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Conference Program

Detailed Program

Find more information on each session below. Search by Track to plan which sessions you would like to attend.
Please note this program is subject to change with more sessions to be announced. 
  • 9:00am - 11:30am | Welcome Plenary
    LOCATION: Auditorium 9:00am - 9:05am | MC Welcome Janice Petersen, SBS 9:05am - 9:20am | Welcome to Country by Uncle Billy Cummings 9:20am - 9:30am | Welcome by Conference Chairpersons Carlo Carli, Chairperson, Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia Elijah Buol OAM, Chairperson, Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland 9:30am - 9:40am | Opening Address Hon Mark Butler MP, Minister for Health & Aged Care 9:40am - 9:50am | Opening Address Hon Ged Kearney MP, Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care 9:50am - 10:00am | Opening Address Hon Julian Hill MP, Assistant Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs 10:00am - 10:10am | Opening Address Senator Paul Scarr, Shadow Assistant Minister for Multicultural Engagement, LNP Senator for Queensland 10:10am - 10:20am | Opening Address Hon Cameron Dick MP, QLD Deputy Premier, Treasurer, and Minister for Trade and Investment 10:20am - 10:35am | Performance by Kristal West, First Nation Singer 10:35am - 10:45am | Keynote TITLE: Towards Fairness - A Multicultural Australia for All Christine Castley, Chief Executive Officer, Multicultural Australia 10:45am - 11:30am | Panel Discussion FACILITATOR: Janice Petersen, SBS Violet Roumeliotis AM, Chief Executive Officer, SSI Professor Andrew Jakubowicz, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, University of Technology Sydney Christine Castley, Chief Executive Officer, Multicultural Australia
  • 11:30am - 12:00pm | MORNING TEA
    Visit our sponsors and exhibitors booths in the exhibition hall.
  • 12:00pm - 1:00pm | SESSION 1A: The idea of Australia and the Untapped Potential of Media in Building Belonging
    LOCATION: Auditorium FACILITATOR: Janice Petersen, SBS James Taylor, Managing Director, SBS Mariam Veiszadeh, CEO, Media Diversity Australia George Savvides AM, Chairperson, SBS Nakul Legha, Commissioning Editor, Scripted, SBS
  • 12:00pm - 1:00pm | SESSION 1B: Cultures, Communities and Care: A Mosaic of Mental Health Practices
    LOCATION: P9 FACILITATOR: Angela Ljubic, Regional Chair, FECCA Ruth Das, Embrace Project/ Mental Health Australia TITLE: Talking About Mental Health - a Community-led Approach Eden Malama, Brisbane South PHN TITLE: The Alamea Project Fatima-Zahra Blila and Mark Oliver, University of Southern Queensland TITLE: Is a First Nations Framework Relevant to the Intercultural Space? Lessons of Application from the Co-design of a Culturally Diverse Women’s Network in Regional Queensland Victor Kollie, Queensland Program of Assistance to Survivors of Torture and Trauma (QPASTT) TITLE: Creating & Upholding a Best Practice Community-based Healing Culture
  • 12:00pm - 1:00pm | SESSION 1C: Breaking the Walls, Opening the Doors
    LOCATION: P10 FACILITATOR: Emily Clauss, Head of Business and Stakeholder Development, Multicultural Communities Council Gold Coast (MCCGC) Eman Mourad, Cultural Perspectives TITLE: The Swiss Cheese Model of Communication: How a Community Engagement Strategy Ensures No One is Left Behind. Susan Forde, Griffith University TITLE: ‘Voice and Belonging’: The potential for ethnic community media to foster a sense of belonging and welcome as part of the migrant settlement experience. Dr. Mohita Roman and Diana Mastrantuono, SSI and TRPP Project TITLE: The value of lived experience to improve quality of NDIS services and supports: A case study of the rights path project Despina Amanatidou and Tea Dietterich, 2M Language Services TITLE: Pillars of Palliative Care: Upskilling Interpreters to Improve Access and Equity
  • 1. 12:00pm - 1:00pm | SESSION 1D: The Hidden Epidemic: Rethinking Domestic Violence and Recovery
    LOCATION: P11 FACILITATOR: Maree Foelz, Settlement Domestic and Family Violence Program Lead, SSI Sonia Di Mezza & Dr Sunita Dhindsa, Migrant and Refugee Settlement Services (MARSS) TITLE: Dad and Daughter' - working towards understanding domestic violence within a culturally appropriate model Rose Karlo, Sisters Support TITLE: Fighting Domestic and Family Violence in the CALD communities. Florence Opaye, 54 Reasons TITLE: Creating A Culturally Informed Child Approach to Family, Domestic And / or Sexual Violence
  • 12:00pm - 1:00pm | SESSION 1E: WORKSHOP - Young People and the Advocacy for Human Rights
    LOCATION: P8 FACILITATOR: Daney Faddoul, Campaign Manager, Human Rights Law Centre
  • 1:00pm - 2:00pm | LUNCH
    Visit our sponsors and exhibitors booths in the exhibition hall.
  • 2:00pm - 3:00pm | SESSION 2A: Conversation with Her Excellency Imelde Sabushimike, Republic of Burundi, Minister for National Solidarity, Social Affairs, Human Rights and Gender
    LOCATION: AUDITORIUM FACILITATOR: John Bosco Ngendakurio, Manager, Research, Policy and Advocacy, Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland
  • 2:00pm - 3:00pm | SESSION 2B: Thriving on New Turf: From Driving Tests to Social Ties
    LOCATION: P9 FACILITATOR: Peter Doukas OAM, Senior Deputy Chair, FECCA Talia Stump, Western Sydney University TITLE: Settling well in regional Australia: a Longitudinal Study of the Settlement Journeys of People from Refugee Backgrounds Olu Iniwounu, Migrant Resource Centre Tasmania TITLE: MuM PALS: Strengthening Early Years and Supporting Wellbeing in Migrant Children and Families Sabeeha Nihad, Australian Red Cross TITLE: A Story of Connection, Support, and Friendship: How Social Capital can Be Built to Create Welcoming and Inclusive Communities. Connected Women in Northern Territory Natacha Amora, Cairns African Association TITLE: Understanding Factors Influencing Practical Driving Test Outcomes in Queensland
  • 2:00pm - 3:00pm | SESSION 2C: Language Unplugged: Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges
    LOCATION: P10 FACILITATOR:Mark Painting, CEO, National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters Davide Schiappapietra, SBS TITLE: Delivering Online & Social Language Communication: the SBS Experience Abdisa Kalbesa, Oromo Youth Community of WA Inc. TITLE: Reexamining Linguistic Diversity in Multiculturalism: Challenges Faced by Children of Colour Born in Australia. Agnieszka Chudecka, Flinders University & PICAC Alliance TITLE: Language barriers experienced by older migrants living in community settings: Lessons learnt from a systematic review. Matthew Bricknell, Department of Home Affairs TITLE: On Demand Web Translation
  • 2:00pm - 3:00pm | SESSION 2D: Intersecting Identities and Insights
    LOCATION: P11 FACILITATOR: Leah Boonthanom, Head of Corporate Communications, SBS Yue Hu, Chinese Community Council of Australia (Vic) TITLE: Chinese-Australian community support for the First Nations Voice to Parliament Dr Lukasz Krzyzowski, Edith Cowan University, ECU Rainbow Migrants Living Lab TITLE: Rainbow Migrants: Empowering Voices And Shaping Services For LGBTIQA+ Migrants Vanessa Papastavros, Ethnic Communities' Council of NSW TITLE: Solution-Based Stories Shifting CALD Community Attitudes Towards Disability Corienne Inei, Multicultural Community Services Geelong (t/a Cultura) TITLE: The Roots Arts Leadership Project
  • 2:00pm - 3:00pm | SESSION 2E: Inclusion, a necessity, not a nice to have if…
    LOCATION: P8 FACILITATOR: Pino Migliorino AM, Managing Director, Cultural Perspectives Adama Kamara, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Refugee Council of Australia Sarah Migliorino, Director of Communications, Cultural Perspectives Communications Rose Vearing, Head of Community Health and Wellbeing, SSI Lena Etuk, Director, CIRCA Research Rea Singh, Director of Engagement, Cultural Perspectives Engagement
  • 3:00pm - 3:30pm | AFTERNOON TEA
    Visit our sponsors and exhibitors booths in the exhibition hall.
  • 3:30pm - 4:30pm | SESSION 3A: Disability
    LOCATION: Auditorium FACILITATOR: Sara Shams, Disability Rights and Diversity Advocate Keynote Sara Shams, Disability Rights and Diversity Advocate Panel Discussion Prof Michael Schuetz, Director, Jamieson Trauma Institute Dr Nazim Yacoub, Disability Advocate & Ophthalmologist Lisa Carvalho, Director of Operations, Fortify Health Group
  • 3:30pm -4:30pm | SESSION 3B: Backroads: Heartfelt Journeys in Building Belonging
    LOCATION: P9 FACILITATOR: Parsu Sharma Luital JP MAICD, Refugee Communities Association of Australia Inc. Rebecca Griffiths, SBS TITLE: Welcoming Settlement Journey & Fostering a Sense of Belonging Ruwanthi Mudannayaka & Michelle Rowland, South East Community Links TITLE: Threads of Life; Nurturing Strengths to Achieve Social and Economic Mobility Mae De Sesto, Migrant Resource Centre Tasmania TITLE: Homestay Program: Personalised and Supportive Homestay Experiences for New Migrants and Refugees Elfa Moraitakis, SydWest Multicultural Services TITLE: The Fluidity of Belonging Throughout our Life Course
  • 3:30pm - 4:30pm | SESSION 3C: Help Me to Help You!
    LOCATION: P10 FACILITATOR: Ildiko Dauda, A/g Head of Planning and Development, SBS Geskeva Komba and James Emmanuel Mckinnon, VicHealth TITLE: Future Healthy: Communities, Culture and Mental Wellbeing Zena Hosseini, Good Things Foundation Australia TITLE: Digital Sisters: Building Digital Skills and Connections for Refugee and Migrant Women Hellen Kibowen, FECCA TITLE: Small Grants, Big Learnings Fleur Davidson, Commonwealth Bank TITLE: Addressing financial abuse in migrant and refugee communities
  • 3:30pm - 4:30pm | SESSION 3D: Walking the Talk: Creating Spaces for Multicultural Australia
    LOCATION: P11 FACILITATOR: Rana Ebrahimi, National Manager, Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network Australia Thu Nguyen, SBS TITLE: Building Robust Data & Evidence Najmeh Hassanli & Adama Kamara, University Of Technology Sydney, International Business & Strategy TITLE: Community-driven Cultural Festivals: Lessons from the Africultures Festival Jacqueline Nelson & Habiba Asim, Anti-Slavery Australia, University of Technology Sydney TITLE: Engaging Young People About Their Rights Around Marriage: The Speak Now Project Lauren Elston, eSafety Commissioner TITLE: A Safe Future for Families and Communities Online
  • 3:30pm - 4:30pm | SESSION 3E: Measuring success: What do multicultural seniors want from the aged care reforms?
    LOCATION: P8 FACILITATOR: Prof Bianca Brijnath, Director Social Gerontology, National Ageing Research Institute Bijinder Dugal, Director, AASHA AUSTRALIA FOUNDATION Shirley Nield, Founding President, Gold Coast Filipino Australian Performing Arts Ensemble Dr Deepa Rijal, Vice President, Nepalese Association of Queensland Rafal Chomik, Senior Research Fellow, The ARC Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research Claudia Madali, Program Officer - Sector Development, Community Engagement and Training Facilitator (PICAC Alliance), Migrant Resource Centre, Tasmania
  • 5:00pm | Conference Day One Concludes
    Gala Dinner The conference gala dinner will be held at Howard Smith Wharves, Rivershed. From 6:00 pm, please check in at the registration desk. Formalities will begin at 7:00 pm. Getting there: The CityCat Ferry from South Bank Ferry Terminal or Riverside Ferry Terminal will take you directly to Howard Smith Wharves Ferry Terminal. The ferry runs every 15 minutes and costs 50c. Dress code: Corporate or Cultural Attire

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