Hindu Council of Australia

Hindu Council of Australia is a peak body organisation founded in 1998 with an aim to create a strong and unified Hindu community in Australia. Since HCA was founded, it has been acting as a representative of the Hindu community in Australia in dealing with the federal, state and local governments, apart from reaching out to other Hindu organisations and institutions.

MISSION:

Hindu Council of Australia’s mission is to work for a strong, cohesive and active Hindu community in Australia, aiming to live in harmony with other religious and cultural communities while also devoted to preserving, promoting and sharing Hindu faith, culture and traditions with others in the society.

1. Celebrate festivals – like Diwali, Holi, Sita Rama Kalyanam and Janamashtami
2. Hindu Chaplains – in hospitals, Jails and Universities to provide emotional spiritual counseling to University students
3. Chaplaincy scholarships – Encourage study of Hindu Chaplaincy among Hindus by providing scholarships
4. Hindu Benevolent Fund – to provide emotional and financial help to those in crisis situations
5. Karma Kitchen – To feed homeless people
6. Hindu Women – to support Hindu women in issues being faced by them
7. Gargi Woman Award – to award Australian women who make exceptional role models for Hindu women in Australia
8. Hindu Youth – involve Hindu youth in interfaith activities with youth from other religions
9. Teaching Hinduism in schools – Provide volunteer teachers to teach Hinduism to students in public schools
10. Hindu Arts – To discover and encourage Hindu artists in Australia and showcase their work
11. Hindu Ecology – To represent Hindu prospective on Environment and climate change issues and to provide and support solutions like Eat less Meat and Vegetarianism
12. Vegetarianism – Provide a definition for Hindu Vegetarian Food and to lobby it with government as consumer choice issue
13. Governmental – To represent Hindu issues at all levels of Government like Religious Freedom for Hindu students studying in other religions schools, Visa difficulties for priests
14. Interfaith – To meet and exchange views with leaders of other religions and work together with them for a harmonious Australian society
15. Walk-a-thon – Short and long walks like a pilgrim between temples.
16. Newsletter – Produce a weekly newsletter with a roundup of news about Hindus living in Australia and their issues
17. Certificate in Hinduism – A free online education course on Introduction to Hinduism
18. Articles – Provide a library of articles on Hinduism
19. Whats On in Australia – Keep a calendar of events and festivals happening on a daily basis under Whats On Today and Tomorrow feature on our web site.
20. Yoga Day – Celebrate International yoga day with other yoga schools in Australia.
21. Rural Outreach
22. Marriage celebrants