Role
The Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Communities Health Advisory Group provides a two-way communication channel between the Australian Government and multicultural communities.
It provides expertise, advice and recommendations to shape culturally safe policy and communications to improve health and wellbeing for people and communities from multicultural backgrounds.
The advisory group includes representation from:
- multicultural community leaders
- public health and medical experts
- Department of Health and Aged Care
- Department of Home Affairs
- state and territory governments.
Background
The Australian Government is committed to improving health equity for people from CALD backgrounds and to learning from the experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It established the advisory group in December 2020 as the CALD Communities COVID-19 Health Advisory Group, to provide advice about the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Australian Government expanded the advisory group’s remit to advise on broader health and wellbeing matters for multicultural communities from 1 January 2023.
Terms of reference
Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Communities Health Advisory Group – Terms of reference
Members
| Role | Name | Organisation |
| Chair | Ms Trish Clancy | Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care |
| Member – Organisations | ||
| Member | Ms Annie Butler | Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation |
| Member | Ms Agnieszka Chudecka | Multicultural Aged Care, Partners in Culturally Appropriate Care Alliance |
| Member | Ms Kate Corrigan | Settlement Council of Australia |
| Member | TBA | Allied Health Professions Australia |
| Member | Dr Renee Dixson | Forcibly Displaced People Network |
| Member | Ms Rana Ebrahimi | Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network |
| Member | Mary Ann Baquero Geronimo | Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia |
| Member | A/Prof Erika Gonzalez Garcia | Australian Institute of Interpreters and Translators |
| Member | Ms Siri Gunawardana | Centre for Culture, Ethnicity and Health |
| Member | Dr Scott Mills | Social Policy Group |
| Member | Dr Adele Murdolo | Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health |
| Member | Ms Jamila Padhee | Forum of Australian Services for Survivors of Torture and Trauma (FASSTT) |
| Member | Michelle Possingham | Mental Health Australia (Embrace Multicultural Mental Health) |
| Member | Ms Samara Rodway | National Ethnic Disability Alliance |
| Member | Prof Helen Skouteris | Monash University |
| Member | Dr Aidan Tan | The Royal Australasian College of Physicians |
| Member | Mrs Andrea Vancia | Brisbane South Primary Health Network |
| Member | Dr Kate Walker | Royal Australian College of General Practitioners |
| Member – Health Expert | ||
| Health Expert | A/Prof Georgia Paxton | General paediatrician, Head of Immigrant Health Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne |
| Health Expert | Professor Christine Phillips | Medical Director at Companion House Medical Service |
| Health Expert | A/Prof Ines Rio | General Practitioner, North Western Melbourne Primary Health Networks |
| Health Expert | Dr Judy Tang | Neuropsychologist at Invictus Health |
| State and Territory Observers | ||
| Observer | TBA | Northern Territory Government |
| Observer | Ms Bee Andersson | Government of South Australia |
| Observer | Mrs Udani Dhanojanan | Government of Western Australia |
| Observer | Mrs Elizabeth Mahnken | Tasmanian Government |
| Observer | Ms Melanie Nicholls | Queensland Government |
| Observer | Mr Nick Sandrejko | New South Wales Government |
| Observer | Mr Izaac White | ACT Government |
| Observer | Dr Evelyn Wong | Victorian Government |
Communiques
Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Communities Health Advisory Group – Communiques
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