Racism in Sport: Kep Enderby Memorial Lecture 2023

You’re invited to attend the Kep Enderby Memorial Lecture. 

• 31 October 2023 | 12:00pm – 1:30pm  
• Free online webinar 

Join hundreds of people around the country as we gather with experts to discuss one of the most pressing issues of our time: "Racism in Sport." This webinar comes in response to the continued struggles faced by those harmed by racism in the world of sports and builds upon decades of advocacy by the Commission.  
 
Don't miss this opportunity to be part of a transformative dialogue that we hope will shape the future of sports and make a powerful commitment to anti-racism. Together, we can create a more inclusive and equitable sporting world for all. 

This is a FREE online event with up to 1000 participants expected to attend. 

About this event

With an oration delivered by Ellen Van Neerven followed by a thought-provoking panel discussion, this year’s event is a unique opportunity to interrogate racism in sport with experts who will challenge you to think critically about the role sport can play in negotiating the necessary space for anti-racism action. 

This lecture is an opportunity to hear from Ellen Van Neerven, an award-winning author, editor and educator of Mununjali Yugambeh (South East Queensland) and Dutch heritage. Ellen will speak to their expertise on this topic, drawing on their book “Personal Score: Sport, Identity, Culture”, which is described as a ground-breaking examination of sport's troubled relationship with race, gender and sexuality. 

The Kep Enderby Memorial Lecture is an annual public event held by the Australian Human Rights Commission to honour the memory of the Hon. Kep Enderby QC (1926-2015). As Attorney-General, Kep Enderby introduced into Parliament the Bill which would become the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth). Each year, the Memorial Lecture advances public understanding and debate about the Racial Discrimination Act, racism and human rights. 

Information & Registration

The lecture, sponsored by the EU Delegation to Australia and introduced by the EU Ambassador to Australia, Hi Excellency Mr Gabriele Visentin, will be delivered online via Zoom.

Auslan interpretation and live captioning will be available. 

If you have any accessibility requirements, please contact us. 

The deadline for registrations is: Monday 30 October 2023. 

Speakers

Ellen van Neerven (they/them) is an award-winning writer of Mununjali Yugambeh (South East Queensland) and Dutch heritage. They write fiction, poetry, plays and non-fiction. Ellen’s latest book, “Personal Score: Sport, Culture, Identity”, is a ground-breaking book that raises important questions about the relationships between race, gender, identity and playing sport on stolen, sovereign land. Ellen’s first book, “Heat and Light”, was the recipient of the David Unaipon Award, the Dobbie Literary Award and the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards Indigenous Writers Prize. They have written two poetry collections: “Comfort Food”, which was shortlisted for the NSW Premier's Literary Awards Kenneth Slessor Prize; and “Throat”, which was shortlisted in 2021 for the Queensland Literary Awards and the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards, and won the Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry, the Multicultural NSW Award and Book of the Year in the NSW Premier's Literary Awards. Ellen has also won the Queensland Literary Awards – Queensland Premier’s Young Publishers and Writers Award and the University of Melbourne’s Australian Centre Literary Awards – Peter Blazey Fellowship in 2019. 
 
Following the Memorial Lecture, several leading experts will join Ellen to form a panel to discuss racism in sport and reflect on the profound impact of the Women's World Cup hosted in Australia, including: 

• Kyah Simon (she/her) is a Anaiwan and Biripi woman, and a Matildas player. She is also an ambassador for Reflect Forward – an anti-racism movement in the Australian sports industry, which encourages conversations between athletes, teachers, and students about racism in sport and society. In 2011, Kyah became the first Indigenous player in Australia to score at a World Cup, male or female. Kyah currently plays for the Central Coast Mariners in the A-Leagues.
  
  
  
• Karen Farquharson (she/her) is Professor of Sociology and Chair of the Anti-Racism Hallmark Research Initiative at the University of Melbourne.  She is also a member of the Racism. It Stops With Me Expert Advisory Group (EAG). Professor Farquharson researches in the sociology of race and racism, with a focus on media and sport. She has conducted extensive research with community sports clubs and authored multiple books and articles, including “Sport and Society in the Global Age”, which interrogates how sport can influence the social world.
  
  
  
• Molina Asthana (she/her) is the founder and executive director of Multicultural Women in Sport – an organisation which aims to create pathways for the increased participation of women from multicultural backgrounds in sport for their empowerment, well being and sense of belonging. Molina is also the Chair of Gymnastics Victoria and serves on the boards of Table Tennis Victoria and AFL South East Commission. She is a member of the Football Federation of Victoria Tribunal as well as the Victorian Amateur Football League Tribunal. She is on Australian Sports Commission's Sport Volunteer Coalition as well as a special advisor on the Gender and Intersectional Framework. She is also a Change Our Game Ambassador for the State of Victoria. Throughout her career, Molina has been a powerful advocate, championing women and fighting to improve the sporting experience and increase participation.
  

The Kep Enderby Memorial Lecture will be introduced by Mr. Gabriele Visentin (he/him). He took office as the European Union Ambassador to Australia in November 2022. Prior to his arrival in Australia, Mr. Visentin was the EU Special Envoy for the Indo-Pacific and previously served as Head of the Parliamentary Affairs Division in the European External Action Service for several years. Earlier in his career, Mr. Visentin was an official of the European Commission and served in the Directorate General for External Relations. Mr. Visentin was also Head of Cabinet to the last President of the ECSC (European Community for Steel and Coal) and Advisor on European affairs to the Italian Minister of Industry, Energy and International Trade. He holds a degree in law and is specialized in International and Community law.

Technical production of this event is proudly managed by The Social Deck