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Multicultural Services

There are a number of government and non-government services that can assist health workers to care for patients from a culturally and linguistically diverse background.

Refugee Health Network Queensland

Doctor and patient

The Refugee Health Network Queensland builds capacity, partnerships and facilitates coordination of care across health, settlement agencies, communities, government and non-government sectors.

The Network's website has an extensive collection of resources on healthcare for refugees and people seeking asylum.

Multicultural Affairs Queensland

Multicultural Affairs Queensland (MAQ) is responsible for promoting positive community relations and providing advice on multicultural issues, coordinating multicultural policy development and planning across the Queensland Government.

MAQ publishes the Queensland Multicultural Resource Directory which provides a comprehensive listing of more than 1500 key organisations with an ethnic community focus in Queensland.

Topics include: health services, aged care, child care, counselling, refugee services and community groups.

More information:

Settlement Services Locator

The Department of Social Services website provides an overview of service provider locations for the Humanitarian Settlement Program across Australia.

More information:

Multicultural links

Links to multicultural organisations and further information about multicultural and health services.

Key contacts within Queensland Health

Contacts within Queensland Health who have a specific focus on multicultural health issues.

Last updated: 8 October 2013

What's new?

Queensland Health Guideline for multicultural policy implementation
A guideline to assist Hospital and Health Services and Queensland Health to implement the Queensland Multicultural Policy - A multicultural future for all of us effectively.

Health Care Providers' Handbook on Sikh Patients
Aquick-reference tool for health workers to use when caring for Sikh patients. The handbook aims to help health workers understand the religious beliefs and practices of Sikhs that can affect health care.

Health Care Providers' Handbook on Hindu Patients
A quick-reference tool for health workers to use when caring for Hindu patients. The handbook aims to help health workers understand the religious beliefs and practices of Hindus that can affect health care.

Community profiles for health care providers
A series of 18 cultural profiles that aim to assist health care providers to better understand the health beliefs, pre-migration experiences, communication preferences and other aspects of their clients' culture.

Death and hospitalisation rates by country of birth in Queensland

Cross Cultural Learning and Development Calendar 2012
A calendar which contains the dates for all Queensland Health cross cultural learning and development training courses for 2012.


Complaints about health or other services

Do you have concerns about a government or non-government health service or are you unhappy with the way an issue has been handled? Do you think you have been treated unfairly or are you concerned about a decision or action of a health professional?

It is ok to complain, and there are organisations that are independent of the government that can help you, free of charge.

Go to the Queensland Independent Complaint Agencies' website for more information.