Weren’t able to attend this year’s DCA and NAB Annual Diversity Debate? Or just want to revisit some of the poignant messages and humorous discussion over whether a focus on identity helps or hinders diversity and inclusion in the workplace?
DCA and NAB Annual Diversity Debate 2017
A full video recording of the evening of 24 October and a transcript of the event are now available for DCA members to download. Non-members can also watch the highlights video.
https://www.dca.org.au/event/59
Here is the link to the SBS interview I did about the Advancing Community Cohesion Conference:
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/audiotrack/conference-examines-barriers-social-cohesion-australia
This morning I was a guest on Wendy Harmer’s ABC Radio Sydney’s morning show to talk about the next week’s 2nd Advancing Community Cohesion Conference hosted by the Western Sydney University on 20 – 22 November 2017. Wendy’s show has an audience of over 300,000, so hopefully it will translate to additional conference registrations.
We discussed: How do we unify Australia? For the interview see: http://www.abc.net.au/radio/sydney/programs/mornings/mornings/9136454
I am proud to invite you to a national forum to explore Australian answers to global and local challenges to community cohesion.
In July 2015, Western Sydney University hosted the 1st National Advancing Community Cohesion Conference – Towards a National
Compact. An indication of its success was the request from many of the 250 or so attendees for a follow up conference.
Inspired by the encouragement, and committed to inclusive, thriving communities, Western Sydney University is proud to announce the 2nd National Advancing Community Cohesion
Conference – Today’s Challenges and Solutions. The event will be held from 20 to 22 November 2017 at our Parramatta South Campus.
The Conference program is available here.
On Tuesday 24 October 2017 I participated as a speaker at the Annual Diversity Debate hosted by the Diversity Council Australia (DCA) and moderated by Tony Jones, one of ABC’s most respected
journalists at Dolton House Jones Bay Wharf, Pyrmont.
This year the question was asked: Does a focus on identity help or hinder diversity and inclusion in the workplace? I was on the negative team together with Prof Peter van Onslen, notable political commentator and political journalist for the Australian and Sky News and with Ms Libby Lyons, head of Workplace Gender Equality Agency.
DCA is the independent, not-for- profit workplace diversity advisor to business in Australia. They provide high level advice and strategy to over 400 member organisations across the private and public sectors.As the debate is DCA’s major fundraising event of the year I am pleased to report that the event was NCA best yet, with a record crowd of 462 guests enjoying the thought provoking conversation as well as great food and wine, all in a fabulous setting.
The discussion shed valuable light on the positives and negatives of a focus on identity and provides employers with food for thought when it comes to their own Diversity and Inclusion programs.
Event partner Bloomberg have shared with us the exciting news that #DCAdebate ranked as the top trending topic on social media in Australia as of 7:30pm on 24 October and remained in #2 rank thereafter until 11:30pm, which was just an incredible outcome.
You can view photographs of the event on our DCA Debate photo album on Facebook and you can read our eNews – feel free to share both. A highlights video of the Debate will be uploaded to the DCA website in the next week or so, and media coverage of the event and other DCA activities can be found in the News section of our website.