Australian Cultural Diversity e-Forum

16 October 2009

Come together online, discuss our multicultural society

From today, Australians will have the opportunity to contribute to the growing conversation about our multicultural society by logging onto the Human Rights and Cultural Diversity e-Forum, which will be launched at Customs House at Circular Quay in Sydney at 4pm.

Through an online community and a variety of portals, the Human Rights and Cultural Diversity e-Forum will enable registered users to choose how they wish to engage with cultural diversity issues – from blogs and closed or open forums, to formal consultation processes.

“For a great many people in this country, cultural diversity, and the human rights issues associated with it, are a part of their day to day experience, yet discussion of these issues is often absent from political debate in Australia,” said Race Discrimination Commissioner, Graeme Innes. “The Human Rights and Cultural Diversity e-Forum aims to fill this gap by enabling all people to participate in sustained and informed debate about cultural and religious diversity, racism, the promotion of human rights, human development, freedom, harmony and social inclusion.”

Located on the Institute for Cultural Diversity’s newly established website at www.culturaldiversity.net.au, the Human Rights and Cultural Diversity e-Forum establishes an electronic forum and clearing house for communication across the community, government, service provision, non-government/advocacy, academic and other relevant sectors.

“As the e-Forum grows, we anticipate that community members, professionals, researchers, artists, students and people from all walks of life, will add ideas, events, resources, comments and web links,” said Commissioner Innes. “The e-Forum will thus enable the construction of a national network of research and researchers who commission, publish and review articles that will support cultural diversity in our country.”

The Human Rights and Cultural Diversity e-Forum, an initiative of the Australian Human Rights Commission in partnership with the Institute for Cultural Diversity, is financially supported by the Australian Government.

When: 16 October 2009 from 4pm – 6pm
Where: Barnet Long Room, Customs House, 31 Alfred Street, Circular Quay
Speakers:
The Hon Bruce Baird, Chair, Institute for Cultural Diversity
The Hon Laurie Ferguson MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs and Settlement Services
Mr Graeme Innes AM, Race Discrimination Commissioner, Australian Human Rights Commission
Ms Lisa Harvey, Community representative on the Government Web 2.0 Taskforce and
Ms Samah Hadid, Young Muslim Australian.