Australian Federal Election - Multicultural Reporting Excellence Masterclass (MREx) for Journalists and Media Professionals

Rationale for the MREx Masterclass

In the lead-up to Australia's 2025 federal election, media organizations face a critical challenge: accurately representing and engaging with Australia's diverse multicultural communities. Our intensive workshop provides journalists and media professionals with essential cultural intelligence, community connections, and reporting frameworks that will significantly enhance election coverage quality.

Australian newsrooms remain significantly less diverse than the communities they cover:

• Only 16% of senior editorial leaders come from non-Anglo backgrounds
• According to Census 2021, only about 9% of journalists are from a non-Anglo or non-European background.
• According to the “Valuing diversity in news and newsrooms” report, only 39% of journalists received training on how to cover issues of diversity in the past year

The result? Coverage that misses nuance, reinforces stereotypes, and fails to capture the authentic concerns of multicultural communities.

Who should attend:

• Australian Journalists and PR professionals
• International journalists reporting on the Australian federal election
• Media agencies that conduct research
• Student journalists and researchers

Core Topics:

• Community Landscape Mapping
  • Community structures, organizations, and leadership dynamics
• Issue Framing Masterclass
  • Avoiding stereotyping and tokenistic reporting
• Expert Panel: Direct from Communities
  • Building authentic connections for ongoing coverage
• EXCLUSIVE!! Ready-to-use contact database for each community so journalists can conveniently contact them for quotes/interviews etc...
• Focus on South Asian, Muslim, and Chinese community groups

About COMPELL:

The Centre of Multicultural Political Engagement, Literacy and Leadership (COMPELL) is dedicated to advancing multicultural Australian representation in Australian politics. We are a nonpartisan organization that collects data, conducts workshops, and holds events to encourage, educate, and assist multicultural Australians to learn about AUSPOL and how they can contribute to and participate in the political process. COMPELL is a part of a larger network comprising of Allies in Colour (National, Independent, peak Body for Multicultural Australians, Expats, and New Citizens),  CARM Board List (Multicultural governance platform), and Multicultural Australia Research Institute (Researching Modern Multiculturalism in Australia).

COMPELL in the Media

Facilitators:

Tharini Rouwette - CEO, Allies in Colour (National, Independent, Peak Body for Multicultural Australians, Expats, and New Citizens, & CEO, COMPELL (Advancing Multicultural Australians in Politics) 

Tharini is a well-known and sought-after multicultural political expert in Australia.With over three years at the helm of Allies in Colour, her mission has been to amplify the voices and presence of culturally and racially marginalised (CARM) Australians in areas of governance,politics, and entrepreneurship. Her organization's values are reflected in her dedication to creating equitable platforms for CARM individuals,aligning with her strategic goals to foster inclusive representation. At COMPELL, she's built an ecosystem for political engagement and civic participation that's reshaping the landscape for non- citizens and multicultural communities. At the core of her work is collecting data and doing research on lesser known multicultural issues while advocating to government and media organisations on the needs and concerns of modern day multicultural Australians.

Dr Sukhmani Khorana - Scientia Associate Professor at UNSW, and Media and Political literacy researcher

Dr Khorana's work to date has examined media and migration in Global North diasporas. Topics she has focused on recently include witnessing and refugee media, migrant/refugee solidarities with First Nations, and mis- and disinformation. Her most recent project on the political participation and media engagement of South Asian and Chinese-origin migrants in Australia (in collaboration with Allies in Colour), has received extensive government and media attention. A toolkit for Australian institutions developed from the research can be accessed here: https://mediafutureshub.org/reports

Wu Minwen - Founder, Chinese Australian Network

Chinese Australian Network, Inc. (CAN) supports Chinese Australians in learning English and embracing Australian culture. Through initiatives like English Corners Australia, they combat social isolation and mental health concerns, while promoting democratic values to its members. Despite international complexities, the support they receive furthers our mission: fostering a harmonious, multicultural Australian society.

Other Facilitators:

TBC - These will include prominent academics and grassroots multicultural leaders who's perspectives are missing in the media-sphere of Australia.