Australian Multicultural Advisory Council (AMAC)
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The Australian Multicultural Advisory Council was officially launched by the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans, on 17 December 2008 in Melbourne.
The chair of the council is Mr Andrew Demetriou, the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Football League.
The council consists of 16 members with a wide range of backgrounds, experience and professional expertise and reflecting a balance of ages and gender.
The council provides the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship and the Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs and Settlement Services with advice on:
- social cohesion issues relating to Australia’s cultural and religious diversity
- overcoming intolerance and racism in Australia
- communicating the social and economic benefits of Australia’s cultural diversity to the broad community
- issues relating to the social and civic participation of migrants in Australian society.
The council’s first term is from 1 January 2009 to 30 June 2010.
See: Multicultural experts to further Australia's strength in diversity - Joint media release
Biographical information on AMAC members
Mr Andrew Demetriou (Chair) (VIC)
CEO of the AFL
Mr Demetriou has been CEO of the AFL since 2003 after previously holding the job as AFL General Manager of Football Operations for three years.
Mr Demetriou was also CEO of the AFL Players' Association from 1998-2000 and previously served as non-Executive Chair of the Baxter Group, which he took from a market capitalisation of $40 million in 2003 to its sale to Transpacific for $260 million. He is the Public Appeal Chair for the Olivia Newton John Cancer Centre.
Mr Susai Benjamin (NSW)
Senior Review Officer, NSW Treasury
Mr Benjamin has represented the NSW Chief Commissioner of State Revenue at the Administrative Decisions Tribunal since 2003 on numerous matters. He also serves as a part-time member of the Government and Related Employees Appeal Tribunal. Mr Benjamin is the honorary coordinator of the Toongabbie Legal Centre, and honorary convenor of the Australian Multicultural Forum.
Dr Hass Dellal OAM (VIC)
Executive Director, Australian Multicultural Foundation
Dr Dellal has considerable experience in multicultural affairs and sits on several boards, including the National Centre of Excellence for Islamic Studies Consultative Committee; International Steering Committee, International Metropolis Project (Canada); Victoria Police Multifaith Council; and Chair of the Centre for Multicultural Youth.
Ms Joumanah El Matrah (VIC)
Executive Director of the Islamic Women's Welfare Council of Victoria
Ms El Matrah has extensive experience in research and working with a range of service providers in Melbourne. She has contributed to many organisations involved with multicultural, religious and women's issues.
Ms Carmen Garcia (SA)
Assistant Director, Multicultural Youth South Australia
Ms Garcia is an active volunteer in Filipino communities. She has been widely recognised for her work through a range of awards including Channel 9's South Australia Young Achiever Award for Community Service (2004); Australian Filipino Achiever Award (2006) and the Irene Bell Community Achievement Award (2008).
Dr Sylwia Greda-Bogusz (VIC)
Lecturer in business management and member of the Academic Board at the RMIT University in Melbourne and immediate past President of the Board of Directors of Australian-Polish Community Services
Dr Greda-Bogusz has qualifications in mechanical engineering, business and education. She has a Masters of Educational Studies and a Doctor of Education in the field of sociology of education from Monash University, Melbourne.
Ms Rhonda Jacobsen (QLD)
Senior Legal Officer, North Queensland Land Council Native Title Representative Body and Acting Commissioner of the Land and Environment Court
Ms Jacobsen was admitted to the Supreme Court of NSW in 2003 and was awarded a Masters of Mining Law and Policy from the University of Dundee, Scotland in 2006. She has previously held senior legal positions with NSW Native Title Services and the NSW Aboriginal Land Council.
Ms Gail Ker (QLD)
CEO, Logan and Beenleigh Migrant Resource Centre (ACCES Services) and Vice Chair, Settlement Council of Australia
Ms Ker has worked extensively in multicultural affairs positions and is presently a board member of the Ethnic Communities Council in Queensland. She has been actively involved in labour market programs such as SkillShare, and played a key role in developing and leading a community-based non-government organisation in Logan, Queensland.
Ms Voula Messimeri AM (VIC)
Chair of the Federation of Ethnic Communities' Council of Australia and Executive Director of the Australian Greek Welfare Society
Ms Messimeri has been involved in the community services field for over 25 years with a particular focus on multicultural affairs and women's issues. She was inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in March 2007.
Ms Nola Randall-Mohk (NSW)
Outreach Coordinator, NSW TAFE, South Western Sydney Institute, Liverpool College
Ms Randall-Mohk is Advisor and Public Officer, Khmer Community of NSW, Director of Human Resources and Public Officer, Cambodian-Australian Welfare Council of NSW and Chair, Baulkham Hills-Holroyd-Parramatta Migrant Resource Centre. In 2003, she received the Centenary Medal for service to the community.
Mr Brian Schwartz AM (NSW)
Non-executive director of Insurance Australia Group, Brambles Limited and Westfield Group, and Deputy Chair of Football Federation Australia Limited.
Mr Schwartz was appointed as CEO of Investec Bank (Australia) Limited in 2005. Although having recently retired, he remains as a consultant to the bank. Previously, he was with Ernst and Young Australia, becoming its Chief Executive in 1998.
Judge Rauf Soulio (SA)
Judge of the District Court of South Australia
Judge Soulio is the current Chair of the Migrant Resource Centre of South Australia. Between 2003 and 2008, he was Honorary Consul-General for Albania in Australia. In 1999, he coordinated Human Rights Committee interviews and reports in relation to refugees from the Balkans.
Dr Casta Tungaraza (WA)
Equal Opportunity and Social Justice Manager of Murdoch University and the Director of the Australian Academy of Race Relations
Dr Tungaraza's area of interest is inclusivity in education and her current role involves the development of strategies to embed social justice into the curriculum and education business. In 2000, she was appointed to the WA Citizenship and Multicultural Advisory Council and in 2002 she was appointed to the Premier's Anti-Racism Strategy Steering Committee.
Inspector Craig Waterhouse (TAS)
Inspector in Charge, Tasmanian Community Policing Services
Inspector Waterhouse was appointed as Tasmania Police Service Multicultural Liaison Officer in 1999. He has been involved with the Tasmanian Migrant Resource Centre, Multicultural Tasmania, Australia Multicultural Foundation, Office of the Anti-Discrimination Commissioner, and Multicultural Council of Tasmania and Centre Care. He is also chair of the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (Tasmania Division).
Prof Samina Yasmeen (WA)
Director of the Centre for Muslim States and Societies and Associate Professor in Political Science and International Relations at the University of Western Australia.
Professor Yasmeen is a specialist in political and strategic development in South Asia, the role of Islam in world politics, and citizenship among immigrant women.
Mrs Katie Young OAM (NSW)
Director, Asian Division, Hunt and Hunt
Mrs Young is a corporate facilitator. She has been Executive Officer of various Chinese community organisations in Sydney and Melbourne.
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