I was delighted to be appointed in the Australia Day Honours list as a Member of the Order of Australia for “for significant service to the community, particularly to human rights education, social justice and multiculturalism, and as an academic”. Thank you very much for many kind wishes and congratulations I have received. In fact, I am thrilled and all wonderful, unanticipated emails and telephone calls have really enriched the whole AM experience.

While I am grateful and honoured personally, more important to me is that this award acknowledges the importance of human rights and multicultural Australia and all those who toil to advance these ideals. So my particular thanks go to all who have worked with me on human rights education, and in particular to members of the Australian Council for Human Rights Education http://www.humanrightseducationaustralia.com/about.php and to those who have helped me to organise past six International Human Rights Education conferences http://www.westernsydney.edu.au/equity_diversity/equity_and_diversity/conferences/international_human_rights_education_conferences.

Thank you also to my co-workers on the Australian Multicultural Council (https://www.dss.gov.au/our-responsibilities/settlement-and-multicultural-affairs/programs-policy/a-multicultural-australia/australian-multicultural-council) and to all who worked to advance Australia as just and fair multicultural society with opportunities open to all.

Honours such as these carry with them humbling obligations which I will pursue with renewed energy in all my endeavours.