Invited speakers

The Hon Mark Butler MP - Minister for Mental Health and Ageing

Mark Butler was elected to Federal Parliament in 2007 representing the electorate of Port Adelaide. In 2009 Mark was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Health and in September 2010, he was appointed the Minister for Mental Health and Ageing. 

In December 2011, Mark was appointed to Cabinet as Minister for Mental Health, Ageing and Social Inclusion. 

Before entering Parliament, Mark worked for 15 years in the Liquor Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union (now United Voice) - including 11 years as State Secretary – representing thousands of workers within aged care, and many other sectors. Mark was a Member of the South Australian Social Inclusion Board during its major review of the South Australian mental health system and served on a number of other Boards in areas including tourism, gambling and vocational training. 

In 1997, Mark was elected as the youngest ever President of the ALP in South Australia, and has been a Member of the ALP National Executive and National Executive Committee since 2000.

He holds a First Class Honours Law degree, an Arts degree and a Masters degree in International Relations and was awarded a Centenary Medal in 2002 for services to trade unionism.

The Hon Susan Ryan AO - Age Discrimination Commissioner, Australian Human Rights Commission

Susan Ryan was appointed as Australia’s first Age Discrimination Commissioner on 30 July 2011 for a five year term.

Up until her appointment as Commissioner, she had been Women’s Ambassador for ActionAid Australia and chaired the Australian Human Rights Group since 2008. She had also chaired the Australian Human Rights Act Campaign Inc. since 2005.

Immediately prior to commencing as Commissioner, Susan was also the Independent Chair of the IAG and NRMA Superannuation Plan.

From 1975 to 1988, Susan was Senator for the ACT, becoming the first woman to hold a Cabinet post in a federal Labor Government. She served in senior portfolios in the Hawke Government as Minister for Education and Youth Affairs, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on the Status of Women and Special Minister of State.

As Education Minister, Susan saw school retention rates double and universities and TAFEs grow significantly without the charging of tuition fees. She also pioneered extensive anti-discrimination and equal opportunity legislation, including the landmark Sex Discrimination Act 1984 and the Affirmative Action Act 1986.

Sharon Davis – Regional Manager NT, Frontier Services

Sharon has worked in the NT since 1993 and has oversight of services within the NT and into the Kimberly region of WA. These services provide community services and residential care to clients from Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander, Asian, Greek and other cultural backgrounds.

The NT is a multi-cultural community within the true meaning of the phrase, with many cultures being celebrated and welcomed over past decades. Prior to coming to the NT, Sharon held senior nursing positions in NSW in aged care homes that specifically provided services for residents from European cultural backgrounds.

Sharon was awarded a Centenary Medal for her contribution to aged care in the NT and in 1995 she received the Louis Ariotti Award recognizing innovation and excellence in health services by the National Rural Health Alliance. She was also awarded Telstra NT Business Women’s Award of the Year (Private Sector) in 1999.

Frontier Services is a national agency of the Uniting Church in Australia.

Pino Migliorino – Chairperson, FECCA

Pino Migliorino is a leading commentator, researcher and consultant in the area of ethnic affairs and multicultural policy, with over 30 years of ethnic community involvement and working in multicultural affairs across three sectors. Pino is currently the Chairperson of FECCA (Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils of Australia), elected in October 2009 and reelected in November 2011.

Pino is passionate about multicultural affairs and social justice and provides an informed voice in advocating for the needs and interest of our diverse cultural, linguistic and religious communities.

18 years ago, Pino founded and still leads Cultural Perspectives and CIRCA Research which are sector leaders in researching and communicating with culturally and linguistically diverse and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Australia.

While Pino has expertise across a number of policy and practice areas, he has a passion and particular expertise around issues relevant to older people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Pino has undertaken important research in the area of dementia, mental health and planning ahead issues for this area group and has been involved in both the theoretical development and practical implementations of aged care programs in culturally and linguistically diverse communities. Of particular note is his involvement in key advisory bodies in the ageing area including:

• Chair of the NSW Ministerial Advisory Committee on Ageing (2008 – 2011);
• Chair of the National Cross Cultural Dementia Network;
• Participation in the Federal Government’s Ageing Consultative Committee;
• Treasurer for INAS and Italian ‘Patronato’ assisting older Italian with their overseas pensions inquiries.

Prior to working in the private sector, Pino held important positions in the third sector and in government including Executive Officer of the ECC of NSW, NSW Regional Coordinator for the Office of Multicultural Affairs, Senior Conciliator at the HREOC and Principal Policy Officer of the Ethnic Affairs Commission of NSW.

Arnold Zable – Author and storyteller

Arnold Zable is an acclaimed writer and one of Australia's best-loved storytellers. He is the award-winning author of the memoir Jewels and Ashes and the bestselling novel Café Scheherazade, which was recently adapted for the stage. His other books include The Fig Tree, the novels Scraps of Heaven and Sea of Many Returns, and his recent collection of stories Violin Lessons, which takes the reader on an intimate journey into the lives of people he has met on travels over the last forty years.

He is the author of numerous stories, columns, essays and features and is co-writer of the play Kan Yama Kan, in which asylum seekers tell their stories.

Arnold has worked in a range of cross-cultural projects and conducted workshops for many groups including refugees, immigrants, the homeless, the hearing impaired, and most recently, survivors of the Black Saturday bushfires and problem gamblers. He is a human rights advocate and president of International PEN, Melbourne, and speaks and writes with passion about memory and history, displacement and community.

Arnold has presented extensively at universities, writers festivals and conferences throughout Australia, and has a doctorate in creative arts, Melbourne University, where he was recently appointed a Vice Chancellor’s fellow. He has travelled and lived in the USA, India, Papua New Guinea, Europe, Southeast Asia and China, and now lives in Melbourne.

Beth Wilson – Victoria’s Health Services Commissioner

Beth Wilson is a lawyer by training and has worked mainly in administrative law.  Beth has had a long-standing interest in medico/legal and ethical issues.

The Health Services Commissioner receives and resolves complaints about health service providers with a view to improving the quality of health services for everybody.

Prior to becoming Health Services Commissioner, Beth was the President of the Mental Health Review Board, a Senior Legal Member of the Social Security Appeals Board and WorkCare Appeals Board and a past President of the Victorian Branch of Australian and New Zealand Association of Psychiatry, Psychology and Law (ANZAPPL).  In 2007 Beth was appointed a member of the Disability Services Board.

Beth has received several important awards in recognition of her achievements.  These include:

• 2002 - Monash University’s Distinguished Alumni Award for outstanding professional achievements and inspirational leadership
• 2003 - Centenary Medal for services to health
• 2004 - An Honorary Doctorate from RMIT for contributions to health education
• 2008 - Induction onto the Victorian Honour Roll of Women for services to women’s health in Victoria

Beth regularly conducts seminars, lectures and classes for consumers, carers, health service providers and others.  Beth advocates for work-life balance and the importance of humour, storytelling and music in providing inspiration and education and in health promotion.

Michael Gorton AM – Principal with Russell Kennedy and board member of Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission

Michael Gorton AM is a principal with Russell Kennedy, Solicitors, with experience in corporate and commercial law, and a special interest in Health Law.  He has qualifications in Law and Commerce, and has an extensive background in the community sector.  Michael was awarded Honorary Fellowships by the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists.  He was made a Member of the Order of Australia in January 2004.

Michael is currently a board member of the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission;  Melbourne Health (Royal Melbourne Hospital);  National Ageing Research Institute; and a Committee Member of the Australian Health Professional Regulation Agency (Agency Management Committee).

Michael’s former appointments include President of the Health Services Review Council, National President of Greening Australia and National Secretary and Victorian President of the United Nations Association of Australia. 

Lena Dimopoulos - Manager Transcultural Services, Eastern Health

Lena Dimopoulos has a diverse background with qualifications in history, gerontology, human resources and adult education. She has worked in the health and community services sector in both culturally specific and generic services for approximately 30 years.

Lena works part-time at Eastern Health running the Transcultural Services Unit. Her work on transcultural services has been recognized with 3 industry awards for initiatives in formally harnessing the skills of bilingual workers in healthcare, development of a training needs assessment tool, and communication resources (Cue Cards) that are being utilised internationally across a number of sectors.

Her research interests are related to adult learning and cultural perceptions. Her passion is human rights issues and developing strategies to empower individuals to use their own voice. Lena was the recipient of the Victorian Government Award for Excellence in Multicultural Affairs in 2004, in recognition of her work with multicultural communities

Odette Waanders - CEO, Palliative Care Victoria

Odette’s current role as CEO of Palliative Care Victoria draws on her passionate interest in promoting quality of life through empowering, supportive and inclusive policies and services. She has experience in a broad range of health, aged, disability and community services in a range of policy development, advocacy and service management roles. She has worked for community and public sector organisations in Australia and NZ.

Promoting greater recognition and support of carers is a key aspect of her work. She is also committed to enhancing the way we provide information and services to people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Odette served as a Board Member of Alpha Autism Inc. for four years and she is a member and graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Susan McCarthy - Continence Nurse Consultant/Manager, Victorian Continence Resource Centre

Susan has worked in the specialty of Continence Promotion and Management for over 20 years. She has held positions as a clinician, educator and manager. She currently works at the Victorian Continence Resource Centre and has previously held positions at Calvary Health Care Melbourne and Peninsula Health.

She has presented at numerous national conferences on incontinence, and has contributed to a range of publications for the Continence Foundation of Australia including Easy English Guide to Toilet Training, Awareness of Incontinence in Ethic Communities and Water for Wellbeing - Promoting adequate fluid intake for the frail older person: a resource kit for HACC and Residential Aged Care.

Sasha Jovanovic - Conference Facilitator

Sasha has delivered more than 1,200 presentations to over 35,000 delegates across Australia. Following an education in psycho-sociology and specialising in anthropology, Sasha was later engaged in a number of successful business start-ups and is the winner of a Champion Entrepreneurship award. Recently he has developed, managed and delivered the world’s largest face to face financial literacy education and behaviour change program for the Commonwealth Bank Foundation.

Sasha’s Romany gypsy heritage and fluency in a number of languages assists his work across eastern Europe with agencies engaged with assisting refugees, children and ethnic minorities in war-torn countries. He is the author of the soon to be published book Diverse Prophets - The Five Laws Of Profiting In Diversity. With a unique blend of education and experience he brings a specialist perspective to capturing the economic opportunity in diverse markets.