2023 National
Settlement Conference
Building the future together
23-24 November | Melbourne
Program
Wednesday 22 November
Welcome Reception
5:30- 7:30 pm
Sponsored by Community Migrant Resource Centre and MultiLink Community Services
Melissa Monteiro, SCOA Chair | Michael Zgryza, SCOA Deputy Chair
Dr Bulent Hass Dellal AO, Chair, Multicultural Framework Review Panel
Manal Younus, Spoken word poetry performance
Zaynab Farah, Spoken word poetry performance
Thursday 23 November
Conference Day 1
8:00am | Arrival- Registration open
9:00am | Welcome to country- performed by the Bunurong tribe
Preeti Jabbal, SBS, Conference MC
Melissa Monteiro, SCOA Chair
9:15am | Keynote Speaker- Hon Minister Andrew Giles MP, Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs
9:30am | Plenary Session- From Lived Experience to Professional Insight
This panel will discuss the role of people with lived experience in delivering and leading settlement services. The panellists are professionals and leaders in the settlement sector, and also have a variety of lived experiences.
Samira Husic, MercyCare
Farzana, Community Migrant Resource Centre
Joseph Youhana, HOST International
John Buraho, CORE Community Services
Facilitator: Jasmina Bajraktarevic-Hayward, Chair of Settlement Advisory Council
10:30am | Morning Tea
11:00am | Breakout Sessions
Breakout 1: Supporting new arrivals with disabilities
Dr Dinesh Palipana OAM, Doctor, National Ethnic Disability Alliance
Nyrob Majak, Advocate
Cathy Preston-Thomas, NSW Refugee Health Service
Facilitator: Pino Migliorino AM, Cultural Perspectives
Breakout 2: Collaborating for more impactful influence
Neil Pharaoh, Tanck
Rory Parker, Tanck
Facilitator: Melissa Monteiro, SCOA Chair
Breakout 3:Bridging the gap between academia and practice
Dr Louise Olliff, Refugee Council of Australia
Rebecca Griffiths, SBS
Loudeen Lam, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute
Facilitator: Michael Zgryza, MultiLink Community Services Inc
Breakout 4: Brokering housing solutions
Kate Colvin, Homelessness Australia
Sonia Di Mezza, Migrant and Refugee Settlement Services
Cath Scarth, AMES Australia
Facilitator: Mirsia Bunjaku, Australian Migrant Resource Centre
12:00pm | Breakout Sessions
Breakout 1: Frameworks for the settlement sector- current state and future directions
Julie Robert, Settlement Council of Australia
Grace Keppel Benson, American University
Andrew Kiley, Department of Home Affairs
Facilitator: Rose Dash, Multicultural Australia
Breakout 2: Emerging research in settlement
Prof Farida Fozdar, Curtin University
Dr Pilar Rioseco, Australian Institute of Family Studies
Facilitator: Angelica Svensson, AMES Australia
Breakout 3: Supporting communities to be their own advocates
Farhad Arian, CORE Community Services
Sam Matti, Australian Assyrian Chaldean Syriac Advocacy Network
Rana Ebrahimi, Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network
Facilitator: Shabnam Safa, National Refugee-led Advisory and Advocacy Group
Breakout 4: Regional models for delivering settlement services
Andrea Obeyesekere, Centacare FNQ
Dr Charishma Ratnam, Deakin University
Sharon Daishe, Mosaic Multicultural Connections
Facilitator: Ann Foley, Multicultural Community Services of Central Australia
1:00pm | Lunch
Poster presentation session- dedicated session where presenters to be available to answer questions about their poster from attendees.
2:00pm | Breakout Sessions
Breakout 1: Improving health policy and practice for migrants and refugees
Carita Davis, Department of Health and Aged Care
Sheetal Challam, Cancer Institute NSW
Dr Olayide Ogunsiji, Western Sydney University
Facilitator: Kwame Selormey, Melaleuca Australia
Breakout 2: Future directions in complementary pathways for refugee settlement
Lisa Button, Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia
Sarya Alsayed, Talent Beyond Boundaries
Emily Chipman, UNHCR
Dr Sally Baker, Australian National University
Facilitator: Paul Power, Refugee Council of Australia
Breakout 3:Our role in supporting women experiencing violence
Maha Abdo OAM, Muslim Women Australia
Prof. Jo Spangaro, University of Wollongong
Constance Jones, African Women’s Federation of South Australia
Facilitator: Maria Dimopoulos AM, Myriad Kofkin Global
Breakout 4: Addressing inequity within multicultural affairs and settlement
Dr Nora Amath, IWAA
Renee Dixson, Forcibly Displaced People’s Network
John Kamara, 2023 Tasmanian Australian of the Year
Facilitator: Erfan Daliri, Kind Enterprises
3:00pm | Afternoon Tea
3:30pm | Plenary Session- What was key to your successful settlement?
This panel will bring together prominent people of migrant and refugee backgrounds who have excelled in their respective fields, to explore the elements of success in their own and their families’ settlement journeys.
Akec Makur Chuot, Hawthorn Football Club
Om Dhungel, Author
Hedayat Osyan, CommUnity Construction
Facilitator: Mandi Wicks, SBS
4:30pm | Day 1 Conference Close
Thursday 23 November
25th Anniversary Gala Dinner
7:00- 11:00 pm
Sponsored by the Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils of Australia
MC: Darren Mara, SBS
The Hon. Cassandra Fernando MP
Mary Ann Geronimo, Federation of Ethnic Communities Council of Australia
Melissa Monteiro, SCOA Chair and Sandra Elhelw, SCOA CEO
Music by Zourouna and Serena
Friday 24 November
Conference Day 2
9:00am | Arrival
9:30am | Welcome
Preeti Jabbal, SBS, Conference MC
9:35am | Keynote Speaker: Senator Fatima Payman, Senator for Western Australia
9:45am | Performance by Bukjeh
Bukjeh translates to a ‘small pack of belongings carried by travelers’. Bukjeh brings together refugee storytellers to create and tell their own stories through the art of performance.
10:30am | Morning Tea
11:00am | Current state and future directions
Sandra Elhelw, Settlement Council of Australia
Huy Truong, Settlement Advisory Council
Mary Ann Geronimo, Federation of Ethnic Communities Council of Australia
Facilitator: Pino Migliorino AM, Cultural Perspectives
Designing the future state of Australia’s settlement system
In these breakouts across Day 2 of the conference, leaders in the settlement sector will present work they have led over the past year to re-imagine various elements of Australia’s settlement system. The presentations will be designed to garner proactive input from conference attendees. This is your opportunity to feed your thoughts in to the settlement sector’s collective advocacy for an Australia where all migrants and refugees belong, thrive and live fulfilling lives.
12:00pm | Breakout Sessions
Breakout 1: Empowered settlement journeys
Lead: Christine Castley, Multicultural Australia
Breakout 2: Working with local migrant and refugee communities
Lead: Clement Meru, SydWest Multicultural Services
Breakout 3: Driving research and systems change
Lead: Diana Sayed, Australian Muslim Women’s Centre for Human Rights
Breakout 4: Supporting newly arrived refugees to get their first job
Mirsia Bunjaku, Australian Migrant Resource Centre
Cindy Carpenter, Bread & Butter Project
Carmen Garcia, Community Corporate
Facilitator: Violet Roumeliotis AM, SSI
1:00pm | Lunch
2:00pm | Breakout Sessions
Breakout 1: Connecting with other sectors and broader Australian society
Lead: Esta Paschalidis-Chilas, Canterbury City Community Centre
Breakout 2: Supporting workforce and organisational capacity
Lead: Dor Akech Achiek, SSI
Breakout 3:Building monitoring, evaluation and data capability
Lead: David Keegan, HOST International
Breakout 4: Moving beyond entry level: Career progression for migrants and refugees
Chantal Mousad, CareerSeekers
Robyn Matthews, Loddon Campaspe Multicultural Services
Betina Szkudlarek, University of Sydney Business School
Facilitator: Violet Roumeliotis AM, SSI
3:00pm | SCOA AGM
3:30pm | Wrap up and Conference Close
Poster Presentations- Application Form and Guidelines
Applications are now open for Poster Presentations at the 2023 National Settlement Conference: Building the Future Together.
Presentations may focus on any topic related to our key conference themes:
- Examples of good practice in delivering settlement services
- Showcasing effective partnerships with local communities
- Effective cross-sector collaboration
- Research and advocacy on issues affecting migrant and refugee communities
- Innovative policy solutions to settlement issues
- Emerging research in settlement
Posters will be displayed for the duration of the Conference in the poster display area, with a designated poster session on Thursday 23 November 2023. There will be prizes for the best posters, including “People’s Choice”.
How to submit an abstract?
You can submit your abstract by completing the Application for Poster Presentation Form and sending it to julie.robert@scoa.org.au.
Poster Presentation Guidelines are available here.
Abstract applications are now closed.
For questions about poster presentation and submission, contact:
Julie Robert , Sector Development Lead