The NSW Government has launched this year’s Multicultural Health Week with a call to action for older people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities to stay healthy, active and socially connected.
Health Minister Ryan Park opened the week-long initiative today, announcing the 2025 theme: “Healthy ageing: Older people are the heart of the family and community.”
The campaign focuses on four main messages: the importance of daily physical activity, healthy eating, early cancer detection, and staying connected to family and community. Park said, “Talking about staying healthy is important. Multicultural Health Week is an opportunity to put the health and wellbeing of culturally and linguistically diverse communities front and centre.”
Park emphasised that the NSW Government is “actively working to support healthy ageing by empowering older adults to live healthy, active, and fulfilling lives with dignity and independence,” pointing to the existing Ageing Well in NSW: Seniors Strategy 2021–2031 as a key policy framework.
The week runs from 1–7 September and coincides with updated data showing the state’s ageing population continues to grow. In 2023, 18.2 per cent of NSW residents were aged 65 or older, a rise from 17.6 per cent in 2021. More than a third of that age group was born overseas, which presents additional challenges in healthcare access and delivery.
Of particular concern is the higher risk of chronic health conditions within these groups. The campaign aims to improve awareness and reach by offering tailored multilingual resources through the Healthy Eating Active Living website and the Get Healthy phone service, which provides free coaching in multiple languages.
Resources are being made available in Arabic, Greek, Italian and both Simplified and Traditional Chinese. There are also social media assets and posters in 40 languages, and videos featuring health ambassadors sharing their own stories.
Minister for Multiculturalism Steve Kamper praised the initiative’s inclusive messaging, saying, “NSW is blessed to have so many amazing communities, and a vibrant multiculturalism, and we want to ensure that everyone is fit and healthy, especially our valuable elderly people from diverse backgrounds.”
NSW Health Secretary Susan Pearce joined the launch and said it was important to keep older people at the centre of family and community life. “The stories from this year’s Multicultural Health Ambassadors Amir Salem OAM, Dimitra Micos OAM, Janey Tham and Maria Pirello are great examples of healthy ageing,” she said.
The campaign also includes messages from youth ambassadors working with the Prevention Education and Research Unit. According to NSW Multicultural Health Communication Service Director Lisa Woodland, “This year, we partnered with six talented Multicultural Youth Ambassadors to deliver stories on how they play an active role in helping older people in their families and communities live healthy and socially connected lives.”
Cancer Institute NSW is another key partner, with CEO Professor Tracey O’Brien AM highlighting the importance of early detection. “Age is the biggest cancer risk factor which is why it’s critically important that as a community, we do everything possible to reduce our cancer risk,” she said.
Multicultural Health Week continues to build on previous efforts, with an increasing focus on community storytelling. Among the voices this year is Dimitra Micos OAM, 76, who said, “Being socially connected gives me great courage and makes me feel strong.” Maria Pirrello, 77, added, “I have to age healthily because I love being around my grandchildren.”
Amir Salem OAM, 82, credited his wellbeing to three habits: “eating healthy food, being physically active and having a harmonious family life.” Janey Tham, who is over 60, kept it simple: “Health is a treasure. Even if you have a lot of money, but you don’t have good health, you are in big trouble.”
The message is clear: health doesn’t come from isolation, it comes from movement, meals, and mateship. And for many in NSW, it starts with a phone call or a conversation in the language they understand best.
Multicultural Health Week runs until 7 September. More information, videos, and translated resources are available via the NSW Multicultural Health Communication Service website and social media channels.
Maria Irene is India Correspondent for The Indian Sun, reporting on technology, finance, culture, and diaspora stories across India and Australia, with a special focus on initiatives led by the Australian High Commission and its Consulates across India.
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