Hume social justice charter offers equity

Hume City council . Photo by Damjan Janevski. 228421_03

The Hume Social Justice Charter is celebrating its 20th anniversary.

The charter, which is regularly reviewed and updated, provides the council with policy direction and framework to “advance a fair and just community”.

The four guiding principles of the charter are; access and inclusion; equity and fairness; engagement and participation; and rights and accountability.

This year marks two decades since the “living” document’s first iteration.

Councillor Naim Kurt said at Monday night’s public meeting that the charter allowed the council to provide the best “equitable and responsive” outcomes for the community and future generations.

“The [charter] at Hume has always been about reducing the very stark social and economic inequalities present in our community… [it] is one of the defining documents of this council,” he said.

“For more than 20 years, it has defined how we will make progress for social justice outcomes, and we can see that… in our community today.”

The council has adopted the latest review of the charter and rescinded the previous version.