Introduction  

The Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office and the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council welcome all participants to the Building Bridges Conference. We thank the speakers, workshop facilitators, and participants in the Interfaith Celebration for their generous willingness to assist.  We also thank those who have helped us with the development and organization of the Conference, and the staff of St. Joseph's College, Hunters Hill, for their cooperation.

Background

Many faith and community groups, with limited resources, are called upon to assist migrants and refugees and, more recently, those granted Temporary Protection Visas.  Migrants who are not refugees are provided with little or no support after arrival in Australia as they are considered to be self-sufficient or dependent on their families. 

Therefore migrant communities today share many social problems which they are called upon to remedy with little or no Government funding.

Aims

With this in mind, the Conference has two aims:

i) to provide a forum where effective strategies, provided by communities of faith for remedying disadvantages within migrant and refugee groups, are outlined;

ii) to encourage participants to discuss how these strategies can be strengthened by migrant communities and communities of faith working together more closely.

In planning the Conference, our aim was to invite speakers with experience in working among migrants and refugees within religious or community-based organizations.  These speakers will consider the alleviation of poverty, disadvantage among women, youth, and refugees, and harmony within schools in culturally diverse regions.  Other speakers will provide a wider perspective on issues such as the problems facing refugees in Australia today, and on reconciliation and racism. 

Outcomes

We hope that involvement and interaction at the Conference will help participants to increase their networks and their knowledge of other faith and community groups who share similar aims to help migrants and refugees.  An excellent outcome would be to achieve agreement, particularly through the workshops,  on the best model and best practices which communities and faith groups could adopt to target the problems and issues which are prevalent in contemporary multicultural Australia.

After the Conference, you may be willing to take part in a follow-up program to review the outcome and the possible implementation of resolutions. You will be given the opportunity to express your interest in this process.

Papers and proceedings will be available on the ACMRO web page at www.acmro.catholic.org.au soon after the Conference. Those who do not have access to the internet will have the opportunity to request that copies of papers be sent to them by post.

Best wishes for a rewarding two days.

Fr John Murphy

Director

Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office.

CONFERENCE SPEAKERS AND FACILITATORS

Ms Ann Mari Jordens is an historian and a member of ACMRO's Canberra Advisory Group.  Her most recent books, Alien to Citizen, Settling Migrants in Australia 1945-75 (1997, Allen and Unwin in association with Australian Archives) and Redefining Australians.  Immigration, Citizenship and National Identity (1995, Hale and Iremonger) were the product of a Research Fellowship held in 1992-93 in the Administration, Compliance and Governability Program within the Urban Research Program, Research School of Social Sciences, ANU.  Ann-Mari is currently working at the National Library of Australia on the "Bringing them Home: Oral History Program'.

Most Rev. Archbishop Hickey is Catholic Archbishop of Perth and former Chairman of the Bishops' Committee for Migrants and Refugees.  He is a member of the Order of Australia (OAM) and serves many government appointments including the Western Australian Homeless Persons and the WA Ethnic Affairs Advisory Committees and is a board member of the Institute of Family Studies and is a member of Australian Citizenship Council.  His Papal appointments include the Grand Prior - Knights of the Holy Sepulchure WA and Relator Generalis, Synod for Oceania, Rome.  Until recently Archbishop Hickey was the Chairman of the Bishops' Committee for Migrants and Refugees and has also served on other Bishops' Committees including Social Welfare; Seminaries; Liturgy; Great Jubilee 2000; Media; Evangelisation and Missions as well as being a current member of the Bishops Central Commission.

Jason Yat-Sen Li was born and educated in Australia.  A fluent speaker of English, German and Dutch, Jason is presently undertaking his Masters in International Law at New York University School of Law as a Hauser Global Scholar.  He has over 6 years professional legal experience.  In 1996, he spent 2 years working for the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslovia in the Hague, the Netherlands, as a legal officer in Chambers and an associate/law clerk.  He was also a consultant to the International Commission of Jurists (Geneva) as an expert-on-mission to the United Nations during that period.  Jason was elected an independent delegate to the Australian Constitutional Convention in a national postal ballot and credited for his role in drafting and brokering majority support for a model of republican government that was ultimately endorsed by the Convention.  He was also appointed by the Prime Minister to the official government 'YES' Committee.  He is a board member of the Asia Australian Institute, Australia's most influential business political think-tank with extensive networks throughout the Asian region.  He was also youth chairperson of the Ethnic Communities Council of NSW, the state's peak ethnic community body, a member of Youth Committee of the Australia Day Council, and a member of the documents reference group of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation.  Most recently, Jason is a founder and director of a new Australian professional intermediation business, Professionalsearch.com.au.

Neville Roach (AO) is Chairman of the Council for Multicultural Australia and of Fujitsu Australia Ltd and a prominent member of Australia's business community and has a longstanding and intense interest in multicultural and immigration policy.  He was born in India, arriving in Australia in 1961.  In 1965 he was granted permanent residency and in 1985 became an Australian citizen.  Neville is committed to promoting the value and importance of Australia's cultural diversity, both domestically and overseas.  He has championed the economic benefits of Australia's cultural and linguistic diversity in his addresses at many business and government fora.  After chairing the previous National Multicultural Advisory Council (NMAC) from January 1996, he was appointed by the Government as the Chairman of the reconstituted NMAC 0n 30 June 1997.  As Chairman of NMAC he was responsible for the development of the Council's report to Government recommending on a policy and implementation framework for the next decade, aimed at ensuring that cultural diversity is a unifying force for Australia and he is also involved in major events such as the Sydney 2000 Olympics and the Centenary of Federation in 2001.  Neville is a Director of the Committee for Economic Development of Australia, Director of Exports and International Relations of the Australian Information Industry Association and is a member of the Australian Graduate School on Management Advisory Council.

In December 1999, the Government established the Council for Multicultural Australia, and appointed Neville as Chaiman of the new Council.  Its membership is expected to be announced soon.

Sr Pauline Rae is an executive member of the Columban Institute, Turramurra

Sydney. She is Convenor of the Centre for Christian-Muslim Relations, President of a Catholic Women's Dialogue Network and a member of the Women's Interfaith Network.

Pauline will talk about a story of two women's organizations, one Christian, one Muslim, both multicultural in membership, and how they are working together.  Their common ground is in faith tradition to which each group is committed and concerned for women and the issues in society which affect them.  Their common rationale - faith communities have an obligation to work towards overcoming prejudice, stereotyping and marginalisation in our society.

Maha Abdo has been involved in Social Welfare field more than a decade.  She manages the United Muslim Women Association Incorporated and coordinates staff programs and activities of the Organisation.  She has represented the Muslim Community on Ministerial Advisory Committees such as Sport and Recreation Strategic Planning re: Accessing appropriate facilities; Substitute Care where she is now chairing a sub committee researching the needs if young Australian Muslims in and out of Care.  She has been involved on many other committees within the Muslim and mainstream Australian committees, such as Human Rights Commission and Anti-Discrimination Board with a focus on correcting misconception and the differences between Religious and Cultural practices, ensuring that Muslim Women needs are taken into consideration in the development and implementation of services and programs.  Her aim are to provide women with the appropriate skills needed to ensure they have a voice to participate in Australian Society: to foster and promote better understanding of Muslim Women and their status in Islam and today society.

Mrs Mary Excell is a member of the Catholic Women's League.  Mary was married for 33 years and has been a widow for 7 years.  Interestingly she has 5 children who are married to Italian, German, Chinese, English, and Australian spouses.  She was a registered nurse for 40 years.  Mary has recently been appointed as the Migrant Officer for the National Council of Women in Tasmania and was involved with Kosovars in Tasmania.  She has vast experience in various parish and community organizations and her talk will reflect that involvement and experience.

Hang Vo, is the Team Leader for Access Youth Support - a St. Vincent de Paul Access Youth Support Program in Melbourne.  Over the last 6 years Hang has worked extensively with at risk young people, in particular, Vietnamese homeless young people. Her social work background, as well as personal experience of being a young refugee woman growing up in Australia, gives her insight into the issues which confront Vietnamese young people today.  She will speak about her work with homeless young people and the issues that confront them and ways in which we as a community can better understand and support the young people.  She believes that too often the young people themselves are not given the opportunity to determine the relevance that ethnicity plays in their lives.

Myriam Baharai works for the Youth Action and Policy Association NSW Inc (YAPA) which is a peak body for youth services and youth issues.  She is the non-English speaking background (NESB) Youth Development Officer funded by the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (DIMA) to work with and for newly arrived refugees and young people, migrant groups and the youth sector to improve access and equity for all young people.  She has 13 years of youth work experience and has provided service delivery directly at locally based youth services and is currently involved in policy development and training.  She has worked in various capacities on migrant issues as they concern young people for the past 10 years.

David Hua is the secretary of the Board of Education and Co-Editor of the English Section for the Hwa Tsang Monastery Monthly Bulletin.  He is a volunteer at Hwa Tsang Monastery, Homebush.  He is employed by ABC Online and is responsible for maintaining and updating their web site.  He has experience as both a tutor and a student in classes conducted by the Hwa Tsang Monastery which are specifically designed to address the problems faced by ethnic youth by providing education as a way to counteract social injustice.

Warren Hopley, is the Principal at St Joachims Primary School, Lidcombe.  He has held the previous position of Education Officer with the Catholic Education Office, Sydney.  He was formerly the Principal of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Sefton; St. Bernadette's Dundas Valley; Our Lady Queen of Peace, Gladesville; Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Waterloo.  He is presently a member of CESCEO (committee of State and Commonwealth Chief Executive Education Officers) a sub- committee which is formulating a national policy and document on countering racism for Australian schools. Warren is representing the National Catholic Education Commission.

Trish Janu is from the Baha'i Community and has 22 years experience as a teacher in NSW Schools.  Trish is currently working as a Support Teacher for Children with Learning Difficulties in a school in Newcastle which is involved in the Disadvantaged Schools Program.  She has been a member the National Baha'i Committee for 8 years and contributed to writing the Australian Baha'i Education Curriculum.  She is a trained facilitator in the Virtues Project and will be using that background in her talk that focuses on the resources

Madenia Abdhur Aham, is the Principal of Arkana Muslim College and is an Education Consultant on applications for new schools for the Department of Employment and Youth Affairs.  She is a member of several committees including:  the Vice President of the Multicultural Eid Festival and Fair; the Muslim Women's National Network of Australia; vice Chair person and executive member of Muslim Aid Australia; Founding Member and supporter of the Campbelltown Interfatih Group.  She holds a Bachelor of Education and Post Graduate study in Specialised and Physical Education and Art.

Robert Fitzgerald, Commissioner, Community Services Commission, NSW which is the independent statutory watchdog for consumers of community services.  It has a special focus on child protection issues, children in care, people with disabilities, aged and homeless persons receiving services from government and non-government agencies.  Robert is a member of the National Competition Council and previously Associate Commissioner on the Productivity Commission's Inquiry into Gambling.  He previously practised as a commercial solicitor and management consultant for 20 years, specialising in franchising and licensing areas.  His previous voluntary community positions include National President of the Australian Council of Social Service, Commissioner NSW Catholic Commission on Employment Relations, Member of the National Committee of Caritas Australia, State President St Vincent de Paul Society (NSW) and Chairman, JOB Futures Limited (a national network of community based employment services organizations).  Robert was educated at St Pius X College, Chatswood and holds degrees in law and commerce from the University of NSW.

Patricia Ravalico is the coordinator of the St Vincent de Paul Societies NSW Migrant and Refugee Committee.  Patricia has held that position since 1980.  She also is national convenor for the Migrant and Refugee Committee of the National Council of the Society of St Vincent de Paul.  S was a member of many Boards, Committees and Councils: the Law Foundation of NSW;  the NSW Child Protection Council of NSW; the Community Welfare Advisory Council of NSW; the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council.  She is currently a member of the ACMRO Sydney Advisory Group and Board Members of the Mercy Refugee Service; the Jesuit Refugee Service; the Refugee Council of Australia. 

Philip Ruddock is the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Reconciliation.  He was first elected to House of Representatives as Member for Parramatta at a by-election on 22 September 1973.  He was re-elected in 1974 and 1975.  Mr Ruddock was appointed Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs in the first Howard Ministry.  In 1998 he was appointed Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Reconciliation.  He graduated from Sydney University (BA LLB) and practised as a solicitor before entering Parliament.  He is married to Heahte and has two daughters.

Sylvia Winton is the Co-ordinator of the Asylum Seekers Centre in Sydney.  Sylvia developed an interest in refugee issues and other cultures in 1987 when studying her Bachelor of Social Work.  She undertook research into the Women at Risk program looking at specific aspects in refugee camps in Hong Kong and Thailand as well as with Government and Non-Government Organizations.  She held the position of Jobskills Training Officer with the Australian National Committee on Refugee Women (ANCORW) and also taught in TAFE Welfare Faculties.  Sylvia was a volunteer in a refugee camp in the Philippines, working with Vietnamese people who would be resettled in Australia, and has been keen to return to camp work but for personal reasons.  She has also worked at the Mona Vale Hospital in the Community Social Work area and is currently the Co-ordinator of the Asylum Seekers Centre and feels she has found her camp.

Margaret Piper is the Executive Director of the Refugee Council of Australia (RCOA).  She is a member of a number of national consultative bodies and has regularly been the non-government adviser to the Australian Government delegation to the annual meeting of the Executive Committee of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva.  Margaret has travelled extensively with both with the RCOA and formerly with AUSTCARE and recently has visited Kosovo, Serbia and Bosnia and other refugee trouble spots.  She has written extensively about many aspects of the refugee experience and is the author of a text on refugee children.  She is a member of the Refugee Resettlement Advisory Council which assists the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs.  She is also on the Boards of the Refugee Advice and Casework Service and the Asylum Seeker's Centre and was until recently, Chairperson of Uniya, the Jesuit social justice research organization.

Jose Zepeda is the Director of the Centre for Multicultural Pastoral Care, Brisbane and he is the coordinator of multicultural pastoral care in the Brisbane Archdiocese.  He arrived in Australia as a refugee in the 1980s and continued his work with the Catholic Church in Australia using his experience as church worker in the Church of the Americas.  He is on the management committee of a number of community organizations and is on committees with both State and Federal Governments.

Mary Gavin is the cross-cultural pastoral worker for the Centre for Multicultural Pastoral Care.  She has worked in the area for many years and was the first lay Director of Mission and Immigration in the Brisbane Archdiocese.  She is on several committees and is a member of the Interfaith Multicultural Forum.

Bishop Patrick Dougherty is Bishop of Bathurst and was recently elected as Chairman of the Bishops' Committee for Migrants and Refugees.  He has many positions including the Auxiliary Bishop to the Archbishop of Canberra; Secretary to the Australian Episcopal Conference, Canberra; Executive Secretary; Assistant Vice-Rector Propaganda Fide College, Rome and a Lecturer at St Columba's Seminary, Springwood.  He holds a Doctorate of Divinity.

William Maley is Associate Professor of Politics at the University of NSW at the Australian Defence Force Academy.  Dr Maley is a former fellow of the Refugee Program at Oxford University and is a specialist on Afghan refugee issues.

Workshops

Fedor Mediansky is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of NSW who settled in Australia in 1952.  He has a PHD in Government from the University of Sydney.  He is a member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies and has numerous y publications on International Relations.  His latest book is Australian Foreign Policy into the Millennium.  He is the President of both the Eastern Suburbs, Sydney and the Refugee Committee and President of the St Vincent de Paul State Migrant and Refugee Committee.

Josie Lacey OAM was born in Romania and came to Australia as a 3 year old in 1939 as a refugee from NAZI Europe.  She is a member of the World Council of Religion (WCRP) and Peace NSW executive representing the Jewish community.  She is the convenor of the Women's Interfaith Network (WIN) and the Councillor of Executive Council of Australian Jewry and was awarded the OAM for community relations and Jewish community activities.

Aileen Crowe (FMM) was recently appointed as promoter of Justice and Peace for the Archdiocese of Sydney and is the executive secretary for NetAct - a coalition of education, health and justice people in Sydney.  She is a member of PolMin, Australian Political Ministry a recently established bipartisan approach to advocacy, education and lobbying on behalf of the marginalised.  As a member of the NSW Ecumenical Council Social Issues Committee she recently completed a survey in Churches focusing on attitudes towards reconciliation between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians.  She is the Chair of the Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Committee and the Aboriginal Reconciliation Committee for the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary.  Aileen has liven in many multicultural communities in India, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Ireland, England, Italy and Israel and spent 17 years in a cross cultural ministry in the Diocese of Aitape Papua New Guinea.