4EB won three awards at the National Ethnic and Multicultural Broadcasters Council conference in Launceston. The weekend conference heard from Keynote speaker Ghassal Hage, who told delegates, the goal of opposing racism should not be for selfish benefits for any ethnic group, it should be to create a better non racist society in Australia.

Multiculturalism should not “be about me” it should be about making a better society, he said. “I want to be Lebanese sometimes but I also want the freedom to choose not to be seen as Lebanese sometimes. I want to be Australian, or a university professor, or an anthropologist, or whatever… Give me the right to choose my identity.”

He urged broadcasters to emphasise grass roots multiculturalism and to look beyond government policy. On the topic of asylum seekers, Ghassal said the biggest issue is not whether to accept asylum seekers, but how we accept them, “do we do it with compassion?”

Speaking in another session, Samah Hadid said storytelling is an important part of identity. Community radio allows ethnic broadcasters to tell these stories, said the UN Youth Ambassador, who began her career as a youth broadcaster at a muslim community radio station in Bankstown.

Emphasising the effect that immigrants have had on Australian society since its early days, Ethnic Comunities Council speaker Tim Soutphommasane told delegates the expression “Fair Dinkum” was originally from a Chinese gold mining term. Dinkum is a word for “good gold” in Mandarin.

Federal Multicultural Affairs Minister Kate Lundy (pictured) opened the conference. Read her opening speech here.

Tangi Steen was elected the first female president of the NEMBC at the Council’s AGM.

See more coverage of the conference at the #NEMBC twitter hashtag in the link below.