Intersectionality in Australian Politics: A Conversation with Dr Anne Aly
Anne Aly was elected to House of Representatives in the 2016 election and is the federal member for Cowan in Western Australia. Dr Anne Aly is the first female federal parliamentarian of Muslim faith.
Before becoming the Member for Cowan, Dr Anne Aly was a Professor at Edith Cowan University.
Anne is an internationally renowned expert in counter-terrorism and counter radicalisation, she has published over 100 articles and books on topics related to terrorism and international security. Anne is committed to working with all levels of government to make our families and communities safe.
Anne was the only Australian to be invited to President Obama's White House conference on violent extremism in 2015. She has worked with the United Nations on developing programs and policies on national security and counter-terrorism. She is the recipient of numerous awards for her work and in 2016 she was awarded the Australian security medal.
Anne moved to Australia when she was two years old. Her mum was a nurse and her dad an engineer, who worked as a bus driver.
Anne was a single working mother of two young boys. She knows we all want our schools and hospitals to be the best in the world. Anne believes every child should be given the same chance to succeed as any other child in Australia and every person deserves access to quality healthcare.
Anne worked for years on the minimum wage to send her two boys to school and put food on the table. She knows how important secure, well-paying jobs are. That’s why Anne supports Labor's plan for jobs in WA, protecting penalty rates and a well funded public training system.
Anne has a diverse background that spans education and training, public policy and community work.
Anne was the Founding Chair of a youth oriented not for profit organisation that harnesses youth entrepreneurship and innovation to address global issues at the local level.
Sustainability: A Conversation with John Thwaites
John Thwaites is a Professorial Fellow, Monash University, and Chair of the Monash Sustainable Development Institute and ClimateWorks Australia.
John is Chair of Melbourne Water and a Director of Fair Trade Australia New Zealand. He has been Chair of the Australian Building Codes Board, President of the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) and a director of the Australian Green Building Council.
John is the Chair of the National Sustainable Development Council, which has developed the Transforming Australia: SDGs Progress Report 2018. He was previously Chair of the National Sustainability Council an independent Council appointed by the Australian Government, which produced the Sustainable Australia Report in 2013.
He is a Co-Chair of the Leadership Council of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (“SDSN”) launched by the Secretary General of the United Nations to provide expert advice and support to the development and implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
In 2013, John was named as one of the 100 Global Sustainability Leaders by ABC Carbon Express. In 2015, he was awarded the “Planning Champion” award by the Planning Institute of Australia and in 2016 was awarded the Richard J Evans Award for excellence in recognition of outstanding contributions to planning in Victoria.
John Thwaites was Deputy Premier of Victoria from 1999 until his retirement in 2007. During this period he held various Ministerial portfolios including Health, Planning, Environment, Water and was Victoria’s first Minister for Climate Change. In these portfolios he was responsible for major reforms in social policy, health, environment and water.
Prior to being elected to Parliament, he was a barrister and Mayor of South Melbourne.
In conversation with Anjalee de Silva
Anjalee de Silva is one of Run For It Youth’s fantastic candidates running in Monash Council City - Mount Waverley Ward.
Anjalee is an advocate, lawyer, academic and proud Mount Waverley local. Anjalee also recently finished her PhD at Melbourne Law School.
Anjalee strongly believes that our elected representatives need to understand and work on behalf of all members of our local community. Having been born in Sri Lanka and experienced her own journey as an immigrant, she is uniquely placed to contribute to supporting and communicating with Monash’s extensive multicultural community. She has also been committed to issues of social and environmental justice throughout her life and career, particularly as they relate to women, girls, and other vulnerable groups in our community. She is committed to representing all of us and advocating for quality, affordable services and our local environment and amenity.
Here, she speaks a little more about what inspires her and the importance of local government.
In Conversation with Dr Ashley Humphrey
Dr Ashley Humphrey is a Lecturer and Researcher at Monash University. Ashley is the lead research psychologist for a number of ARC funded studies in the areas of youth mental health and health psychology.
Ashley is also a Lecturer in Psychology, Behavioural Studies and Statistics.
Meet the Founders of Sakhi Saheli: Making a Difference for Women
They founded Sakhi Saheli after noticing the social isolation women of all ages were experiencing in the CALD community. Their passion for empowering women drives their organisation, and also poses as one of their greatest strengths.
But who are they and what is their organisation doing at the moment? Your Local Educator chats to them about exactly that.