Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Communities Health Advisory Group

The Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Communities Health Advisory Group works in partnership with the department to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for multicultural people and communities.

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

Members

Role

Name

Organisation

Chair

Ms Celia Street PSM

Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care

Member

Ms Carita Davis

Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care

Member – Organisations

Member

Mr Mohammad Al‑Khafaji

Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia

Member

Ms Raylynn Benn

Social Policy Group

Member

Ms Erica Biddle

Australian Government Department of Home Affairs

Member

Mx Renee Dixson

Forcibly Displaced People Network

Member

Dr Jane Douglas

Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation

Member

Ms Sandra Elhelw Wright

Settlement Council of Australia

Member

Dr Erika Gonzalez Garcia

Australian Institute of Interpreters and Translators 

Member

Ms Carmel Guerra

Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network

Member

Ms Nikki Hogan

Mental Health Australia (Embrace Multicultural Mental Health)

Member

Mrs Maria Johns

Multicultural Aged Care (PICAC Alliance)

Member

Mrs Bronwyn Morris-Donovan

Allied Health Professions Australia

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

Dr Vijay Roach

Migrant and Refugee Health Partnership

Member

Dr Aidan Tan

The Royal Australasian College of Physicians

Member

Dr Kate Walker

Royal Australian College of General Practitioners

Member – Health Expert

Health Expert

A/Prof Georgia Paxton

Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne

Health Expert

Dr Ines Rio

North Western Melbourne Primary Health Networks

Health Expert

Prof Helen Skouteris

Healthcare Improvement and Implementation Science at Monash University

Health Expert

Professor Christine Phillips

Companion House Medical Service

Health Expert

Dr Judy Tang

Invictus Health

Health Expert

Mrs Andrea Vancia

Brisbane South Primary Health Network

State and Territory Observers

Observer

Ms Lisa Alleva

ACT Government

Observer

Mr Dilli Binadi

Northern Territory Government

Observer

Professor Ben Cowie

Victorian Government

Observer

TBA

Government of South Australia 

Observer

Mrs Udani Dhanojanan

Government of Western Australia

Observer

Ms Melanie Nicholls

Queensland Government

Observer

Mr Nick Sandrejko

New South Wales Government

Observer

Mrs Elizabeth Mahnken

Tasmanian Government

Communiques

Date last updated: