SBS Corporation

The SBS Community Advisory Committee is established under section 50 of the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) Act 1991. The function of the committee, specified under the Act is: 'To assist the SBS Board to fulfil its duty to be aware of, and responsive to, community needs and opinions, by advising the Board on community needs and opinions, including those of small or newly arrived ethic groups, on matters relevant to its Charter.'

The Community Advisory Committee meets three times a year to discuss issues of relevance to SBS and to give advice, raise community concerns and provide feedback on programming and projects to the SBS Board.

The Terms of Reference for the Community Advisory Committee are:

Subject to the priorities determined by the SBS Board, and in accordance with the SBS Charter, the Community Advisory Committee will:

1) Provide advice from time to time in relation to matters referred by the Board;

2) Provide ongoing advice to the Board on the needs, opinions and aspirations of small or newly arrived ethnic groups, as they relate to the Charter and programming policies;

3) Advise the Board on effective community consultation policies and assist the Board in undertaking additional community consultations (see SBS Act s48(1)(e));

4) Advise the Board on the development of strategies for the publicising of the Board's programming policies to audiences and, in particular, to non-English speaking background and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander audiences;

5) Advise the Board on community education strategies to counter prejudice and racism within Australian society, appropriate to the role of a national broadcaster;

6) Promote SBS to our multicultural communities and alert the SBS Board to any developing issues relevant to SBS.

Committee members are appointed by the SBS Board.

In determining appointments to the Community Advisory Committee, the Board considers matters including diversity of backgrounds, geographical spread and specialised skills and knowledge; including ability to reflect the needs and interests of women, youth, the aged, and people with disabilities.

Viewers are encouraged to email any thoughts or comments to the Committee at community@sbs.com.au.

CURRENT MEMBERS as of June 2009

CHAIR: Ms. Joanne Jousif (NSW)

Ms. Jousif was born in Iraq and grew up as part of the Assyrian community in the western suburbs of Sydney. She currently represents the NSW Department of Corrective Services on the NSW Parole Authority and has extensive experience working in the justice system. Additionally, Ms. Jousif has worked voluntarily in East Timor for the Catholic Education Office providing training to East Timorese English teachers. She has also worked as a volunteer teaching English to Afghani adult refugees in Sydney and as an English teacher in India. She continues to act as an advisor to the Catholic Education Organisation mentoring program in East Timor.

Mr Ramdas Sankaran (WA)
President of the Ethnic Communities Council of West Australia. Ramdas has been the Executive Director of the Multicultural Services Centre of WA (since 2001). As a Senior Social Worker in the Department of Social Security Ramdas established the Migrant Services Section in DSS Perth (1980). Senior Project Officer and Acting National Director of DSS Migrant Services (1984-88); established the DSS National Translation Unit (1986) and coordinated the drafting of its National Language Services and Access and Equity Policies. Ramdas has substantive involvement in the community sector including being the President and Executive and was Director/Officer (1998-2001 & 2002-2003) of the Ethnic Communities Council of WA and the Executive Director of the National Ethnic Disability Alliance. Ramdas co founded the Ethnic Disability Advocacy Centre and was its first Treasurer and also its Administrator. Ramdas has extensive involvement in mental health including serving on Ministerial Mental Health committees and representing FECCA on the Australian Transcultural Mental Health Network for three years. Convener of FECCAï¿½s Welfare Reform and Multiculturalism, Racism and Reconciliation Networks. Ramdas represents FECCA on Centrelinks National Community Reference Committee and its National Multicultural Reference Group and Chair of Centrelinks West Australian Multicultural Advisory Committee since 2000 and is a Member of the Australian Institute of Management since 1995. Ramdas has a Graduate degree in economics and post graduate qualifications in social work and served on the AASW management committees in WA and ACT.

Mr Nicholas Care(NSW)

Born in Italy, Mr Carï¿½ has more than two decades' management experience and is currently Secretary General of the Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Sydney. He has a Degree in Engineering and a Diploma in International Business Management and Trade. Through his professional roles, Mr Care maintains close relationships with ethnic communities around Australia and has liaises extensively with community welfare and advocacy organisations. He worked with Indigenous communities on an international exhibition L'Artigianato in Fiera in 2000 and 2001 and is keenly interested in issues affecting the Italian community's second- and third-generations.

Mr. Abderraouf Adel Ziani (VIC)

Mr. Ziani grew up in Algeria and lived in Europe before recently settling in Australia with his family. He is active in the Algerian community in Melbourne and visits the UMMA Mosque and Islamic Centre on a daily basis. Mr. Ziani's worked in customer services for the last eight years. His work background, also, includes working as a journalist in the United Kingdom. He is currently studying Broadcast Television. He has a strong interest in the role of television in community building and how broadcasting can be used to represent multicultural Australia.

Mr. Biko Syong'oh (NSW)

Kenyan-born Mr. Syong-oh has a Communications Degree and is currently in the final stages of completing a Law Degree at Newcastle University. He is on the Executive Council of the Hunter African Communities Council, a position which has exposed Mr. Syong'oh to a diverse range of African cultures. As part of his work with the Council, Mr. Syong'oh assists migrants negotiate their new lives in Australia by helping provide accommodation, facilitating access to services such as banking and healthcare, and lobbies government agencies on the community's behalf. Mr. Syong'oh has also recently been contracted by the Northern Settlement Services to produce a radio program in Swahili, and will also be overseeing the production of similar programs in Dinka and Arabic on the University of Newcastle's 2NUR. Mr. Syong'oh has a strong interest in the media, having worked as a producer in Kenya prior to moving to Australia. He is keen to explore innovative ways SBS can communicate with ethnic communities.

Dr. Krishna K. Shrestha (NSW)
Born in Nepal and fluent in Nepali, Hindi and Urdu, Dr. Shrestha has a strong background in socio-environmental justice issues and community participation in environmental planning, policy and management. Dr. Shrestha is a Human Geographer who received his PhD from The University of Sydney where he is currently a lecturer. His core academic interests are in the political ecology of participatory natural resource planning, policy and management, socio-environmental justice particularly in a comparative context of Australia and South Asia. One basic element of his research includes community participation approaches of ethnic communities in Australia, Nepal and India to policy development and implementation, which focuses on how cultural and social relations and values shape our perceptions and actions. Dr. Shrestha has on ongoing involvement with various multicultural groups such as the Australian-Nepalese Organisation, South Asian Association Australia and the International Students Association. He has a strong and active link with various -cultural/ethnic individuals and groups through being a member of Institute of Foresters Australia, Institute of Australian Geographers and Nepal Foresters Association. Dr Shrestha is also a Justice of the Peace (Qualified) QLD.

Mr. Nick Hatzoglou (VIC)

Mr. Hatzoglou is an Australian-born Greek with a passion for sport. As the Multicultural Project Coordinator for the Australian Football League and AFL Victoria, Mr. Hatzoglou aims to bring Australian football opportunities closer to people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. He combines experience gained within the multicultural sector, local government and Cricket Victoria with his love of sport generally. Nick acknowledges the role sport plays in developing community harmony and believes Australian Football can play a vital role in developing peoples understanding of each other. He has a strong interest in reaching out to new immigrants and developing new ways of communicating with these diverse ethnic groups. His formal qualifications include a Bachelor of Applied Science (Human Movement) and a Post Graduate Certificate in Event Management.

Mrs Evelyn Pereira e Robertson (TAS)
Mrs. Robertson was born in Goa, India and is of Indian-Portuguese descent. She lived in Oman for 10 years before moving to Australian, and now calls Tasmania home. Mrs. Robertson has a rich and diverse background living and working with people from a broad range of ethnic backgrounds. She has extensive experience working with migrant communities through the St. Vincent de Paul Society and the Catholic Refugee Support Group (CRSG). Mrs. Robertson is currently the District Registrar with the Civil Division of the Magistrates Court and the Registrar for the Anti-Discrimination Tribunal. She continues to work voluntarily for the CRSG through the Integrated Humanitarian Settlement Program which is involved in the settlement of new migrants in Australia. Mrs. Robertson has also recently become involved in the establishment of the Global Vaddo Charitable Trust which provides free education to underprivileged children in India.

Mr Alex Lew (VIC)
Australian-born Mr. Lew recently graduated from Melbourne University with a Bachelor of Arts majoring in European Studies and a Bachelor of Laws with Honors. While at university, Mr. Lew was the Political Affairs Director of the Australasian Union of Jewish Students and participated in several youth interfaith dialogues on campus. In 2006, Mr. Lew worked for the British delegation to the European Parliament and currently works for a law firm in country Victoria. He also works as a tutor for the Deakin University Institute of Koorie Education, providing assistance to indigenous law students from remote communities who are studying by distance education.

Ms Angela Flynn (SA)
Young Aboriginal (Tiwi/Larrakia) and Chinese (Teo Chew) woman living in Adelaide. She recently worked on the inaugural Spirit Festival, an Indigenous festival held in Adelaide. Angela is undergoing her Bachelor of Commerce (Marketing).
Angela's various community activities presently involve: Departure Committee, The Art Gallery of South Australia since 2008, SAIYWAT Committee, Kurruru Performing Arts since 2007 and Reconciliation Committee, Adelaide Festival Centre, since 2006.
Angela has spent many years examining and contributing to Australia as a multicultural society through the Arts, from performing traditional Chinese dance as a child to running youth cultural camps for young Aboriginal people.