Multicultural Queensland Charter Speaker Series

About the Speaker Series

• The Multicultural Queensland Charter Speaker Series is one of the key ways the Queensland Government is promoting the Multicultural Queensland Charter (the Charter).
• The Series aims to build understanding of the Charter’s principles, and how these can be brought to life in a practical sense.
• Each forum has its own theme, and features knowledgeable and influential guest speakers presenting on topics related to the Charter.
• The Speaker Series is invite only and specifically targets corporations, organisations and institutions who are on our Multicultural Queensland Ambassador Program, as well as senior officers from across Queensland Government.

Speaker Series #3 – 'More than words – turning the Charter principles into actions' – 29 March 2019

After coming together for A Taste of Harmony networking morning tea, we heard from the Australian Race Discrimination Commissioner, Chin Tan, on translating the Multicultural Queensland Charter principles into reality through meaningful actions.

Chin then joined a panel discussion on the practical ways all corporate, non-profit and public sector organisations can bring the Charter principles to life in these contexts. The expert panellists who joined Chin for this discussion were: Ian Stewart, Commissioner of Police, Queensland Police Service; Kathleen Forrester, Deputy Director-General, Strategy Policy and Planning Division, Queensland Health; and Sara Parrott, Head of Corporate Responsibility, Suncorp Group.

Opening address: The Honourable Stirling Hinchliffe MP, former Minister for Local Government, Minister for Racing and former Minister for Multicultural Affairs

Keynote address: 'Cultural diversity – transforming aspirations into realities', Chin Tan,
Race Discrimination Commissioner, Australian Human Rights Commission

Panel discussion: 'How to bring the Charter to life in practical and meaningful ways'
Chin Tan, Race Discrimination Commissioner, Australian Human Rights Commission;
Ian Stewart, Commissioner of Police, Queensland Police Service;
Kathleen Forrester, Deputy Director-General, Strategy Policy and Planning Division, Queensland Health;
Sara Parrott, Head of Corporate Responsibility, Suncorp Group.

Speaker Series #2 – 'Leading Inclusion' – 7 June 2018

• The theme was 'Leading Inclusion', and focused on inclusive leadership and how everyone can champion the cultural diversity and inclusion agenda.
• Our keynote speaker, Tasneem Chopra, spoke about the importance of inclusive leadership, making the most of multicultural talent and moving from tolerance to understanding.
• The panel discussion was also incredibly engaging as Tasneem joined Dr Jane O'Leary (Diversity Council Australia), Joshua Griffin (SBS) and Mackayla Jefferies (Anti-Discrimination Commission Queensland) to discuss a range of topics including unconscious bias training, current research, and the need for individuals to visibly demonstrate they are inclusive.

Opening address: The Honourable Stirling Hinchliffe MP, former Minister for Local Government, Minister for Racing and Minister for Multicultural Affairs

Keynote address: Tasneem Chopra, Cross-Cultural Consultant and Director – “Inclusive leadership, diversity & unconscious bias”

Panel discussion: “Practical ways to champion diversity and inclusion”

Speaker Series #1 – 'Diversity Works' – 13 March 2018

• The theme of the first forum was 'Diversity Works', and focused on how to build more diverse and inclusive workplaces.
• We were honoured to have Australia's Race Discrimination Commissioner, Dr Tim Soutphommasane, and the Queensland Public Service Commissioner, Mr Robert Setter, speak at the forum and share some important insights to building a more diverse and inclusive workplace, its challenges and benefits.
• We also heard from an inspiring panel consisting of Access Community Services, MDA Ltd, CareerSeekers and Refugee Talent to hear about the great work they do to link people from culturally diverse backgrounds to meaningful employment.

Multicultural Queensland Charter Speaker Series – Diversity Works

Keynote address: Dr Tim Soutphommasane, Race Discrimination Commissioner
“Diversity works – but you've got to work for it”

Keynote address: Robert Setter, Commission Chief Executive, Queensland Public Service Commission
“Towards an inclusive and diverse workplace – why and how”

Panel discussion: “Recruiting a diverse workforce”

• Michael Combs, CareerSeekers
• Nirary Dacho, Refugee Talent
• Gail Ker OAM, Access Group International Limited
• Mitra Khakbaz, MDA Ltd

Closing address: The Honourable Stirling Hinchliffe MP, former Minister for Local Government, Minister for Racing and Minister for Multicultural Affairs