The Australian Human Rights Commission has appointed Giridharan Sivaraman as the new Race Discrimination Commissioner. This comes after Chin Tan finished his term in the role.
So who is Giridharan Sivaraman? Let’s find out…
Mr Sivaraman is currently the Chair of Multicultural Australia, and a Principal Lawyer at Maurice Blackburn where he is head of the firm’s Queensland Employment Law department. He has run numerous state and national race discrimination cases and led the pro bono compensation scheme for underpaid 7-Eleven workers, many of whom came from migrant backgrounds.
As a member of the Queensland Multicultural Advisory Council, Mr Sivaraman appeared at a state parliamentary inquiry to demand legal reform to better protect the rights of victims of racial vilification, while his work with Multicultural Australia oversees the continued and extensive support provided to new arrivals in Queensland. In his advocacy, he also committed to the protection and promotion of the rights of First Nations peoples.
A very impressive CV – we will definitely try to reach out to him for an interview, so all of ya can meet him!~
Commissioner Sivaraman will commence his role on Monday March 4.