The Need for an umbrealla body representing the needs of the Sikh Community in Australia has long been felt. The Sikh Council of Australia aims to unite the geographically spread out Sikh Community in Australia, by providing a common platform for the various Sikh Associations/Organisations to discuss issues and approach various projects as a combined effort, rather than individually, thereby sharing the vital resources (both financial as well as human resources), which are very limited.

The name of the Organisation is "Sikh Council Of Australia Inc." Hereinafter referred to for the purpose of this document as "Sikh Council" and abbreviated as SCA.

SCA is a non-profitable religious and charitable Organisation and is not organised for the private gain of any individual. It does not interfere, in any way, in the running of its member Organisations nor concern itself or associate with the Gurudwara politics of its member Organisations.

Primary objectives of SCA is be to act as a spokes body of the Sikhs in Australia, to protect and defend the interests of the Sikh community, Sikh religion and its member organisations. For the avoidance of any doubt all other objectives hereunder are ancillary to these.

The need for an umbrella body, which would unite Sikhs around Australia in prayer and service to humanity and to be better members of the Australian Society, had long been felt. About ten years ago, an informal meeting of various Sikh organisations in Sydney was the first attempt towards development of this concept.

The main idea is to have an efficient, professional and united approach in dealing with numerous issues that the Sikhs (as well as most other ethnic groups) face in Australia and in the rest of the world. SCA acts like a 'TWO-WAY' communication channel between the Australian Sikh Community and the government/non-government agencies.

Sikhs living in various parts of Australia have formed associations in order to get together as a group. Although the reasons these groups are formed vary from religious, cultural, political representation and social service and the groups they target vary from the youth, the aged, families and new immigrants, they have many common objectives.
To achieve these objectives a lot of time, effort, financial, and other resources are often required. Being a minority, Sikhs do not have these resources. This necessitates the establishment of an umbrella body, the Sikh Council of Australia. Not only does SCA improve efficiency manifold by eliminating the duplication of resources and workload in achieving the common objectives but also, more importantly SCA helps create a unified 'TWO-WAY' channel of communication between the Sikh community in Australia and the rest of the Australia. For example, an organisation like the Community Relations Commission much prefers to deal with a body like SCA where the communication can be disseminated to all relevant Sikh organisations (who then pass it on to the citizens of Australia who happen to be Sikhs) rather than communicate with only one group of Sikhs. Similarly the collection of information by the government and other organisations becomes much more accurate when being received from an umbrella body like SCA rather than only one group.

Although it was agreed that SCA will not interfere in the management and organisation of its members, it can help in setting benchmarks, guidelines and best-practice management standards to help the members or prospective members who need resources in setting up or in the times of difficulty.

This approach helps managing and dealing with all types of situations in a consistent manner, which results in least confusion and maximising of the resources for both the Sikh community and government and non-government agencies who might want to deal with the Australian Sikh community.

SCA also communicates with other Sikh organisations and relevant government/non-government agencies in order to achieve its objectives.

"Gurdwaras" (a place of worship, meditation and congregation for the Sikhs) are the heart and soul of the Sikh community. They are natural channels for two-way communication between the community and the Council, and for provision of support for national projects. Their membership of the Council is vital. In addition to the Gurdwaras, SCA is currently approaching other Sikh organizations including those holding educational seminars and camps, setting up libraries, working on web-pages, publishing Sikh literature including books and journals, etc., join the Council as members and work in line with the overall mission of the Council.