What We Do
The Multicultural Council of the Northern Territory (MCNT) is a community-based non-profit organisation that advocates and provides direct services for individuals, families and communities from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds in the Top End of the Northern Territory.
The MCNT promotes multiculturalism as a policy that works for all Australians. The MCNT promotes empowerment for people from CALD backgrounds through culturally appropriate advocacy and direct service delivery to ensure full participation in the Territory’s social, cultural, economic, political and civic life.
The MCNT’s core business and organisational ethics are guided by the principles of access and equity, social inclusion, community harmony and celebration of diversity.
The MCNT develops and presents programs and activities that foster cross-cultural awareness and cooperation, creates opportunities for constructive dialogue, and enhances shared values of mutual respect, compassion, inclusion and acceptance within and between new and emerging migrant and refugee communities, Indigenous groups and the established wider Australian community.
Who we work with
The MCNT has a broad and diverse membership base and maintains considerable outreach and interaction with its multicultural constituency. The MCNT works with a range of stakeholders and consults regularly with its members and ethnic community leaders to discuss issues of concern and ascertain evolving and emerging settlement needs and issues for migrants and refugees in our society.
The MCNT is a member of the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA), the Settlement Council of Australia (SCoA), and the Harmony Alliance. The MCNT sits on many local and national advisory committees and boards for the government and non-government sectors. The MCNT Council is also used as a referral point for multicultural community associations and by a number of community organisations, service providers and government agencies.
As a peak body the MCNT responds and contributes to public policy development though regular submissions to FECCA, SCoA and Commonwealth Government agencies, and represents and advocates for CALD community clients and MCNT members at inter-agency meetings and national consultations.
The MCNT receives ongoing operational funding from the Northern Territory Government Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA), which sits in the Territory Families portfolio. OMA views the MCNT as having three primary roles – providing information, advocacy, and community engagement – in meeting its responsibilities and objectives for operational funding.
The MCNT also receives project funding from the Federal Government - the Settlement Engagement and Transition Support (SETS) of the Department of Home Affairs - to assist recently arrived migrants and refugees with settlement and capacity building.