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Hurriyet Babacan

Turkey

More information about the Turkey-born community in Australia can be found at the DIMIA website.

Hurriyet's parents engendered an awareness of social issues and social justice in her from a young age and this has been reflected in Hurriyet's work and career choices.

Dr Hurriyet Babacan was born in Turkey and migrated to Australia with her parents and three siblings in 1971, when she was ten years old. Her early memories of Australia were of life in a migrant hostel in NSW - an ex-army barracks. What is most memorable for Hurriyet, however, is the de-skilling of her father that came with migration. Once a middle class academic in Turkey, he became a member of the Australian working class when he joined the workforce at the steel mills nearby. This transition meant that he was exposed to risks that he had not encountered before. In the years to come, both parents suffered injuries due to unsafe work practices in the factories of Sydney and Melbourne at a time when only lip service was paid in many workplaces to the enforcement of minimum occupational health and safety standards.

Hurriyet spent her adolescent years trying to learn English. Schooling was an immense struggle without English language fluency and the experience of racism only added to her stress. The adjustment problems associated with being dropped into a school environment without additional support were considerable. It wasn't until four years later, when the family moved to Melbourne, that Hurriyet received assistance in special English classes. Despite the language barriers, Hurriyet did well at school in subjects where reliance on English language skills was not as crucial to her performance, such as mathematics and chemistry. After completing school, Hurriyet went on to complete numerous studies in higher education. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Social Work, Master of Arts (Social Policy), PhD, Graduate Certificate in Education and interpreting/translation qualifications.

Hurriyet's parents engendered an awareness of social issues and social justice in her from a young age and this has been reflected in Hurriyet's work and career choices. Over the last twenty years Hurriyet has worked as an academic, social worker, policy officer, senior public servant, researcher, author and trainer. Hurriyet currently holds a position at the University of the Sunshine Coast where she is the acting Head of Social and Community Studies and also Associate Director of the Centre for Multicultural and Community Development. She coordinates and lectures in courses in community development, gender, cultural diversity and social and human service practice.

Prior to holding this position, Hurriyet was a senior executive in the Queensland Government where she held the position of Executive Director, Multicultural Affairs, Women's Policy and Community Outcomes Branch in the Department of Premier and Cabinet. Hurriyet has also held lecturing positions in three other universities across Australia, worked as a senior public servant in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and the Victorian Government. She has also worked in numerous community organisations, holding community development, social worker and director roles.

Hurriyet has undertaken extensive research on a range of topics, including immigration and settlement, racism, health, family services, community capacity building, social exclusion/inclusion, child protection, ageing, women, globalisation and human rights. She has published widely and has completed work for UNESCO on gender and development. She has written a book on Death and Dying across six non-Christian religions that has sold over 10,000 copies. She has also completed a guide for migrant job seekers on how to address selection criteria which has also been well regarded.

Hurriyet has been involved in numerous community organisations over the last twenty years, and has been a founding member of many of them. The most recent ones include:

• DV Connect Inc- a statewide domestic violence telephone counselling service in Queensland.
• Queensland Program for Survivors of Torture and Trauma, counselling service for survivors of torture and trauma.
• Women's Sector Development project- a statewide program to better connect women's agencies across different service areas with government.
• Multicultural Development Association Inc- settlement services and case service delivery to newly arrived migrants and refugees which is now one of the largest service delivery agencies in Queensland.
• Centre for Multicultural and Community Development, University of the Sunshine Coast.
• Australians for Multiculturalism and Reconciliation.
• Women Connect - a statewide agency for development and mentoring of women for leadership roles in Queensland.

Hurriyet's contribution to community life has resulted in invitations to serve on Ministerial advisory councils. She has been:

• Equal Opportunity Advisory Committee to the Premier in Victoria
• Member of Legal Aid Commission Review Committee
• Adviser to the Australia Council
• Member of the National Settlement Advisory Council (to the Minister for Immigration)
• Member of Child Protection Council, an advisory body to the Minister for Families, Youth and Community Care in Queensland
• Multicultural Women's Advisory Council to the Premier (Queensland) and Victorian Ethnic Affairs Commission.

This is in addition to membership of numerous departmental and management committee roles on non-government organisations. Hurriyet is regularly invited to speak at conferences, seminars and symposiums as a keynote speaker, locally and abroad.

Hurriyet's work has been recognised with a number of awards including:

• the Queensland State Finalist for Government and Public Service 2003 in the Telstra Business Women's Award
• Bi-centenary Medal awarded by the Prime Minister 2002 for contribution to community and academic life
• Multicultural Services Award by the Premier of Queensland in relation to the multicultural matters in 1999
• nominated as Energex Community Hero, 2000.

In her private life, Hurriyet is married to a person of Indian background. They live in Queensland but straddle extended family networks in Australia, India and Turkey. Hurriyet enjoys travelling, reading, music, folk dancing, weaving and playing with her dog.

Source of Image: http://www.managingdiversityconference.com/Main-Speakers

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