Previous Years

Hon Duncan Kerr SC MP

Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs.

Duncan Kerr SC was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs following the election of the Labor government in 2007 and has been the Federal Member for Denison in Tasmania since 1987. He has served as Crown Counsel for Tasmania, Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Papua New Guinea and Principal Solicitor for the New South Wales Aboriginal Legal Service.

Rita Butera

Director of Research & Planning, Beyond Blue

Rita Butera has a Social Science background with post graduate study in organisational change and development. She has worked in the human services industry for over 20 years including positions with Commonwealth, State and Local Government. Her work has included management of a Migrant Resource Centre and a large Neighbourhood House in Victoria. More recently, she has worked as a social planner and consultant supporting organisations and local government in developing strategic plans and strategies. At beyondblue she has been responsible for the Youth and the Social Inclusion portfolios and is currently Program Director of Research and Planning.

Professor Kevin Clements

Director of the New Zealand Centre for Peace & Conflict Studies, University of Otago,Dunedin, New Zealand

Professor Clements’ career has been a combination of academic analysis and practice in the areas of peacebuilding and conflict transformation. He has been an advisor to the New Zealand, Australian, British, Swedish and Dutch governments on conflict prevention, peace, defence and security issues and has published extensively on conflict transformation, peacebuilding, preventative diplomacy and development with a specific focus on the Asia Pacific region.

Professor Amareswar Galla

Professor of Museum Studies, The University of Queensland

Professor Galla is an outstanding scholar of cultural democracy committed to intercultural dialogue in poverty alleviation, he has always worked through ‘fingers in the dirt’ projects in different parts of the world. He won the Best in Heritage Award in Dubrovnik in 2008.

Carmel Guerra

CEO, Centre for Multicultural Youth

Carmel Guerra has over 20 years experience in the community sector and is currently CEO at the Centre for Multicultural Youth which advocates for the needs of young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds

Professor Andrew Jakubowicz

Professor of Sociology, University of Technology, Sydney

Professor Jakubowicz has taught at universities in the USA, Europe and Asia. He is Co-director of the UTS Cosmopolitan Civil Societies Key Research Strength (Research Centre) and has published widely on ethnic diversity issues, disability studies and media studies.

Professor Fariborz Moshirian

Professor of Finance, Australian School of Business, The University of New South Wales

Professor Moshirian is a lecturer at the Australian School of Business, is Editor of the Journal of Banking and Finance and is Associate Editor of the Journal of Multinational Financial Management. His research areas include international finance, corporate governance and corporate finance.

Professor Zlatko Skrbis

Dean University of Queensland Graduate School

Professor Skrbis is currently Dean of Graduate School and Professor of Sociology at the University of Queensland. His research focuses on questions of migration, globalisation, nationalism and culture. He is particularly interested in questions of identity among migrants and young people.

Associate Professor Gracelyn Smallwood

Bindal Aboriginal Elder & Advisor to the Vice Chancellor on Indigenous Issues, James Cook University Associate Professor Gracelyn Smallwood is an Aboriginal Elder with more than 25 years experience in all areas of Indigenous affairs, health and human rights.