Global Cultural Diversity Conference Proceedings, Sydney
Biographical profiles of speakers and chairs
Dr Manolo Abella
Senior Migration Specialist, Employment Department, International Labour Organisation, Geneva.
For many years, Dr Abella coordinated the ILO's Bangkok-based Asian Regional Program on International Labour Migration. In that capacity he also served as a Regional Adviser, assisting governments in the region in formulating policies to regulate migration, promoting ILO standards in the treatment of migrant workers, assessing the economic impact of migrants' remittances on countries of emigration, and developing programs for the re-absorption of returning migrants. He has contributed widely to academic journals.
Mr Phillip Adams AO
Writer and Broadcaster; Chairman, National Australia Day Council, Australia.
Mr Adams has served as Chairman of the Australian Film Commission, Chairman of the Australian Film Institute, President of the Victorian Council for the Arts and Chairman of the Commission for the Future. He was a foundation member of the Australia Council, of Film Victoria and of the Australian Children's Television Foundation. He has published many books and written for the London Times, the New York Times, the Age, the Sydney Morning Herald and most major newspapers and journals. He is currently a broadcaster with the Australian Broadcasting Commission and contributes weekly columns to the Australian.
Mr John Ah Kit
Executive Director, Jawoyn Association, Australia.
Mr Ah Kit left Darwin High School at the age of 14 and worked as a ringer, labourer and truck driver. He graduated from the South Australian Institute of Technology in 1978 and worked as a District Officer with the Department of Social Security in Katherine from 1979-81. Mr Ah Kit was Executive Director of the Kalano Association, a large Aboriginal organisation in Katherine, from 1981-84. From 1984-90, he was Director of the Northern Land Council. Mr Ah Kit has been Executive Director of the Jawoyn Association since 1991. In that role he is also the Chairperson of the Mt Todd Employment and Education and Training Committee. He was involved in the Mt Todd Agreement, the first post-Mabo mining agreement with Aboriginal traditional land owners.
Ms Caroline Alcorso
Coordinator, New South Wales Working Women's Centre and Member, Association of Non-English Speaking Background Women of Australia (ANESBWA), Australia.
Ms Alcorso is the Coordinator of the New South Wales Working Women's Centre. She has undertaken consultancies on the experiences of women from non-English speaking backgrounds in enterprise bargaining, employment and health. She is part of the State Reference Group for ANESBWA. She is a member of a Consultative Group to advise the Federal Minister for Schools, Vocational Education and Training on matters relevant to people from non-English speaking backgrounds. Ms Alcorso has held a range of community and government positions including Senior Employment Adviser with the New South Wales Office of the Director of Equal Opportunity in Public Employment and lecturer in migrant health at the University of Sydney.
Ms Zita Antonios (Chair)
Race Discrimination Commissioner, Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, Australia.
Ms Antonios has recently rejoined the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, this time as Race Discrimination Commissioner. Previously she had worked for the Commission as Chief Conciliator. For the last five years, Ms Antonios was a full time Member of the Immigration Review Tribunal (New South Wales), hearing cases on appeal concerning decisions made in the Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs. Ms Antonios has also worked on status of women issues, including as an Equal Employment Opportunity Adviser for the New South Wales Government.
The Hon. John Aquilina MP (Chair)
Minister for Education and Training, New South Wales, Australia.
Mr Aquilina was born in Malta and came to Australia with his parents and brother at the age of six. He graduated from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Arts degree and Diploma of Education. Mr Aquilina worked as a high school teacher of History and English for ten years. In 1977 Mr Aquilina was elected Mayor of Blacktown Council. He was elected to the New South Wales Parliament in 1981 as member for Blacktown. He transferred to the State seat of Riverstone in 1991. He is the NSW Minister for Education and Training following the Labour Party's victory at the 1995 election.
Professor Dr Oya Arasli
Associate Dean, Faculty of Law, Ankara University, Turkey
Professor Arasli holds the positions of Associate Dean of the Faculty and Head of the Constitutional Law Department in the Faculty of Law at Ankara University. She is a member of the Central Committee of the Ankara University's Women Issues Research Centre and the High Consultant Council of the Justice Ministry. Professor Arasli took part in political activities between 1961-73 when academics were permitted to participate. During this period she was the General Secretary of the Youth Branch of the Republican People's Party and was one of the elected members of the General Assembly of this party. Professor Arasli has written several books and articles about human rights, electoral systems and the general theory of constitutional law.
Mr Joseph Assaf
Managing Director, Ethnic Communications Pty Ltd, Australia
Mr Assaf arrived in Australia about 25 years ago as a migrant, unable to speak English. He is currently Managing Director of Ethnic Communications Pty Ltd, a company engaged in all aspects of multicultural communicating and marketing. He has been involved in many extensive market research programs and market development projects both in Australia and worldwide. Mr Assaf is the publisher of Multicultural Marketing News, the first newspaper to focus on multicultural marketing and export marketing from Australia. He conceived the Ethnic Business Awards for the National Australia Bank. Mr Assaf is a member of the National Multicultural Advisory Council.
Ms Donna Awatere-Huata
Managing Director, IHI Communications and Consultancy Ltd, New Zealand
Ms Awatere-Huata established IHI Communications and Consultancy Ltd in 1984. Through her company, she has been at the forefront of Maori efforts to develop biculturalism. IHI is best known for its bicultural programs which are designed to help organisations service their Maori clients more effectively and provide more appropriate policy advice to government through the development of a bicultural information base and bicultural communication skills. IHI has also developed a range of training programs for Maori staff. Ms Awatere-Huata is an educational psychologist who has used her professional skills to assist and promote the interests of Maori people, and the author of Maori Sovereignty. She has been engaged in a number of activities specifically targeting Maori people, including the production of television programs.
Mr Jose Ayala Lasso
High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations, Geneva
Mr Ayala Lasso was appointed the first United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in February 1994. He was Ecuador's permanent representative to the United Nations from 1989-94 and permanent representative to the Security Council during 1991-92, serving as President of the Council during August 1991 and September 1992. Mr Ayala Lasso chaired the working group which considered the establishment of the post of High Commissioner for Human Rights and other aspects of the Vienna Declaration and Program of Action which emerged from the World Conference on Human Rights (1993). He has served as his country's ambassador to a number of countries and was the Minister for Foreign Affairs in 1977. In addition to his diplomatic posts, he has taught at the International Law Institute of the Universidad Central del Ecuador. Mr Ayala Lasso has been decorated as a Commander of the National Order of Merit of Ecuador.
Dr Pieter Batelaan
Secretary General, International Association for Intercultural Education, The Netherlands
Dr Batelaan is one of the founders and Secretary General of the International Association for Intercultural Education (IAIE). He is also the editor of the European Journal of Intercultural Studies.Dr Batelaan started his professional career in 1956 as a teacher of Dutch language and literature in secondary education. From 1971-89 he was Director of the Dutch Language and Literature Department of a Dutch institute for teacher training. Since 1989 he has been a freelance consultant. In 1991-92 he was Coordinator of the International Evaluation Committee on the Intercultural and Bilingual Dimension of Swedish Teacher Training. Since 1992 he has been Director of the Learning Together in Multicultural Groups (SLIM) project which combines intercultural education and cooperative learning strategies.
Mr Hari Bedi
Writer and Columnist, Hong Kong
Author, columnist, and consultant, Mr Bedi was an executive with Exxon for 25 years. He worked with the company's oil affiliates in India and Singapore and was later assigned to its regional chemical head office based in Hong Kong as Director of Corporate Affairs for Asia-Pacific. His book, Understanding the Asian Manager, has been acclaimed by critics and executives as an invaluable guide to the mind and cultural make-up of Asian managers. Mr Bedi wrote a weekly column on management in Asiaweek for over three years, switching to his current column in Asian Business in 1991. As a consultant, he is the President of Corporate Affairs Asia Ltd, and has lectured extensively on multicultural management.
Mr Frank Blount
Chief Executive Officer, Telstra Corporation Ltd, Australia
Mr Blount was appointed Chief Executive Officer in January 1992. As CEO, Mr Blount has driven the merger of Telecom Australia and OTC Ltd. He has been a key figure in the Australian telecommunications industry's shift from government monopoly to a competitive market environment, and in developing the Corporation's international initiatives. Prior to this appointment, Mr Blount was Group President of AT&T. In addition, he headed the New American Schools Development Corporation - a non-profit organisation established by American business leaders to launch the design of high performance learning environments for children. In addition, Mr Blount has held positions including Chairman, National Technical Institute for the Deaf; Chairman, Rochester Institute of Technology; and Chairman, Advisory Board, Georgia Institute of Technology.
Senator the Hon. Nick Bolkus
Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Australia
Senator Bolkus was elected to the Senate in 1980. He was appointed Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Multicultural Affairs in 1993. He has previously served as Minister for Consumer Affairs and Minister for Administrative Services. Senator Bolkus has implemented a wide range of reforms in the Immigration portfolio. He established the National Multicultural Advisory Council and has been an active proponent of the Government's Productive Diversity policies which encourage business, employers and unions to maximise the economic benefits of Australia's multicultural workforce.
Mr Jose Borghino
Literature Unit, Australia Council, Australia
Mr Borghino is the Program Manager administering the Literature Board's various international programs of assistance, as well as a number of programs which promote Australian writers and writing nationally. He was instrumental in devising and recently implementing the Literature Board's Translation Grants Program. Mr Borghino was founding editor of a number of Australian magazines including Editions Review (a monthly review of books) and Education Australia (a quarterly magazine of ideas and debate in education). He also edited a number of issues of Intervention magazine. He writes regular pieces for the Australian, the Sydney Morning Herald, Eureka Street and various other major Australian newspapers and magazines.
His Excellency Dr Boutros Boutros-Ghali
Secretary-General, United Nations
Dr Boutros-Ghali became the sixth Secretary-General of the United Nations in January 1992. At the time of his appointment, he was Deputy Prime Minister for Foreign Affairs, Egypt. Dr Boutros-Ghali has had a long association with international affairs as a diplomat, jurist, scholar and widely published author. He was a member of the International Law Commission and is a former member of the International Commission of Jurists. As Secretary-General, Dr Boutros-Ghali's priority has been to strengthen the United Nations so that it can seize the opportunities offered by the conclusion of the Cold War. He has undertaken a program of restructuring and reform to improve the efficiency of the United Nations. Dr Boutros-Ghali has overseen the United Nations' participation in a large number of peacekeeping operations. He issued An Agenda for Peace and An Agenda for Development, both of which identified challenges facing the United Nations and encouraged debate on the reforms and actions needed if the organisation is to respond effectively. Dr Boutros-Ghali has strongly supported countries undertaking democratic and developmental transformation and travelled to over 50 countries to represent the United Nations and to offer his good offices to further the cause of peace.
Dr Peter Brandon
Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
Dr Brandon received his doctorate in Economics and Public Policy Studies at the University of Chicago. Presently he is a research scientist at the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is also a member of the Centre for Demography and Ecology, which is at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as well. Before coming to the Madison campus, Dr Brandon was a Fellow for a year at the Australian Graduate School of Management at the University of New South Wales. Prior to that Dr Brandon's assignments have included work for many state and local governments in the United States and Australia and work for the International Labour Office in Geneva. He is a recipient of several prestigious awards, including the US Public Health Services' National Service Award, the Searle Fellowship, and New York State's Lerman Award for Public Policy and Service.
Professor Ron Callus
Director, Australian Centre for Industrial Relations Research and Teaching, University of Sydney, Australia
Professor Callus is the Associate Professor and Director of the Australian Centre for Industrial Relations Research and Teaching (ACIRRT) at the University of Sydney. ACIRRT was established as an Australian Research Council-funded National Key Centre. Prior to taking up his current position, Professor Callus was Project Director of the Commonwealth Department of Industrial Relations' Australian Workplace Industrial Relations Survey. He has also held teaching appointments in the Department of Industrial Relations at the University of Sydney, the University of Technology, Sydney and the Australian Graduate School of Management. Professor Callus has been a Visiting Research Fellow at the Centre for Working Life in Stockholm and spent seven months at the Institute of Industrial Relations at the University of California, Berkeley. In 1991 with a colleague, he was awarded the 1991 Small Business Research Award. His research has been largely in the fields of workplace industrial relations and immigrant workers.
Ms Georgina Carnegie
Managing Director, Market Intelligence (Asia), Australia
Market Intelligence (Asia) promotes business between multinational companies and the South-East Asian region. The company undertakes economic studies and specific consultancy assignments which require a strategic assessment of market opportunities, and produces ASIA FAX, a tri-weekly facsimile service on business opportunities in the ASEAN region and Indochina. Before starting her own business, Ms Carnegie worked in the federal public service and the Australian corporate sector. She was a Director of Australian Airlines Ltd from 1989-92 and served on the Council of the Australian National University from 1983-89. In 1994, Ms Carnegie was appointed to the Advisory Council of the Graduate School of Government at Monash University in Victoria.
The Hon. Bob Carr MLA
Premier and Minister for the Arts and Ethnic Affairs, New South Wales, Australia
Mr Carr was elected to the State seat of Maroubra in 1983. Before entering Parliament he worked as a journalist with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and the Bulletin. In 1984 he was elevated to the Cabinet of the Wran Government as the Minister for Planning and Environment. Mr Carr took over the additional responsibilities of Heritage in 1986 and during that year he administered the portfolio of Consumer Affairs. Following the 1988 election, Mr Carr was elected unopposed as Leader of the Opposition. Following the Labour Party's success in the March 1995 election, he became the State's 13th Labour Premier with Ministerial responsibility for Ethnic Affairs and the Arts.
Professor Bettina Cass AO
Department of Social Work and Social Policy, University of Sydney, Australia
Professor Cass is Professor of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Sydney. She is also a Commissioner (part-time) on the Australian Law Reform Commission, working on the Reference concerned with reform of laws relevant to community services. She was formerly Director of the Social Security Review for the Commonwealth Government, Chairperson of the National Children's Services Advisory Council, and Chairperson of the National Council for the International Year for the Family. Professor Cass has been a consultant to the OECD, working on issues of social policy in Eastern Europe. Her research and publications cover family policies, social security, community services, housing and regional development, unemployment and employment services in Australia and in comparable OECD countries.
Dr Helen Cattalini
Director, Allbrook Cattalini Research Pty Ltd, Australia.
Since 1987 Ms Cattalini has been the director of her own social research company which specialises in research into community service and social issues, including the areas of multiculturalism, Aboriginal affairs, domestic violence, access and equity policies, the delivery of welfare services and equal opportunity issues. When the first Multicultural and Ethnic Affairs Commission was established in the early 1980s, Ms Cattalini became a Director and later the Commissioner of Multicultural and Ethnic Affairs. On taking up this position, she became the first woman to head a government instrumentality in Western Australia. Ms Cattalini has served on many community management committees and federal and state government advisory bodies in the fields of multiculturalism, women's issues, overseas qualifications recognition and migrant services. She is currently a member of the National Multicultural Advisory Council.
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