Anti-Racism Taskforce

Sheena is the State Member of Parliament for Northern Metropolitan region and was appointed as a Member of the Legislative Council for Northern Metropolitan in October 2020. She is a proud Yorta Yorta woman. Sheena is committed to breaking down structural inequality and creating and supporting healthy and connected communities. She is on the Scrutiny of Acts and Regulations Committee and before entering Parliament served on a number of Boards including the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation, Victorian Council of Social Service, Women’s Health Victoria and was the Deputy Chair of Merri Health.  Sheena was previously the Executive Manager of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Policy and Programs at youth employment provider AFL Sports Ready.

Nick Staikos is the Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier and Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs. He has also been the Member for Bentleigh since 2014 and is honoured to represent the community within which he grew up in the Parliament of Victoria.

Through his role as a parliamentary secretary, Nick has worked closely with various ethnic groups and diasporas to ensure that the State Government is meeting the needs of diverse communities.

Nick believes that Victoria is the finest example of multiculturalism in the world and that our diversity gives us a strategic global economic advantage. He also believes that our peaceful diversity needs to be both protected and strengthened.

Vivienne (Viv) Nguyen AM is the Chairperson of the Victorian Multicultural Commission (VMC). Viv leads the VMC and its Commissioners by providing a link between Victoria’s multicultural and multifaith communities and government. Viv arrived in Australia as a 12-year-old refugee and for over 25 years she has been a leader in advocating for community engagement and cultural diversity in corporate, community and government settings.

Viv has held executive roles at AustChoice Financial Services, AMP Asset Management and ANZ Banking Group, where she led their global diversity strategy. She was also President of the Vietnamese Community in Australia Victoria Chapter from 2016 to 2019.

In 2002, Viv was inducted into the Victorian Honour Roll for advocating for women’s leadership and supporting young Vietnamese people. In 2003, she was awarded the Australian Centenary Medal and in 2021 was awarded the Australian Order in the AM division for advancing multicultural Victoria.

With 25 years' experience in community services, governance and social justice, Ro Allen has a deep commitment to equality and a broad experience in strategic advocacy. Ro commenced their role as Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commissioner on 1 June 2021.

Prior to joining the Commission, Ro served as the inaugural Victorian Commissioner for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Gender Diverse, Intersex and Queer (LGBTIQ+) Communities.

Ro has held a wide range of leadership roles, including chairing the Victorian Adult, Community and Further Education Board and the Youth Affairs Council Victoria, and serving as a Commissioner on the Victorian Skills Commission.

Ro was inducted into the Victorian Government Honour Roll for Women in 2009, has a Centenary Medal for services for young people and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Susan is an academic, writer and social commentator with an extensive research record on racism and faith-based discrimination. Susan was awarded a fellowship by the Australian Research Council to investigate gender discrimination and Islamophobia. In 2019, Susan was awarded the Churchill Fellowship to explore practical approaches to countering Islamophobia and other forms of discrimination. In 2017, she presented on a panel at the United Nations in Geneva as a guest of The Geneva Centre for Human Rights Advancement.

Susan has appeared as a commentator on television, radio, print and digital broadcast media, and has featured as an expert commentator on programs such as ABC’s Q&A and The Drum. Susan has been named on the 500 Most Influential Muslims in the World list and The Age's 20 Most Influential Australian Female Voices. She completed a PhD focusing on Muslim women countering sexism and presently sits on the board of the Islamophobia Register Australia.

Wesa has worked in the multicultural affairs sector for over 20 years. She has significant experience working directly with diverse communities to empower individuals to take a stand against racism and embrace multiculturalism. She is the co-founder of Resilience Against Racism, an initiative providing support to people who have experienced racism, and the CEO of Cultural Intelligence, a consulting firm specialised in raising the understanding of the power of cultural diversity. Wesa was a board member of the Ethnic Communities Council of Victoria and InTouch - Multicultural Center Against Family Violence. Wesa worked in senior management in the community sector.

Chris is the CEO of the Victorian Alcohol & Drug Association. Chris was previously the Director of Operations at the Yoorrook Justice Commission, the Victorian inquiry into Aboriginal truth telling and justice, until October 2023. He was also previously Executive Officer of the Ethnic Communities' Council of Victoria, the member based peak body for migrant communities and multicultural organisations. Chris is currently a serving Board Member of the Victorian Council of Social Service and is an Advisory Board member of the Monash Migration & Inclusion Centre.

Farhat is a Councillor to the Baw Baw Shire Council’s Central Ward. Farhat has previously worked as a Regional Taskforce Manager for Gippsland for the Victorian Skills Authority, and as a Multicultural Strategic Engagement Coordinator in Gippsland. Farhat is a passionate advocate for regional planning which reflect the diversity of the regional community.

During the pandemic, Farhat led the establishment of a regional forum called Together Gippsland, a network of local service providers and interested stakeholders who build welcoming communities and inclusive service environments in the region. Farhat also sits on a number of governance bodies including the Gippsland Regional Partnership. She has previously participated on the Victorian Multicultural Commission's Regional Advisory Committee and the Ethnic Communities’ Council of Australia’s Rural & Regional Advisory Committee.

ARK Centre’s Rabbi Gabi is a Jewish community leader who serves as an Executive Member of the Jewish Community Council Victoria. He has broad experience providing advice to government on issues affecting minority communities in Victoria. Rabbi Gabi is particularly passionate about promoting intercultural and interfaith cohesion. In 2020, he founded the Pillars of Light Multicultural Festival.

Elvis is a youth ambassador and leader with a presence on various boards and committees. He has experience in community engagement, having campaigned on mental health, homelessness and LGBTIQ+ issues. Elvis is currently a member of the LGBTIQ+ Taskforce, advising the Victorian Government and supporting delivery of new reforms, policies and programs.

Elvis is currently employed as the Principal Youth Ambassador for Youth Development Australia, where his portfolio includes stakeholder management, community engagement, and the National Youth Commission into Youth Employment and Transitions. He is an Ambassador for One Young World and is on the Committee of Management at VMIAC. Elvis also works for the City of Melbourne as their youth adviser on homelessness.

Lawrence was the Project Director for First Peoples Energy DEECA (Jan – June 2024) ensuring Victorian First Nations people inclusion in the Renewable Energy opportunities.

Lawrence was also the Director of First Nations Services at Victoria Legal Aid (VLA) until October 2023. Prior to this role he was the Associate Director, Aboriginal Services at VLA from 2020, where he improved access to justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Victoria.

Lawrence is a current member of the Kinaway Indigenous Business Chamber Victoria and member of the Eastern Region Metro Aboriginal Justice Advisory Committee.

Lawrence was a previous board member of the Boorndawan Aboriginal Healing Service, a past Chair of the Loddon Mallee Regional Aboriginal Justice Advisory Committee, past Co-chair of the Eastern Region Indigenous Family Violence Regional Action Group, appointed as a member of the Victorian Treaty First Working Group and key Taungurung community member appointed to the negotiation team of the Taungurung group negotiating their Traditional Owners Settlement Agreement with the Victorian Government.

Chuol Puot is a Community Engagement Officer for Youth Justice at the Department of Justice and Community Safety (DJCS) with extensive experience in policy development and working with young people in the criminal justice system. He has served as a Senior Practice Advisor in Youth Justice, Children’s Court Youth Diversion Coordinator at the Children’s Court of Victoria and Youth Justice case manager. He currently serves as a DJCS representative on the Youth Parole Board.

Chuol holds a Master of Criminology at the University of Melbourne - his thesis explored the perspectives of African Australians on the media’s ‘African gangs’ narrative. In 2020, Chuol was presented with the Victorian Police Community Exemplary Award for his outstanding contribution to advancing meaningful relationships between multicultural communities and the Victorian Police. Chuol was awarded the 2019–20 Dr Larry Osborne Victorian Youth Parole Board Scholarship.