Event and Ticketing Details
Dates & Times
Thursday 17 March
6:15 PM - 7:15 PM
Somehow, almost 40 years after the dissolution of the White Australia policy, after countless waves of immigration and generations of new arrivals, our politicians and pundits are once again discussing the virtues and problems of multiculturalism.
As right-wing shock jocks point towards growing international dissatisfaction with the term, what does it actually mean here in Australia? Multi-racial? Trans-cultural? Assimilated or integrated? Our panel reflects on whether we’re really at a crisis point, and why the ‘m’ word means so much more than just an exotic menu.
The event will be chaired by Maher Mughrabi, foreign news editor of The Age.
The panel will include Senator Kate Lundy, Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration and Citizenship, and Jeremy Sammut, commentator and Research Fellow at the Centre for Independent Studies.
Featuring
Kate Lundy
Senator Kate Lundy is Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration and Multicultural affairs.
Kate was first elected to the Senate for the Australian Capital Territory in 1996. Following the 2010 Federal Election, she was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration and Citizenship. In February 2011, Kate’s title was updated to Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration and Multicultural affairs. This change followed the launch of The People of Australia policy and the announcement that she would have a renewed focus on multicultural affairs in her role as Parliamentary Secretary assisting the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship.
Jeremy Sammut
Jeremy Sammut is a commentator and a senior research fellow at the Centre for Independent Studies (CIS).
Jeremy has a BA (Hons) from Macquarie University and a PhD from Monash University in Australian political and social history. He has published articles on historical subjects in The Journal of Colonial History, The Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society, and Quadrant, and has written for all major newspapers on a broad range of health and social policy topics.
The CIS is a leading independent public policy ‘think tank’ within Australasia, producing research that continues to play a role in shaping and influencing public policy.
Maher Mughrabi
Maher Mughrabi is Foreign Editor of the Age and Sydney Morning Herald. He has previously worked at the Independent, the Scotsman, the Daily Mail and the Khaleej Times. In 2015, Arena Journal published his essay on the 'Arab Spring' and its aftermath, entitled 'Hunting Leviathan in the Middle East'.
Bulent (Hass) Dellal
Bulent Dellal OAM is the Executive Director of the Australian Multicultural Foundation and Deputy Chairman of the SBS Board of Directors. He has over 25 years’ experience in policy, management, community development and programming for cultural diversity.
He has extensive experience nationally and internationally in multicultural affairs. He serves on various boards and committees and has spearheaded initiatives for the development of the general community. He has prepared programs on community relations on behalf of Government authorities and the private sector.
Dellal is Chair of the Centre for Multicultural Youth, Co-Chair of the Victoria Police Multi-faith Council, Member of the Australian Multicultural Council, Board Member of the European Multicultural Foundation, a Fellow of the Williamson Leadership Program and an Australia Day Ambassador.
He was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for services to Multiculturalism, the Arts and the Community in 1997, and the Centenary of Federation Medal in 2003. He was conferred with an Honorary Doctorate in Social Sciences by RMIT University in 2006.