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CONFERENCE PROGRAM

Building on the Foundation of Lived Experience

Wednesday 20 September

8:15 AM - Conference Registration

Location: ibis Melbourne, Ground Level 

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9:00 AM - CONFERENCE OPENING: MC Diana Nguyen 

Location: ibis Melbourne, Victoria Room 

Welcome to Country: Uncle Shane Charles from Welcome to Country Uncle Shane Charles from Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong Boon Wurrug peoples of the Eastern Kulin

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9:30 AM - Conference Welcome: Mr Parsu Sharma Luital Chairperson RCAA

9:40 AM - Welcome to Melbourne: Cr Le Lieu City of Melbourne

9:50 AM - Conference Opening Address: Ms Catherine Scarth Chief Executive Officer AMES Australia 

 

10:00 AM - Moderated Conversation 1

Title: Multiculturalism in Modern Australia

Location: ibis Melbourne, Victoria Room 

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Moderated by: Mr Elijah Buol OAM, General Secretary RCAA Settlement Advisory Council Member 2019 Queensland Local Hero of the Year

  • Ms Christine Castley Chief Executive Officer Multicultural Australia

  • Ms Fatima Yousufi Member Afghanistan's Women's National Football Team

  • Ms Hafsar Tameesuddin Co-Secretary General Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network

  • Dr Gopal Krishna Siwakoti President INHURED International Kathmandu Nepal

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10:45 AM MORNING TEA & EXHIBITION

Location: Drill Hall 

Delegates then move to breakout session of choice

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11:30 AM - Breakout Session 1

Title: Advocacy and influence: How can refugee voices be heard?

Location: ibis Melbourne, Victoria Room 

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Moderated by: Mr Ramesh Kumar, Head of Strategic Stakeholder Engagement and Partnerships, Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand, Good Shepherd 

  • Mr Huss Mustafa OAM RCAA Patron

  • Ms Tina Hosseini Spokesperson Iranian Women’s Association

  • Ms Dalal Samaan RCAA Women’s Chair and Board Member; Chief Executive Officer of Bloom Community Care

 

11:30 AM - Breakout Session 2

Title: The lived experience: Sport, Stories and Journeys

Location: Multicultural Hub, Red /Orange Room 

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Moderated by: Mr Richard Dent NFP Chief Executive Officer and Civic Leader

  • Ms Adiba Ganji Member Afghanistan Women’s National Football Team

  • Mr Kashif Bouns General Manager Community and Government Relations Western Bulldogs

  • Mr Sunil Menon Head of Community Melbourne City Football Club

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12:30 PM LUNCH & EXHIBITION

Location: Drill Hall 

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1:30 PM - Key Speaker: Ms Nyadol Nyuon OAM, Executive Director of the Sir Zelman Cowen Centre

Title: The Multicultural Framework Review

Location: ibis Melbourne, Victoria Room 

 

2:15 PM - Moderated Conversation 2

Title: Settlement and Service Delivery

Location: ibis Melbourne, Victoria Room 

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Moderated by: Mr Adrian Edwards, UNHCR Representative Australia, New Zealand, PNG and Pacific

  • Ms Sandra Elhelw Chief Executive Officer Settlement Council of Australia

  • Mr Subin Mulmi Executive Director Nationality For All 

  • Mr Paul Power Chief Executive Officer Refugee Council of Australia

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3:00 PM - AFTERNOON TEA & EXHIBITION

Location: Drill Hall 

Delegates then move to breakout session of choice

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3:45 PM - Breakout session 3

Title: Advancing the Voices of Refugee and Migrant Women

Location: ibis Melbourne, Victoria Room 

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Moderated by Ms Celia Tran Manager Communications and Engagement Scanlon Foundation Research Institute

  • Ms Kayenat Ali Housing support practitioner Wellsprings for Women

  • Ms Tanya Kaplan OAM RCAA Board Member South Australia

  • Dr Jamuna Parajuli PhD Advisor Didi Bahini Samaj Victoria (DBSV)

 

3:45 PM - Breakout session 4

Title: A safe space for refugees to share their stories: an ethical storytelling workshop

Location: Multicultural Hub, Red/Orange Room 

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Facilitated by Ms Dung Tran Our Race with special guests

  • Ms Kgshak Akec writer, poet and 2023 Miles Franklin Award shortlisted author

  • Ms Nasiba Akram RCAA Deputy chairperson

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4:30 PM - Day One Summary and Close: Ms Jennie Barrera Chief Executive Officer Wyndham Community Education Centre

Location: ibis Melbourne, Victoria Room

Thursday 21 September

8:30 AM - Registration Opens

Location: ibis Melbourne, Ground Level 

 

9:15 AM - Day 2 CONFERENCE OPENING: MC Diana Nguyen

Location: ibis Melbourne, Victoria Room 

 

9:30 AM - National Speaker: Hon Andrew Giles MP Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs and Federal Member for Scullin

Location: ibis Melbourne, Victoria Room 

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10:10 AM - Breakout session 5

Title: The role of Young Refugees in Advancing Multiculturalism

Location: ibis Melbourne, Victoria Room 

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Moderated by: Ms Carmel Guerra Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY)

  • Ms Sobur Dhieu CMY Shout Out Speaker

  • Mr Altaf Hussein Project Coordinator RCAA Victorian Chapter Founder and Chairman of the Victorian Afghan Youth Association

  • Cr Anthony Tran Maribyrnong City Council

 

10:10 AM - Breakout session 6

Title: A successful Refugee Support Structure

Location: Multicultural Hub, Red/Orange Room 

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Moderated by: Ms Lisa Button Chief Executive Officer Community Refugee Sponsorship Program (CRSA)

  • Ms Victoria Stevenson Assistant Director Community Settlement Section Settlement Program Operations Branch Refugee Humanitarian and Settlement Division Department of Home Affairs

  • Ms Shabnam Safa Community Development Training Lead CRSA Director CMY Victorian Honour Roll of Women

  • Mr Jalal Ahmadzai Innovation and Marketing Coordinator AMES Australia

 

10:45 AM MORNING TEA & EXHIBITION

Location: Drill Hall 

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11:15 AM AM - Key Speaker: Distinguished Professor Andre’ Renzaho PhD, MPH Public Health Consultant and Nutritional Epidemiologist

Title: Advancing Migrant Health Equity in Australia: Trends, Challenges and Opportunities

Location: ibis Melbourne, Victoria Room 

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12:30 PM - National Speaker: Hon Bill Shorten MP, Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme, Minister for Government Services, Federal Member for Maribyrnong

Location: ibis Melbourne, Victoria Room 

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1:00 PM LUNCH & EXHIBITION

Location: Drill Hall 

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1:45 PM - Moderated Conversation 3

Title: Health research and Settlement

Location: ibis Melbourne, Victoria Room 

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Moderated by: Ms Deborah Carrin General Manager Mental Health Family Violence and Community DPV Health

  • Mr Mohammed Al-Idani DPV Health

  • Ms Shadow Toke PhD Student Community Researcher at Refugee and Migrant Health Program Intergenerational Health Group Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI)

  • Mr Andrew Gai Project Coordinator RCAA Victorian Chapter and Co-founder South Sudanese-Australian Academic Society

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2:15 PM - Moderated Conversation 4

Title: Equity and inclusive participation during settlement

Location: ibis Melbourne, Victoria Room 

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Moderated by: Ms Catherine Scarth Chief Executive Officer AMES Australia

  • Ms Melika Yassin Sheikh-Eldin Manager International & Community Development AMES Australia

  • Mr Kamal Dahal RCAA Treasurer and South Australia Coordinator

  • Ms Rana Ebrahimi National Manager Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network (MYAN)

  • Mr Mai Sei Win Bicultural Worker Wyndham Community Education Centre

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3:00 PM AFTERNOON TEA & EXHIBITION

Location: Drill Hall 

Delegates then move to breakout session of choice

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3:30 PM - Breakout session 7

Title: The importance of having people with lived experience in the school workforce

Location: ibis Melbourne, Victoria Room 

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Moderated by: Dr Berhan Ahmed JP Chief Executive Officer Africause

  • Mr Mabor Chadhuol Victoria University Teacher Program

  • Mr Nor Shanino Chief Executive Officer of Ubuntu Project

  • Mr Om Dhungel, Director, Om Dhungel Consulting, and author of Bhutan to Blacktown – Losing everything and finding Australia.

 

3:30 PM - Breakout session 8

Title: What is the regional settlement experience?

Location: Multicultural Hub, Red/Orange Room 

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Moderated by Mr David Keegan Chief Executive Officer and Founder Host International

  • Mr Richard Ogetti Community Executive Officer Albury Wodonga Ethnic Communities’ Council

  • Mr Ken Dachi Multicultural Program Coordinator Leeton Shire Council NSW

  • Ms Pampha Bhujel RCAA Board Member Western Australia

  • Mr Tejman Monger State Coordinator RCAA Queensland Chapter Cairns

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4:30 PM - Conference Plenary Panel

Location: ibis Melbourne, Victoria Room 

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Facilitated by: Mr David Keegan Chief Executive Officer and Founder Host International

  • Ms Carla Wilshire OAM Chief Executive Officer Social Policy Group

  • Ms Vivienne Nguyen AM Chairperson Victorian Multicultural Commission

  • Mr Elijah Buol OAM General Secretary RCAA Settlement Advisory Council member 2019 Queensland Local Hero of the Year

 

4:50 PM - Conference Closing Address

Mr Parsu Sharma Luital RCAA Chairperson and Ms Nasiba Akram RCAA Deputy Chairperson

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