The Community Advisory Committee, established under the SBS Act, is a critically important body, authorised to seek feedback from community groups about SBS services and draw on their unique positions within Australia’s diverse communities to advise the SBS Board on matters relevant to the SBS Charter. Its primary objectives in 2019-20 included:

• Providing advice to the Board and Executive;
• Making recommendations to the Board on key issues impacting communities;
• Supporting SBS activities related to community engagement, partnerships, consultations, stakeholder relations and policies;
• Providing feedback on programming, marketing and outreach activities affecting all Australians;
• Assisting SBS’s efforts to inform and educate all Australians to counter prejudice, racism and religious discrimination.

In 2019-20, the Committee included two SBS Board members: SBS non-executive Board member, Dot West, serving as the Committee Chair, and George Savvides AM, who was SBS Deputy Chair at the time.

The Committee met four times in 2019-20, with the SBS Managing Director and other SBS directors attending meetings through the year. In addition to regular meetings, Committee members were provided with updates and information on SBS content and themes to enable them to share this with their networks and to drive engagement with the SBS suite of channels and platforms. Members attended SBS community events, including SBS’s Meet the Broadcaster series, the NITV Sunrise Ceremony, the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and the filming of Eurovision – Australia Decides.

A new SBS Community Advisory Committee Charter, which incorporated the original Terms of Reference of the Committee, was approved by the SBS Board at its June 2019 meeting and adopted by the Committee at its meeting in July 2019.

A process of recommendation was run for the appointment of new members of the Committee. The new appointees were endorsed by the Board in August 2019. The following new appointments commenced in September 2019:

• Ms Margherita Coppolino
• Ms Violet Roumeliotis AM
• Ms Shannan Dodson
• Mr Stefan Romaniw OAM

Dorothy (Dot) West

SBS non-executive Board member and SBS Community Advisory Committee Chair

Please see biography via Dorothy (Dot) West .

George Savvides AM

SBS Deputy Chair (Acting Chair from 3 June 2020)

Please see biography via George Savvides AM.

SBS CAC Deputy-Chair, Mr Huseiyn (Huss) Mustafa OAM

General Manager, Multicultural Community Banking at Commonwealth Bank of Australia

Huss Mustafa OAM is a Senior Executive at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) with more than 45 years experience in the financial services sector. He is currently General Manager of the Multicultural Community Banking Australia team. He played a leading role in establishing The Australian Turkish Business Council, served as its president for 11 years, and is now its Patron and Honorary Chair. In 2014, Huss was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his services to multiculturalism and the business community.

Ms Carmel Guerra OAM

Chief Executive Officer, Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY)

With 30 years experience in the community sector, Carmel Guerra is the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY) – the first organisation in Australia to work exclusively with migrant and refugee young people. Carmel continues to participate on a number of boards and committees for government and non-government sectors and is currently a member of the Migration Council Australia and Settlement Services Advisory Council. Carmel convenes the national Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network (MYAN), is a member of the Youth Parole Board and in 2016 was recognised with a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for her outstanding achievements and service to the community.

Mr Patrick Mau (Mau Power)

Musician and Filmmaker

Patrick Mau is a lyrical storyteller and artist from Thursday Island in the Torres Strait. With a proud heritage from the Dhoebaw Clan of the Guda Maluilgal nations and the Argan tribe of the Maluilgal nations, Mau Power is the first hip-hop act to emerge out of the Torres Strait and break out on the Australian music scene, making an impact through the art of storytelling that embodies his many connections of cultures.

Professor Adrian Miller

Pro Vice-Chancellor of Indigenous Engagement, Central Queensland University

Professor Adrian Miller is a descendant of the Jirrbal people of North Queensland. His interests include applied and translational research in communicable diseases in Indigenous communities; Indigenous public health; and Indigenous higher education. Adrian’s research development has been a major focus for these activities, which have led to positive outcomes for Indigenous community members and organisations. He has a research track record in competitive grants with both Australian Research Council and National Health and Medical Research Council grant schemes and in June 2018, Adrian moved into a new role as Pro Vice-Chancellor of Indigenous Engagement at Central Queensland University.

Ms Mary Patetsos

Chairperson, Federation Ethnic Communities’ Council of Australia (FECCA)

Mary Patetsos is a professional Board Director, serving on both national and South Australian Boards with a rare blend of academic qualifications and expertise. Her membership includes Chair of Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA), Council member of the University of South Australia, Deputy Chairperson Health Performance Council, member Northern Adelaide Local Health Network Governing Board, Board member Catherine House and member National Aged Care Alliance. Ms Patetsos is also a Chair and non-Executive Director of Power Community Limited and is a member of Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD).

Dr Casta Tungaraza

Dr Casta Tungaraza is an advocate for the African diaspora in Australia, and actively supports the integration, participation and empowerment of African Australians within Australian society. Based in Perth, Casta is currently the Chair of the Advisory Group on Australia-Africa Relations providing advice to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade on strategies for Australia’s engagement with Africa to enhance economic and people to people relations with the countries of Africa.

Ms Margherita Coppolino

President, National Ethnic Disability Alliance (NEDA)

Margherita Coppolino is a photographer and Inclusion/Intersectionality consultant and advisor to government, business and social justice organisations. She is currently the President of National Ethnic Disability Alliances and Board member for Footscray Community Arts Centre and Australia LGBTIQ+ Multicultural Council.

As a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, her previous roles include Chairperson of Arts and Access Victoria, Australia Federation of Disability Organisations. She has also held non-executive positions with Spectrum Migrants Resources Centre, Action on Disability within Ethnic Communities, and Women with Disabilities Australia.

Margherita is first generation Australian, born to Sicilian mother who migrated in 1959. She was born with a Short Statured condition and is a proud feminist and lesbian.

Ms Violet Roumeliotis AM

Chief Executive Officer, Settlement Services International (SSI)

Violet Roumeliotis is a social entrepreneur who champions the strengths of our diverse communities. Through her C-suite and board roles, Violet uses innovation and collective impact to promote social justice and inclusion in all forms. She is the CEO of Settlement Services International, a community organisation and social business that supports newcomers and other vulnerable individuals to achieve their full potential. During her eight years as CEO, Violet has taken SSI from a Sydney-based organisation with 68 staff to an 800-plus workforce that supports more than 37,600 people nationally each year.

Ms Shannan Dodson

Consultant, Engagement, Strategy and Indigenous Sector Specialist

Shannan Dodson is a Yawuru woman born in Katherine in the Northern Territory and currently lives in Sydney, NSW. Shannan has worked in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs for 15 years and is a strategic communications and engagement specialist. She is currently a consultant and before that was the Communications Manager for the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Leadership and Engagement) Office at the University of Technology Sydney. Shannan is a National NAIDOC Committee member and the Indigenous Affairs Advisor for Media Diversity Australia which seeks to promote balanced representation in Australian media that more accurately reflects the Australian community. She is a regular contributor to NITV, the ABC, Ten Daily and The Guardian. Shannan is passionate about First Nations' rights and understanding mental health issues, particularly intergenerational trauma for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Mr Stefan Romaniw OAM

Executive Director, Australian Federation of Ethnic Schools Association (AFESA)

Stefan Romaniw OAM is the Executive Director of Community Languages Australia. After serving as Chairman of the Victorian Multicultural Commission and the Victorian Government’s Australia Day Committee, he continues his work with key multicultural committees and organisations within Australia, including Multicultural Arts Victoria, and RMIT Languages Advisory Committee. Stefan is the recipient of many awards, including the Order of Australia Medal for his service to education and language learning for people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, the Centenary Medal for voluntary service to the community, and three levels of Orders of Recognition and Medals from the President of Ukraine.