that colour orange signifies, people are encouraged to wear the colour orange to show their support for cultural diversity and inclusiveness on Harmony Day since it was first celebrated in Australia in 1999.

The Diversity at Enable College

Enable College is a very diverse and cultural friendly place to study, and our courses reflect the same philosophy. We aim to foster an environment that welcomes, accepts and embraces the diversity of our staff and students.

To achieve that, we apply flexible and creative strategies in our courses that engage staff and students in realising the vision for inclusion and diversity.

For instance, in courses such as- (CHC50113) Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care and (CHC43015) Certificate IV in Ageing Support, some units help you develop an understanding of cultural competency when working in diverse groups and across cultural boundaries and rise above racism.

Through these cultural units, students get to understand that a person's culture is much more important than the country we are born in and the language we speak. We actively engage with students to develop their ability to reflect their values, belief, and attitudes as well as those around them to achieve this cultural competence in their respective working fields.

Living in Harmony

As an Australian, we must create an environment where everyone feels equal, treat others with fairness and respect all despite how different we look or dress. To live with peace and in unity, learn more about other people’s cultures and customs. Remember, differences make us unique and special.

Spread Harmony, Live in Harmony!