Deconstructing DEI and Reconstructing Respect

Part of UNSW's Diversity Festival: Deconstructing DEI and Reconstructing Respect: Progress for All

How do we acknowledge difference without creating division? Our panel will unpack the tensions that can arise between these two concepts.

Australia is one of the world’s most diverse societies — a source of enormous opportunity for innovation, economic growth and shared prosperity.

But diversity alone does not create belonging.

How do we honour individual experiences while strengthening our collective community? And what does authentic progress look like in practice?

Join us for a thought-provoking UNSW Diversity Festival marquee panel bringing together academics and real-world agents of change to explore some of the complexities at the heart of safety, inclusion and respect.

The conversation

Together, our panel will explore:

• The paradox of identity and belonging: navigating individual difference and collective connection

• Safety and respect in a multicultural society: what it means to create environments where people feel safe to speak up and be heard

• Progress for all: practical actions that translate good intentions into meaningful change

Australia's future depends not on choosing between diversity and unity, but on learning how to harness both.

Meet the Panel

Anthea Hancocks: CEO of the Scanlon Foundation Research Institute and a leading voice on belonging, multiculturalism and social cohesion in Australia.

Professor Josh Keller: From School of Management and Governance, UNSW Business School, Josh's research explores paradox, culture, and how individuals, organisations and societies navigate complexity, difference and competing priorities.

Yasmin Poole: Rhodes Scholar, writer and advocate whose work focuses on intersectionality, representation, democracy and creating a more inclusive Australia.

Associate Professor Carlo Caponecchia: Associate Dean Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, Faculty of Science. A psychologist and safety expert specialising in psychosocial safety, workplace wellbeing, psychological health and the creation of safe, high-performing environments.

Roba Goreishi: Penultimate-year Economics and Advanced Mathematics student at UNSW and Senior University Ambassador in the university's Student Equity team, championing access to education for students from diverse backgrounds.

Moderator Deborah Travers-Wolf: Convenor of UNSW’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Program and a leadership and culture practitioner with experience in the tech sector, in harnessing diversity and psychological safety in driving innovation.

Join the conversation - come ready to hear different perspectives, challenge assumptions and explore what we can each do to enable authentic progress for all.