Meaningful impact isn’t created in isolation. It happens when we listen, learn, and act alongside the communities we serve.

Our Community Voice Advisory Panel brings together ten diverse voices from across Australia. Young and old, regional and metro, from many walks of life, the panel represents the rich tapestry of cultures and experiences that define the communities we serve.

Informed by our Client and Community Voice Framework, this panel was born from our commitment to genuine collaboration and shared ownership.

The panel members will bring their community and cultural insights directly into our decision-making processes. They’ll advise on many facets of our work, from program design and policy development to advocacy and practice – ensuring our work is done for community, with community, and informed by community.

Since arriving in Australia as a refugee escaping the first Gulf War, Dalal has spent over 25 years working in the community sector, advocating for migrants, refugees, asylum seekers, people with disability, and domestic violence survivors. With extensive experience in community capacity building roles across Victoria, Dalal has been a powerful advocate for ensuring culturally diverse communities are heard and included in decision-making processes. Dalal’s deep community connections span influential networks and numerous health and local government advisory bodies, and she has consistently connected clients to SSI programs and resources, strengthening holistic support for those who need it most.

Nidhi brings over 20 years of lived experience and advocacy in the disability sector, living with vision impairment. From an Indian cultural background, Nidhi lives in NSW and is a passionate advocate for domestic and family violence survivors and has worked extensively across disability organisations – including as a Lived Experience Consultant for SSI’s The Rights Path Project. Nidhi created Planet Puberty, an innovative resource promoting healthy relationships for young people with intellectual disability and continues to champion the rights and wellbeing of people with disability and survivors of violence.

Oliver was born in Congo but grew up in Kenya, navigating two distinct cultures before moving to Australia with his family in 2023. Now based in Logan, he has been actively involved in representing his community through school, church, and cultural activities, building strong ties across diverse networks. Since connecting with SSI in Year 11, Oliver has engaged deeply in multiple SSI youth programs, discovering a passion for community representation and relationship-building. Drawing on his lived experience of migration and the challenges of adapting to new environments, Oliver is eager to share his insights and to help young people from diverse backgrounds to celebrate their identity.

Steve is a First Nations elder from Armidale who brings extensive community experience and a deep commitment to disability advocacy and multicultural issues. Drawing on decades of community engagement, Steve helps connect newly arrived refugee communities, including the Ezidi community in Armidale, and First Nations peoples. Steve brings lived experience as an Indigenous person with disability, combined with his strong local connections and understanding of settlement challenges. His honest down to earth approach to directly working with community brings a tanglible welcome grounded in history. He is happy to provide welcomes to country for all local Ezidi events.

Since arriving in Australia from Palestine in 2024 with her young family, Reem has dedicated herself to delivering services and support to her community. SSI was Reem’s first connection upon arrival, helping her family through settlement, and she has since built strong networks across multicultural organisations and Palestinian community groups throughout NSW. With a master’s degree in public health and as someone with recent lived experience of displacement and resettlement, Reem brings a deep, firsthand understanding of refugee needs and a genuine passion for helping people navigate their own settlement journeys.

Taught both the fragility of freedom and the power of resilience through her experiences growing up in Afghanistan, Hosna is a talented artist and law student based in Sydney. Now an SSI client who has been supported throughout her settlement journey, Hosna uses her artistic talents to connect with others, sharing her culture and experiences. Inspired by her mother, an advocate for women’s rights, Hosna is deeply committed to empowering others and helping people rebuild their lives with dignity and hope. Her lived experience of navigating barriers around education, language, and religion, combined with her passion for giving back to her community, makes her a powerful voice for those with similar experiences.

Habib is a respected community leader, educator, and business professional based in Queensland who brings together expertise in education, interfaith engagement, and community service. With an MBA and experience teaching Accounting and Business Economics, he now manages a medical centre while holding key leadership roles including President of Queensland Muslims Inc. (an umbrella body for 46 community organisations). He has collaborated closely with SSI on initiatives ranging from panel discussions to advocating for recognition of overseas qualifications and prior learning within CALD communities. Guided by his faith and values of compassion and inclusivity, Habib is dedicated to promoting interfaith dialogue, strengthening multicultural harmony, and ensuring diverse voices are heard in decisions that shape community wellbeing.
 

Originally from Tibet, Rigzin holds a master’s degree in law and brings extensive experience across legal, community, education, and aged care sectors. Based in Newcastle, regional NSW, Rigzin’s journey with SSI began as a settlement client, and she has since given back as a volunteer community support worker, collaborating closely with SSI staff to support clients with language skills and settlement needs. Rigzin is deeply embedded in her community through both her professional work and volunteering experience, having worked with both government and community-based organisations. Her lived experience of settlement, combined with her legal background and dedication to advocacy, makes her a powerful voice for migrant and refugee communities.
 

Sam is a community leader from an Assyrian/Chaldean background based in Melbourne’s north who has spent the last decade working alongside refugee and migrant families. Through his work, he has co-designed and delivered practical programs spanning job-readiness, overseas skills recognition, gambling-harm prevention, and anti-racism education. Having worked alongside SSI for several years, Sam was also an ambassador for the “Activate Australia’s Skills” campaign. His lived experience, front-line community connections, and commitment to ensuring policies stay grounded and culturally safe make him a vital voice for newly arrived families and migrant communities.
 

Based in Brisbane, Zaheera is studying to become a social worker and brings a passionate commitment to disability advocacy and community inclusion. With experience on advisory groups, she understands the unique challenges faced by young people at the intersection of cultural diversity and disability. Zaheera is dedicated to making her community more inclusive for people from all backgrounds. She is co-chair of the Youth CALD Disability Collective. Zaheera works with range of organisations in her efforts to promote inclusion.
 

Basim is a member of the Ezidi community in Armidale who has transformed his own settlement challenges into a passion for supporting others. After receiving early support from SSI with housing, health appointments, and orientation, Basim pursued a tertiary education while working to support his family and community. Since 2020, he has been actively supporting Ezidi families in Armidale, first informally and now professionally, where he helps people from diverse cultural backgrounds navigate settlement, employment, and service access. Basim’s lived experience as a former SSI client, combined with over four years of grassroots community representation and his connections across health, education, and employment services in regional NSW, makes him a vital voice for newly arrived communities in Armidale.
 

Basim arrived in Australia in 2016 with his family as a refugee from Iraq and has since dedicated himself to serving and supporting refugee and migrant communities. Drawing on his extensive background in civil society work in Iraq, where he founded an organisation to combat poverty and supported hundreds of displaced families during the ISIS crisis, Qasim now leads the Iraqi Syriac Association in Queensland. A passionate community advocate, Basim works across cultural and religious boundaries, engaging with government representatives, community organisations, and families in need.