PANEL: POLITICS OF DIALOGUE
Chair: Angeline Low

Program Title: Politics of Dialogue
Presentation: The politics of 'dialogue' and 'integration': Mapping community relations programs in Australia
Chris Ho, University of Technology Sydney

Abstract: Hip hop for harmony, multicultural morning teas, interfaith school exchanges, Australian values workshops. Every year, thousands of projects are undertaken with the aim of improving community relations in Australia. Many are funded by the federal government through its Living in Harmony program. This paper examines the two most common types of projects that have occurred in the last decade, and analyses their underlying political values. The first type of projects involve intercultural exchange, and are based on the liberal assumption that interpersonal contact and dialogue is the best way to reduce intolerance and enhance mutual understanding. What can this model achieve and what issues or approaches might be excluded? The second, increasingly popular, type of project consists primarily of educating newcomers about Australian values, society and lifestyle, or offer life skills education for new arrivals for participation in Australian society. These projects reflect a more paternalist, integrationist approach. What do these types of projects indicate about the evolution of Australian multiculturalism, and what values are being downgraded in favour of dialogue and integration?

Program Title: Feminism and Dialogue
Presentation: 'I'm not religious but' .... A secular feminist's response to interfaith dialogue in Australia
Barbara Bloch: University of Technology Sydney

Abstract: I take as my underlying premise for this talk, the increase in religious visibility in the public sphere, evidenced in part by government-funded projects related to religious activities, such as interfaith dialogue, which one could characterise as emanating from the moderate face of religions. I discuss the place of interfaith dialogue as a rising phenomenon within and between multicultural communities. My critique of this growing trend is both personal and political. Personal because I am committed to a secular view of society and how to solve its many problems, and political because interfaith dialogue initiatives are contributing to the collapse of multicultural discourse into religious discourse, whereby 'culture' and 'religion' are conflated into a privatised zone rooted in tolerance and faith-based values. This private and personal sphere does not encourage a framework for 'looking at broader structural issues of equity, power, representation and systemic change, including questions of how institutions should respond to the challenges of diversity and difference' (Ho 2006: 8). I will address these questions: What challenges does the apparent prevalence of interfaith activities pose to secular, social-justice oriented feminist activists and those involved in secular multicultural politics? What are the limitations of interfaith activities? Why do they have a particular appeal for women, as well as for governments? What can we learn from the ethicist, Margaret Somerville's notion of the 'secular sacred', in relation to how we accept, respect and negotiate difference in multicultural societies like Australia?

Program Title: Who’s afraid of Dialogue?
Presentation: 'Who's Afraid of Interfaith Dialogue': Examining the Politics and Legitimations of a Faith-Based Organisation.
Goldie Osuri, Macquarie University

Abstract: A 2007 issue of Newsweek reports that the phrase 'interfaith dialogue' has appeared 173 times in major international headlines since 1977--a 100 of these in the past five years (Miller 2007). Such a statistic points to the popularity of interfaith dialogue, as it generates a 'feel good' politics of learning and understanding about other faith-based communities. This meaning of inter-faith dialogue is promoted by faith-based community leaders especially in the post-9/11 climate where fears of a demonic Islam appeared to be pervasive amongst many non-Muslims (Keely 2006). If inter-faith dialogue has become a governmentally sanctioned activity, a number of critical questions need to be asked about the legitimisation of faith-based groups who claim to speak on behalf of communities which may have diverse religious, cultural and political practices and beliefs. This paper seeks to examine the politics of one faith-based organisation, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). In Australia, the VHP has been registered as a non-profit organisation since 1989, and is a member of the umbrella organization, the Australia Hindu Council which participates in interfaith government initiatives. In the Indian context, the VHP has been considered a radical cultural organization which has incited violence against Muslim and Christian minority groups (National Commission for Minorities 2007). Taking these differing agendas into consideration, this paper argues that it is necessary for policies and initiatives around interfaith dialogue to take into account a more transnational view of the activities of religious organisations. Keely, Avril Anne 2006, 'Beginning Christian-Muslim Dialogue in Western Sydney: Context and Practice, Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations, vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 471-482. Miller, Lisa 2007, 'Interfaith', Newsweek, vol. 149, Issue 8, p. 14.

D1.S2.Pan3 – Rm4.236

PANEL: THE CLASSROOM AND RESPECT
Chair: Mara Moustafine

Program Title: Classrooms and pedagogy
Presentation: Dealing with Difference: Building Culturally Responsive Classrooms
Nina Burridge, University of Technology Sydney
John Buchanan, University of Technology Sydney

Abstract: This paper investigates the issues that arise for educators at the tertiary and the schooling sector in dealing with and responding to the increasing diversity of our classrooms. It is clear that the realities of international conflicts, religion, politics and the socio-economic pressures of globalisation present great challenges, as well as opportunities for Australia's increasingly culturally diverse communities. How do we as teachers and academics deal with difference? What strategies do we apply in dealing with racism and promoting social equity and social inclusion in our universities and schools and as a by-product in our communities? One key area for discussion relates to the role of education as a transformative process in which academics, teachers and schools in particular, actively engage in the discourses of dealing with the challenges of ethno-cultural diversity at a time when economic, religious and political tension are heightened by world events. How do we as educators turn these challenges into opportunities for a more cohesive Australian nation?

The paper will discuss some of these important issues and the challenges they present through an analysis of how teachers and students are dealing with ethno-cultural diversity in the context of their particular educational setting. It will endeavour to present some ideas for meeting these challenges through culturally responsive frameworks and strategies that value difference.

Program Title: The 4Rs in the Curriculum
Presentation: Teaching the 4Rs in the school curriculum
Brian Elliott, NSW Department of Education and Training

Abstract: This session will examine how an inclusive school curriculum empowers students to investigate the themes of the conference. Through courses such as Civics and Citizenship and the exploration of perspectives such as Aboriginal, difference and diversity and multicultural perspectives, our students have the opportunity to develop knowledge and understanding of respect and responsibility. The session will examine the development of respect and responsibility through the primary curriculum, taking students from their immediate social environment to the wider national and global perspectives. It will also focus on opportunities in the secondary curriculum for students to develop knowledge about different ways of interacting within and between communities. The session will examine how intercultural understandings are developed through teaching and learning strategies in HSIE syllabuses. It will also discuss the Stage 5 International Studies course. There will also be a focus on achieving active citizenship, reconciliation and human rights education supported by education sectors working in partnership with schools.

Program Title: Making Multicultural Australia - A Classroom Strategy
Presentation: Making Multicultural Australia: strategies for using digital media in education for an inclusive diverse future
Andrew Jakubowicz, University of Technology Sydney
Mara Moustafine, University of Technology Sydney

Abstract: Making Multicultural Australia is a web-based project being undertaken by a UTS team in collaboration with the state education bodies in NSW, Queensland and Victoria. This paper argues that an understanding of the impact on public culture of cultural diversity is fundamental to developing an effective strategy of social inclusion. In education the exposure of teachers and students to a range of immediately available images, original interviews and documentary support deepens the experiences they can engage with, and enriches the qualities of learning and understanding. It reviews specific elements of the project including the current research in Victoria.

D1.S2.Pan4 – Rm4.233

Panel: Hanifa Deen: The Jihad Seminar - in Conversation with Devleena Ghosh
Hanifa Deen, Author and Social Commentator
Devleena Ghosh, University of Technology Sydney

D1.S3.Pan4 – Rm4.231

PANEL: LISTENING
Chair: Chris Ho

Abstract: This panel explores the productive possibilities of a focus on 'listening' in both research and activism around media and politics. Media studies and political theory have conventionally emphasised questions of speaking and voice. A focus on listening, rather than 'speaking up', opens up new ways of thinking and strategising around respect, rights and responsibilities. The papers present preliminary work on the technologies, practices and politics of listening developed through a series of ongoing, interdisciplinary dialogues aimed at developing innovative understandings and interventions in media and politics.

Program Title: Politics of Listening
Presentation: Media, Multiculturalism and the Politics of Listening
Tanja Dreher, University of Technology Sydney

Abstract: To date both research and policy on media and cultural diversity have emphasised questions of speaking, whether in mainstream, community or diaspora media. There is also a vast literature examining questions of representation including stereotyping, racialisation, hybridisation and self-representations. This paper extends these discussions to focus on questions of listening. Attention to listening provokes important questions about media and multiculturalism: How do media enable or constrain listening across difference? How can a diversity of voices be heard in the media? Drawing on recent work in ethics and political theory, this paper explores the productive possibilities of a shift from the politics of representation to a politics of listening in both media studies and media advocacy work concerned with understanding across differences. To highlight listening shifts the focus and responsibility for change from marginalised voices and on to the conventions, institutions and privileges which shape who and what can be heard in media.

Program Title: The Listening Cure
Presentation: The Listening Cure
Justine Lloyd, Macquarie University

Abstract: This paper outlines some recent examples of listening as a political practice in contemporary theory. Departing from Claus Offe's observation that increasingly the state addresses policy not to "constituted collective actors, but directly to the everyday life praxis of individuals... [giving] the impression that the state is incapable of steering, or that conditions in its problem environment are irremediable" (Offe 1996: 118), I ask whether listening in and of itself is being offered as a 'remedy'. Susan Bickford's attention to listening as 'communicative interaction' and Roger Silverstone's interest in the mediation of everyday life both raise the possibility of listening as a sort of symptom and panacea to social discord. I suggest that the historical formation of practices of listening around cultural forms such as radio are exemplary of a modern, mediated sociality, and point to a need for a new, culturally historical approach to understanding contemporary anxieties over representation and reception. The question of 'listening' rather than 'speaking' positions in a mediated society underpins these changing social dynamics, which challenge established frameworks of rights, responsibilities and social action.

Program Title: Listening Practices
Presentation: Listening Practices, the Media and Respect
Penny O'Donnell, University of Sydney

Abstract: Journalist Michael Mullins recently attributed Maxine McKew's electoral victory in Bennelong to her capacity for listening to voters (Eureka Street, 2007). He went on to point to the longing to be listened to as a common cause of Australia's migrant populations: "Invariably migrants and refugees are long-suffering, and have stories to tell. Many of these people have lived in totalitarian countries where they could be imprisoned for telling their story. What they seek in Australia is the freedom to speak, and the courtesy and generosity of spirit with which it goes hand in hand". This paper explores media listening practices that canvass migrant and refugee experiences and examines them in relation to interdisciplinary research on social recognition, agency, justice and democratic media reform.

Program Title: Public Responsibility
Presentation: Listening as Public Responsibility
Catherine Thill

Abstract: Practices of listening and responsiveness are crucial for democratic struggles. Yet over the past two decades scholarly, policy and public debates on welfare rights foreground the issues of choice, voice and representation. This paper examines how concern with the cultural politics of listening might usefully reorient these debates. In particular, it explores the possibility of cultivating a cosmopolitan ethos of critical responsiveness (Connolly, 2002) towards the voices of marginalised people and groups. This paper argues that the prevailing focus on welfare recipients' rights and obligations to exercise choice and voice only make sense in the context of a public responsibility to respond and listen.

D3.S2.Pan5 – Rm4.233

PANEL: MEDIA AND DIVERSITY
Chair: Barbara Bloch

Program Title: Multiculturalism, Media Engagement
Presentation: Multiculturalism, media engagement and industry impacts
Georgie McClean, Special Broadcasting Service

Abstract: The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) is the subject of some key stories of Australian self-definition. Long heralded as a 'bold experiment' and understood as 'special' for its unique Charter and the extraordinary diversity of the content it broadcasts, SBS has outlived all other multicultural institutions created amongst the social policy transformations that took place in Australia in the 1970s. Its inception promised a departure from the parochialism of Australian media and the cultural xenophobia of the official national self-image. SBS was set up to communicate with and represent the diversity of Australia's society, and recognised the range of cultural groups residing in Australia as a part of the national citizenry. The principal function of the SBS Charter is to '...provide multilingual and multicultural radio and television services that inform, educate and entertain all Australians, and in doing so, reflect Australia's multicultural society'. In order to fulfil this Charter, SBS must engage with the changing nature of Australia's multicultural society and must think creatively about the possibilities of media. Implicit in the Charter's brief is the expectation that SBS should deliver a range of policy outcomes as a multicultural broadcaster.

These include: social cohesion, intercultural understanding and contribution to a harmonious society; improved media diversity; and contribution to Australian creative industries. These outcomes are relatively difficult to measure, especially social policy objectives. As we know, media effects are not clear or linear progressions from intention to impacts on audiences. Any analysis of the distinctiveness and continued relevance of SBS requires an understanding of audience engagement beyond audience size metrics. The link between social policy (multiculturalism), media usage (reach and ratings) and audiences (profiling) is difficult to make coherently through previously available resources. SBS recently commissioned an Audience and Industry Engagement study focussing on the case studies of two recent major Australian dramas commissioned and broadcast by SBS: EastWest101 and The Circuit.

This study tests a range of hypotheses via focus groups with target audiences including: that these programs represent Australia differently from other available content in Australia; they may make audiences think differently about social issues; they affect audiences emotionally; and they facilitate identification with characters from other cultural backgrounds which may impact on interpersonal relationships in everyday life. The research model draws on Marie Gillespie's notion of 'TV talk' and is based on an interest on what audiences do with media, rather than describing them as passive consumers of content. The research project also involves interviews with the content producers, funding agencies and commissioning editors of each program. These explore the intentions of the program and the objectives of the funding bodies involved along with the uses of genre, 'modes of address' and production techniques to deliver on the aims. This paper will share some of the findings of this research, and will explore the relative strengths and limitations of the research model.

Program Title: Dead Men Walking
Presentation: Dead men walking? The Australian print media's role in depicting the death penalties in the cases of the Bali Nine and Bali Bombers.
Virginia Small, Centre for Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism, Macquarie University

Abstract: Print media framing of events has a formative impact on opinion in the public sphere. The print media amplifies and projects particular discourses and narratives which focus opinion and encourage or anticipate particular outcomes. The handing down of death sentences to the Bali Nine (2006) and Bali Bombers (2003) was framed differently by the print media. It was implicit that the three found guilty of the Bali Bombing (2002) deserved to die while there was ambivalence about the death sentences handed down to the Bali Nine, with many seen as deserving reprieve. This paper will examine how the print media framing of these events differed and the role the media has played in depicting the death penalty in Australia, with reference to the Ryan hanging (1967). Using Altheide's (2002) problem frame, with its links to fear and entertainment, the Bali Nine and Bali Bombers trial openings and sentencings will be analysed as examples of how stereotypes are perpetuated, and justice is framed within a "them" and "us" discourse, distinguishing those who deserve to die and those who deserve to live.

D1.S4.Pan4 – Rm4.238

PANEL: BELIEF AND CHANGE
Chair: Wafa Chafic

Program Title: A Quest of Boundaries
Presentation: A Question of Boundaries: A Close Encounter with Victoria's Religious Vilification Law
Hanifa Deen, Monash University

Abstract: The Victorian Racial and Religious Tolerance Act (2001) has been covered in controversy right from its inception in 2000. The debate continues amongst diverse groups as to whether this is a 'good act ' or a 'bad act' and whether or not this State law undermines freedom of expression. The Islamic Council of Victoria v. Catch the Fire Ministries Inc. (the first religious vilification case lodged under the new law) has come to be viewed as an important test case that decides certain boundaries affecting free speech. The original decision, handed down by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT), in December 2005, found in favour of the Islamic Council. Nevertheless, almost a year later, the Victorian Court of Appeal allowed Catch the Fire's application and referred the case back to VCAT to begin again. However, in June 2007, the case was conciliated by the Victorian Equal Opportunities Commission; the details remain confidential.

This paper is based on Hanifa Deen's new book The Jihad Seminar. The author discusses the views of the pro and anti legislation groups facing each other across the barricades, the fall out in terms of community relations and the fine line separating freedom of speech from hate speech. Can hate speech legislation set boundaries of tolerance and respect or do these laws exacerbate conflict? Why did this nightmare of a case, expected to be over in three days, take almost six years to resolve?

Program Title: Faith-based Organisations
Presentation: Managing Change in Faith Based Organisations
Jonathan Pratt, University of Technology Sydney

Abstract: Faith-based organisations reside almost entirely within the non-profit sector, yet do not exist in isolation of other institutions in society (Anheier, 2005: 106). During the Clinton and Bush Administration in the US, they have been conceived by government as a "middle way" between market- and state-based policies, especially in the provision of human services such as welfare and education (Anheier, 2005: 10). In institutional environments characterised by strong institutional pressures and relatively weak technical or market pressures (Scott and Meyer, 1983/1991: 124), organisations frequently conform to the 'myths' of their field, sometimes against the interests of technical rationality (Meyer and Rowan, 1977). These institutional pressures can make organisational change difficult, particularly among faith-based organisations with traditional values (Lyons, 2001; Robbins and Barnwell, 2005). Despite the significance of their contribution to the non-profit sector, relatively little research has been conducted among these organisations. This paper presents a limited review of the literature on change and faith-based organisations, and attempts to identify a framework for managing change at the organisational-level of analysis.

REFERENCES
ANHEIER, H. K. (2005) Nonprofit Organizations: Theory, practice, policy, Milton Park, Oxon, Routledge.
LYONS, M. (2001) Third sector: the contribution of nonprofit and cooperative enterprises in Australia, Crows Nest, NSW, Australia, Allen & Unwin.
MEYER, J. W. & ROWAN, B. (1977) "Institutionalized Organizations: Formal Structure as Myth and Ceremony", American Journal of Sociology, 83, 2, pp 340-363.
ROBBINS, S. P. & BARNWELL, N. (2005) Organisation theory: concepts and cases, Frenches Forest, N.S.W., Pearson Education Australia.
SCOTT, W. R. & MEYER, J. W. (1983/1991) The Organization of Societal Sectors: Propositions and Early Evidence, IN POWELL, W. W. & DIMAGGIO, P. J. (eds.) The New Institutionalism in Organizational Analysis, Chicago, The University of Chicago Press, pp 108-140.

Program Title: Managing Sexism and Racism
Presentation: Managing Racism and Sexism The Intersections of Class, Race, Ethnicity, and Gender Among Asian Immigrant Women Entrepreneurs in Australia
Angeline Low, University of Technology Sydney

Abstract: The story of the entrepreneurial process of immigrant women entrepreneurs is not complete without listening to their voices of experiences of racism and sexism and to understand the strategies they use in managing discrimination to protect themselves and their businesses. Using the intersectional theory, this paper examines a group of Asian immigrant women entrepreneurs in Australia who are racialised and gendered. Racial discrimination and sexism is multilayered, manifested in the myriad of social and business relationships. This study leaves room for further enquiry to raise community awareness and policy considerations to empower and protect immigrant women entrepreneurs against discrimination.

D1.S4.Pan5 – Rm4.233

PANEL: EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP
Chair: Jacquie Widin

Program title: Active Citizenship

Program title: Values Education

Program title: Service Learning – Building Civic Competence

D1.S4.Pan6. – Rm4.234

PANEL: WOMEN AND ISLAM
Chair: Barbara Bloch

Program Title: Muslim Girls
Presentation: The 2Rs - Respect and Responsibility: The Case of Australian Muslim Girls
Nahid Kabir, Edith Cowan University

Abstract: The citizenship debate involves respect and responsibility. In this paper I discuss the case of Australian Muslims girls who in their home environment respect the family values and carry out certain responsibilities assigned to them. In the wider society, they attend schools, do part-time jobs and obey the values of the institutions. However, I question in this paper, whether the family and the wider society are fulfilling their responsibility towards these girls. I discuss the interview responses of 39 Muslim girls (15-18 years) living in Sydney and Perth. I examine pertinent cases within the framework of relevant academic literature, and argue within the social, religious and cultural context. The issues within the family domain are inter-twined within Islamic religious-cultural arguments, whereas the issues in the public domain are argued on cultural conflict between the Muslims and the wider society. With both arguments I show how some Muslim girls negotiate their identity, and suggest their bicultural identity is assisting them to keep a positive attitude in their everyday life.

Program Title: Islam and the Call for Justice
Presentation: Islam and its call for justice...
Fatima Skaf

Abstract: There is a profound relationship between the word Islam and the call for peace, justice and equality amongst human beings. As a young Muslim woman myself, I'd like to share my own experiences in the wider Australian community to demonstrate what it might take to feel accepted by the community. I would like to speak about a leadership program I recently participated in, which convinced me that it is quite realistic to aim for a future with a confident Australian generation, whose youth interacted with society in a way that was productive and successful for all. Educating and equipping youth with skills that enabled them to become leaders in their own communities means that there will no longer be a 'suppressed' Islamic voice, and that many voices will be heard in our communities in response to crises and incidents which might affect us all as Australians. During our participation in the youth leadership program in Melbourne, we were inspired by each other. As 12 young Australian Muslims coming from all over Australia, we realized and smiled at our own prejudices against Australians from other states, like thinking that the Darwinian participants had spent a lot of time tanning themselves back home. This made us feel less sensitive about the prejudice that we might have been exposed to growing up as Australian Muslims.

Program title: Wrapped in the flag
Presentation: Wrapped in the flag, Australia Day, Coogee, Sydney 2007.
Asma Yusra

Abstract: "A year after the anti-Muslim Cronulla riots, a young woman wraps herself in the Australian flag as a signal of her identity. What are the values of Australia in 2008? What does the Australian flag stand for? What opportunities are provided to the young people of Australia to discuss the type of Australia they would like in the future? Are there unnecessary barriers? Are they given the respect and the responsibilities they deserve?" The Cronulla riots of 2005 were stemmed from racial attacks between the White Australian and Middle Eastern communities of Sydney. For violence based on RACE to have occurred in this era, the nation's definition of the 'Australian identity' must be put forth. What does it mean to be Australian?

The Australian flag selected in 1901 denotes Australia's historical attachment with Great Britain. One hundred years later, the Australian flag in itself has provided a definitive barrier between White Australians and non-White Australians. The woman wearing the flag is promoting Australia's British heritage, not Australia's current description. Australia in 2008 is no longer represented by its Union Jack and British history. Australia is famed for her cultural diversity and sense of multiculturalism. The immigrants of the last century from Asia, Middle East, and Africa have made Australia what it is today. Australian food is now an infusion of Asian and Western dishes, African and Middle Eastern dishes. Australian art is most famous for its Aboriginal works and culture.

Our former Prime Minister Paul Keating put forth a statement almost twenty years ago that is still applicable today. "I do not believe that the symbols and the expression of the full sovereignty of Australian nationhood can ever be complete while we have a flag with the flag of another country on the corner of it". It is time Australia is represented for its multi-lingual, multi-cultural qualities and true historical Australia, promoting and bringing back the spirit of Aboriginal people. Most Australians today are attached to more than one culture, and all these cultures need to be celebrated and respected. Racial confrontations in Australia today are completely unacceptable and should be entirely eliminated. The future is in the hands of the youth of Australia. The government and public must be more motivated to promote this new Australia to the next generations through social, cultural, and education programs.

Program Title: Women in the middle
Presentation: The Dynamics of Islamic Fundamentalism: Women in the Middle
Patricia Madigan, University of Sydney

Abstract: In modern times a European-inspired imperial project has affected more and more Muslim domains and territories, disrupting their political norms and cultures whether in Asia, Africa, the Arab world or Iran. One result has been the emergence of fundamentalism, popular among intellectuals and professionals as well as the rural poor and the urban underprivileged. This paper discusses the dynamics of Islamic fundamentalism and its effects on women by approaching it from three standpoints - (i) the personal, (ii) the family and communal and (iii) international and global perspectives. While recognizing the psycho-social dimensions of the phenomenon, the analysis also takes account of the part played by Western economic and political policies in the rise of fundamentalisms in the developing world, where most Muslim populations are situated. The paper investigates how control of women has become a central focus in the Muslim struggle for self-determination in the modern era.

D2.S1.Pan4 – Rm4.238

PANEL" WHAT IS THIS THING CALLED RESPECT?
Chair: Chris Ho

Presentation: What is this thing called Respect? Perspectives on post-multiculturalism
Ingrid Matthews, Social Policy Research Centre, University of New South Wales
Greg Noble, Centre for Cultural Research, University of Western Sydney
George Morgan, Centre for Cultural Research, University of Western Sydney
Cameron McAuliffe, Centre for Cultural Research, University of Western Sydney

Abstract: The value of official multiculturalism in Australia has increasingly become the subject of debate in recent years. The term itself, now more than 30 years old, appears in some fora to have taken on the mantle of yesterday's ideal, a flawed policy in need up updating to deal with the emerging complexities of the 21st Century. For many of its supporters, the debate has left its mark on multiculturalism, leaving them searching for a post-multicultural alternative. In its day, multiculturalism appeared as an archetypal paradigm shift turning ways of understanding diversity in contemporary societies on their head. Yet the heralding of its passing has been long and drawn-out, with no paradigm shift appearing to take its place. Instead many terms have emerged, or reappeared, in the ongoing attempt to engage with cultural diversity - cosmopolitanism, everyday multiculturalism, integration, social cohesion, social inclusion and, in the case of this conference, respect.

This panel will give a variety of perspectives on cultural diversity in Australia in this 'post-multicultural' environment. In particular, the panelists will turn their critical attention to the notion of respect as it applies to contemporary multicultural Australia.

D1.S3.Pan5 – Rm4.231

PANEL: THE RELATIONS OF RESPECT
Chair: Tanja Dreher

Program Title: Language of Peace
Presentation: The language of peace and understanding not racism in multicultural Australia
Nina Maadad, University of Adelaide

Abstract: The focus of this paper is on the way that the media approach mainstream Anglo-Australian society stressing particular events and ignoring others and the way that the majority of the society respond to the stories told. The extent to which the media manipulates the minds of most Australian and supply them knowledge based on stereotyping and the way it emphasises certain topics related to certain religious and nationalities feeding the majority certain ideas which changes their beliefs and attitudes. The aim of this paper is threefold: - to understand the nature and the facts behind any topic raised by the media - to realise to what extreme or how far do people go before questioning or researching facts about what is really going on in the world around them - to ascertain the extent to which Anglo- Australian respond to the media and the truth behind the articles reported This paper also demonstrate the importance of maintaining some aspects of the immigrants cultural values of their homeland along side the mainstream Australian cultural values to provide healthy and safe assimilation. One of these attributes is language. Why can't we as a community all speak the one language, the language of peace instead of the language of confusion and racism? It doesn't matter how we speak it and in which way we set it off as long as we achieve the one result that we all wish for which is a Multicultural Australia.

D2.S4.Pan4 – Rm4.238

PANEL: THE RIGHT OF REFUGEE STUDENTS TO EDUCATION

DET Panel 3
Presentation: The right of refugee students to education: whole school and systemic responses
Dorothy Hoddinott, Holroyd High School
Jane Wallace, Multicultural Programs Unit, NSW Department of Education and Training
Kim Cootes, Berala Public School

Abstract: It is the right of all students to 'fully participate, achieve equitable educational outcomes, and develop skills and knowledge to be active citizens'. Schools and education systems have a responsibility in supporting students to achieve this. This session considers current research into barriers faced by refugee students in 'participating fully' in school and 'achieving equitable outcomes' and discusses challenges experienced by schools in providing adequate and appropriate support. The session will outline Department of Education and Training systemic responses, key initiatives in the area of refugee education and individual school approaches to supporting 'participation and equitable educational outcomes' for refugee students. Dorothy Hoddinott will discuss Holroyd High School's response to the needs of young refugees in a secondary school setting and in their move towards post secondary education and work. Berala Public School will discuss ways their school supports the education and resettlement of newly arrived refugee students and families.

D2.S4.Pan5 – Rm4.240

PANEL: TRANSLATING & INTERPRETING: THE KEYS TO LANGUAGE DIVERSITY, A 'FAIR GO' AND THE 4Rs
Chair: Nour Dados, University of Technology Sydney

NAATI (National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters)
Lindsay Heywood, NAATI (National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters)
Susan Bures, NAATI (National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters)
Adolfo Gentile, NAATI (National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters)

Abstract: A presentation by NAATI committee and members on language and equity

D3.S1.Pan4 – Rm4.236

PANEL: DISLOCATIONS
Chair: Nour Dados, University of Technology Sydney

Program Title: Belonging in civil society
Presentation: Belonging in Civil Society: views from the inside, glimpses from the outside
Hilary Yerbury, University of Technology Sydney

Abstract: One cannot talk of belonging in civil society without raising questions of what civil society is and what possibilities this offers for involvement. A number of young people, members of Generation X and Generation Y, have explored their understanding of belonging in civil society in interviews and in interactions in websites of non government and advocacy organisations and in social networking sites. Some see themselves as belonging through membership of organisations, while others consider that as civil society includes everyone the emphasis is on connecting, talking, responding, negotiating and belonging is about taking part. A third group express civil society as a way of being, based around a notion of living and acting in accord with one's beliefs and principles, whether moral or political. These views from the individual of their own sense of belonging are occasionally tempered by reflections from the perspectives of others.

Analysis of these perspectives finds resonances in the literature, for example in Putnam's view of associational civil society, in Habermas's notion of the public sphere and in Giddens's lifestyle politics. The literature in turn highlights the limits of belonging and the potential for exclusion in each of these approaches. In a reflexive move, one recognises that these young people prefer to emphasise their own narrative of belonging at the same time as they acknowledge that others may not interpret their actions and interactions in the same way.

Program Title: Broadened Horizons
Presentation: Broadened Horizons? Promoting global citizenship through Gap-Year Youth Travel Experiences
Stephen Wearing, University of Technology Sydney
John Neill
Kevin Lyons

Abstract: A celebratory discourse of cultural diversity has underpinned Australian governments' multiculturalism policies for several decades. This valorisation of cross-cultural understanding and the promotion of an ethic of global citizenship is at the forefront of the recent development of international 'Gap-Year' travel and tourism programs and policies for young Australians. Political and community leaders, along with representatives of the tourism industry, position Gap-Year youth travel as a de facto form of civics education that promotes an acceptance and tolerance of cultural diversity and engenders the development of a global citizen.

In this paper we argue that although engagement with other cultures is a central tenet of global citizenship, it is not an inherent outcome of all forms of Gap-Year travel. We consider and critique the development of packaged and commodified Gap-Year travel experiences and suggest that certain forms of this experience actively reinforce a type of engagement centred on the accrual of individual cultural and social capital. We argue that these forms of Gap-Year travel are more consistent with a neo-liberal ethos that promote a process of 'othering' that is inimical to broadening cross-cultural understanding and global citizenry. We then consider the recent development of 'volunteer tourism' as an alternative Gap-Year youth travel experience and the forms of cultural engagement that are promoted and provided and consider how such programs are best managed and developed in a neo-liberal political context. We conclude by suggesting that, despite the rhetorics that associate Gap-Year travel with global citizenship such an association remains empirically unsupported.

D3.S1.Pan5 – Rm4.235

PANEL: RESPECT IN SCHOOLS: DET PANEL 2

Presentation: Respect in our schools - the first step towards increasing student participation
Noel Grannall, Student Welfare Directorate, NSW Department of Education and Training
Kathie Power, Cleveland Street Intensive English
High School Student Presenters

Abstract: This session will be framed by NSW Department of Education and Training policies and will include: - strategies to enhance student leadership - recent findings from values education - effective practice in promoting respect and community harmony through school policies and practices which develop respect for cultural, linguistic and religious differences and counter racism and other forms of discrimination. This session features the participation of secondary school students who represent the cultural diversity of NSW public schools. Students will relate stories about what respect means to them personally as well as in the context of school life and within the broader community. The session will explore respect as an important contributor towards improved student wellbeing, self-concept and connectedness. It will demonstrate how respectful practices and the effective participation of young people is not only good for students and schools but that it ultimately makes our society a better place for all of us.

D3.S2.Pan4 – Rm4.238

PANEL: CULTURAL PARTICIPATION
Chair: Mara Moustafine

Program Title: Ethnocultural Diversity and Sport
Presentation: Ethnocultural diversity, indigeneity, and Australian sport: what are the key challenges?
Daryl Adair, University of Technology Sydney

Abstract: Sport has long been considered a fundamental part of Australian culture and a signifier of collective identity and imagined belonging. However, for most of Australian history sport has been a marker of difference rather than confluence. From the 19th century, amateur athletes were isolated from their professional counterparts, male athletes were separated from female competitors, Aborigines were either excluded from, or marginalised within the sport pastimes of whites, while migrants from non-English speaking backgrounds (NESB) tended to be unfamiliar with the dominant athletic customs in Australia, and so usually had an ambivalent place in the national sporting lexicon.

This paper, while setting that broad scene, then considers more recent developments in Australian society and their impact (or otherwise) on sport, though with a particular focus on culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) groups. The first question posed in this talk is whether Australian sport has adequately embraced Indigenous participation and culture. The answer is complex and varied. At the elite level, in a handful of professional sports, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) people are over-represented in demographic terms. Yet in other mainstream sports, such as cricket, golf and tennis, ATSI represent-ation is sparse, and Indigenous culture has little affinity with such practices. The second question posed in this talk is whether sport has adequately embraced ethnocultural diversity in Australian society. Again the answer is complex and varied. The sport most commonly associated with NESB groups, soccer, has undergone a process of de-ethnicis-ation, and, with the rise of a region-based national competition, the ‘A’ League has effectively mainstreamed ‘soccer’ into football. At another level, though, this paper will show that there have been initiatives to better engage ethnic minorities into Australian sport, and thus affirm the ethos of multiculturalism.

Has Australian sport adequately embraced Indigenous participation and ethnocultural diversity? This paper presents a mixed ‘report card’ of improvements, missed opportunities and misgivings about sport as a site of intercultural respect and rapport.

Program Title: “Colour blind” casting
Presentation: “Colour blind” casting
Jon-Claire Lee

Abstract: Despite years of debate Australian television is still "white bread". Why is this so and what can be done to overcome the current lack of multicultural actors on Australian TV. The author runs a talent school and agency in Sydney and is a member of the Chinese Australian Forum.

Program title: Peace Journalism and Media Activism
Presentation: Peace Journalism and Media Activism
Jake Lynch, Centre for Peace & Conflict Studies, University of Sydney

Abstract: News representations of conflict are governed by structural factors arising out of the economic and political interests of the media industry. But they are also a matter of public concern and the subject of rules, guidelines and ethical codes, all intended to guarantee the rights of readers and audiences. There is, in other words, a legitimate public expectation, widely acknowledged and recognised, that journalism should play a civic role in democracy. But the influences of structure and agency, over the content of news, are often in tension. Like many sets of rights, media rights are, therefore, easier to prescribe than to attain in practice.

This workshop will provide some pointers for assessing media against public service criteria, with special reference to the representation of conflicts in all contexts - from community relations to the Caucasus. These will be presented and discussed as a rallying point for activism to bring media reports of conflict back into line with legitimate public expectations.

D3.S2.Pan5 – Rm4.231

PANEL: CIVIL SOCIETY AND COMMUNITY
Chair: Bronwen Dalton

Program Title: Social inclusion
Presentation: Civil Society and Social Inclusion
Mark Lyons, University of Technology Sydney

Abstract: The starting point of the paper is Michael Edwards' (2004) attempt to resurrect the concept of civil society from the confusion that has come from its overuse. Edwards argues that civil society is best understood as manifesting itself in three different ways. One manifestation is as the private non-profit associations that most people belong to and support, through which they co-operate with others and, in some cases, participate in politics. The second manifestation is as a model of the good society a core of which is shared by everyone living in a particular society and polity, but which is argued about at the margins. The third manifestation is the public sphere where these and related arguments about the policies to be pursued by a country are advocated. This includes the various publicly available media and parliament itself.

Any attempt to assess the strength or health of civil society in a particular country must seek to evaluate each of these three manifestations and the supporting links between the three. For example, one measure of the strength of associational life is the proportion of the population participating in associations of all kinds, but for the public sphere to be strong this must include many who are engaged in associations that directly participate in the public sphere. And because the core ideas of a good society include equality of opportunity, non violence and tolerance, associations collectively must draw on and give opportunities for participation as well as voice to all groups in society and must not practice discrimination, intolerance or violence toward others. The ways these manifestations of a civil society support or weaken each other is important but also very complex.

This paper takes up one aspect of civil society as the good society, the value of social inclusion, and explores the ways in which civil society as associational life can strengthen, or weaken this value. It is a matter of some importance in Australia at present as a new Federal Labor government has elevated social inclusion to be a core value of its vision for Australia. Exploring the links between this dimension of a good (civil) society and associational life is also important because the government's approach appears focussed exclusively on the actions that governments can take to build social inclusion.

The paper surveys the limited evidence of the extent to which associational life manifests and models social inclusion. The evidence of higher participation rates among the well educated and the well off, especially when it comes to taking an active role in associational governance, suggests that there is a way to go (Lyons and Nivison-Smith 2004). The paper then acknowledges the existence of associations formed to agitate for an exclusive society and/or that practice intolerance. In addition, many associations are a product of bonding social capital and are weak in the bridging social capital that is needed to build a social inclusion (Passey and Lyons 2006). Some evidence of this effect will be examined. In conclusion, the paper will report some contemporary efforts by some associations to build a more inclusive society and suggest other initiatives that might be taken by other associations, initiatives which might be encouraged by a government seeking to build social inclusion.

References
Edwards, M. (2004) Civil Society. Polity, Cambridge.
Lyons, M. and Nivison-Smith, I. (2004) 'Who Governs Australia's Third Sector'. Paper to ANZTSR Conference, QUT Brisbane.
Passey, A. and Lyons, M. (2006) 'Nonprofits and Social Capital: Measurement through Organizational Surveys' Nonprofit Management and Leadership 16 (4) pp. 481- 495.

Program Title: Respect and responsibility in community learning
Presentation: Respect and responsibility through community service learning
Martine Boese, Brotherhood of St Laurence
Nicole Lyne, Brotherhood of St Laurence

Abstract: Social participation in community life is a key element in current conceptions of societal membership such as social capital and social inclusion. In the context of the workfare state it is also viewed as enabling the development of transferable work skills and thus also assisting young people’s transition through school to work. Research shows however that disadvantaged young people have unequal access to civic and social engagement. Volunteering activity correlates for example with higher socioeconomic status, English as home language, high literacy and higher participation in education. Young migrants and refugees often face additional barriers to community engagement such as a lack of familiarity with Australian systems and local opportunities of participation. To address this imbalance and meet the need of disadvantaged young people to access the benefits of positive community engagement, the Melbourne-based NGO Brotherhood of St Laurence has initiated a community service leadership pilot. It is based on a service learning model with a commitment to youth participation and the recognition that young people should be the active creators of change in their school or community based on their own research.

The program aims to create a sustainable positive relationship between young people and organisations and services in their community and contribute to the development of civic and social responsibility and empathy. Drawing on recent findings from action research on the currently running program this paper will explore the challenges and opportunities of such an approach to improving inter-communal relations and active citizenship.

Program Title: Social Cohesion in Australia
Presentation: Social Cohesion in Australia
Andrew Markus, Monash University

Abstract: The Scanlon Foundation social cohesion surveys were conducted in Australia during June-August 2007. They involved a national survey of 2,000 respondents and five local area surveys conducted in regions of high immigrant concentration, with a total of 1,500 respondents. The design of the questionnaire was based on a review of international and Australian studies and included questions to enable benchmarking of findings against earlier research. The 2007 surveys mark a significant Australian development in the study of attitudes analysed through the prism of birthplace and ancestry. This presentation will consider the major findings within five domains of social cohesion: belonging, social justice, acceptance, participation and self-worth. It will give particular attention to findings for New South Wales and Sydney, interpreted with attention to Australia-level data and recent Canadian and British research.

The broad Australian indicators point to a society that is succeeding in establishing and maintaining a high level of positive outcomes: the challenges are within the domains of participation and acceptance, with a significant level of misunderstanding between birthplace groups and experience of discriminatory and hostile behaviour.

D3.S3.Pan3 – Rm4.238

PANEL: MENTAL HEALTH AND SOCIAL INCLUSION: MENTAL HEALTH COUNCIL

Mental Health Council Social Inclusion and mental health: evidence into practice
Chair: Jenna Bateman, Mental Health Co-ordinating Council

Abstract: The links between social inclusion and mental health are well known, as are the links between social inclusion and recovery from mental illness. Social inclusion is central to how easy is it to bring social inclusion principles into practice in our daily work? This presentation will summarise the evidence supporting the importance of social inclusion to mental health, and provide some ideas for applying the principles in practice. Further, it will cover the key role of the community mental health sector in promoting social inclusion within communities. Agencies within the community mental health sector are ideally placed to promote and enable social inclusion aims through their approach, philosophy, and work, and social inclusion principles can be readily applied by agencies providing housing support, employment support, peer support, social and recreational programs, and a range of other programs.

Bringing these principles into practice includes ensuring: - service users and their families have direct and ongoing input into planning and interventions; - an individualised approach; - a whole person focus, not just on symptoms; and - service users have the opportunity to identify and pursue practical steps towards re-engaging with the community.

Key words: social inclusion, evidence, community

Learning Objectives:

1. The audience will understand the evidence linking social inclusion with mental health and recovery from mental illness, and some ways in which they might apply social inclusion principles in their daily work.

2. Social inclusion has been shown to be directly linked to recovery, and mental health services can work better to further recovery by using these principles to inform their work. The presentation will be directly relevant to the audience's daily work, and will inform this work through exploration of how to apply social inclusion principles in practice.

D3.S3.Pan4 – Rm4.233