Multicultural Australia in partnership with QPAC is excited to present Changing the Conversation, a series of thought-provoking discussions exploring key issues in our increasingly multicultural society.

Bringing together thought leaders from academia, government, business, and the community to engage in robust discussions about multiculturalism in the Australian context, the series explores issues of who and where we are as a nation and what we need to do to create a society that better reflects and cares for all its people.

The first Changing the Conversation event of 2023 focuses on the Uluru Statement from the Heart and what it means for the many voices who are part of today’s Australia.

Changing the Conversations is excited to welcome John Paul Janke, Mick Gooda, Dr Shireen Morris, Callum Ah Chee, Elijah Buol, Allira Davis and Kym Korbe to this inaugural conversation.

About the Speakers:

John Paul Janke
John Paul Janke is from Wuthathi Country on Eastern Cape York Peninsula and from Mer (Murray) Island in the Torres Strait. He is the co-owner of Rork Projects, a national Indigenous construction company servicing the corporate and government sectors. He is also the Deputy Chair of the Indigenous Reference Group and Co-Chair of the National NAIDOC Committee.

Mick Gooda
A proud Gangulu man, Mick Gooda has served as the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner of the Australian Human Rights Commission from 2009 to 2016 and as Co-Commissioner of the Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory from 2016 to 2017. He is a strong advocate for the rights of First Nations Australians and works to promote respect and understanding of the rights of his community in the broader community.

Dr Shireeen Morris
An academic with research expertise in Indigenous constitutional recognition, Dr Shireeen Morris has also published research on constitutional law and reform, and public law focused on a First Nations constitutional First Nations voice in Australia. She is passionate about issues of free speech, Australian republicanism, monetary sovereignty and the challenges of political polarisation in our cultural context. Shireen completed her PhD at Monash University, exploring Indigenous constitutional recognition through a First Nations constitutional voice – now published as a book, A First Nations Voice in the Australian Constitution.

Callum Ah Chee
An Australian rules footballer, Callum Ah Chee is a proud Nyoongar, Nyikina and Yawuru man who plays for the Brisbane Lions. Callum initially played basketball in his youth before picking up Australian rules football. He is a strong advocate for equity and publicly condemns racism in our society.

Elijah Buol
Arriving in Australia as an unaccompanied minor from South Sudan, Elijah Buol has seized every opportunity that has come his way. A criminologist and Director of the Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland, Elijah has dedicated his life’s work to help disadvantaged African youth find a sense of belonging in Australian society. A qualified lawyer and current Juris Doctor student at the Australian National University, Elijah has held senior and volunteer positions across the community sector.

Allira Davis
Allira Davis is a proud Cobble Cobble woman from the Barrungum and Birrigubba Nations. She is the Youth Manager and co-chair of the Uluru Youth Dialogue alongside co-chair Bridget Cama. Allira manages First Nations young people around the country providing First Nations youth with the skills and knowledge to educate and provide awareness regarding the Uluru Statement from the Heart and its reform, specifically the Voice.

Kym Korbe
Kym Korbe is a proud Koa, Kuku Yalanji woman with historical connections to Cherbourg. She currently holds the position of Manager RAP Program and First Nations Affairs with UnitingCare Queensland, as well as co-lead of the Covenanting Working Group for the Uniting Church in Australia Queensland Synod. She also sits as an active board member for The Lakes College and the State Chaplaincy Board.

Presented by Multicultural Australia and QPAC.
Recorded at QPAC’s Concert Hall for Digital Stage.