In this paper, the author does not only write as an employer of translators for a government department, but also as a professional translator and member of AUSIT, the professional practitioner’s association in Australia. After an initial discussion of the terminology, the author draws on some of the literature to provide an outline of the historical background and context leading to the development of community interpreting and translating in Australia. In a final instance, he provides some examples of community interpreting and translating services in Australia and concludes with the hope that more of the noble rhetoric can be translated into reality.