Prominent voices gather to discuss growing social divide in ‘The Social Schism’

As Australia faces increasing divisions on many issues, how can we build a path towards a more united and inclusive country? How can we combat the growing divide, value difference and diversity, protect free speech and build understanding and respect?

The Social Schismpremiering on SBS and SBS On Demand on Wednesday 4 March at 7:30pm, sees SBS World News presenter Janice Petersen bring together leading thought leaders and public voices from a range of organisations, including Hannah Ferguson, Allegra Spender, Adam Creighton, Lynda Ben-Menashe, Sami Shah, Giridharas Park Astiehunderm, Of. explore how we got to this point, and how we can find our way to strengthen inclusion and communication.

More about guest speakers:

Hannah Ferguson is the founder and CEO of Cheek Media Co. He is also the host of the news and pop podcast “Big Small Talk”, and has written two books, “Bite Back” and “Taboo”. He says the class divide, especially in terms of housing, is the main reason young people don’t trust and share. He supports laws on hate speech but says there should be no rush.

Allegra Spender is a business leader, renewable energy advocate, and independent MP for Wentworth. Having won a seat in the 2022 general election, she is one of the few civil society activists elected in the area of ​​action on climate change, economic reform, political integrity, and gender equality. He describes himself as someone who is interested in using his business skills and knowledge to help others.

Adam Creighton is Chief Economist and Senior Fellow at the Center for Public Affairs. Having started his career at the Reserve Bank of Australia, he has written for The Economist and the Wall Street Journal, as well as The Australian, where he was Economics Editor and Washington correspondent. Adam believes that we should cut our immigration rate in half, and that immigration is a major factor in wealth inequality and housing issues.

Sami Shah is a writer, comedian, host of the News Weakly podcast, and curator of the OzAsia Festival’s Weekend of Words. He is an atheist and identifies himself as a traditional Muslim. Sami says that he opposes the government in deciding what is safe and what is not safe to say and is a person who likes to speak freely. He believes people should have the right to protest and is concerned about how hate speech laws will be enforced.

Lynda Ben-Menashe she is the president of the National Council of Jewish Women Australia. He has worked in Australia and Israel in education, publishing and public relations. He spent 14 years serving the Jewish community of NSW through the Board of Jewish Deputies of NSW, finishing as Chief Negotiator in 2022. She describes herself as a feminist, a Zionist, an optimist, and a realist.

Hana Assafiri is a Melbourne-based social activist, feminist, author, and owner of the popular Moroccan Soup Bar. He was born in Australia to a Lebanese family and spent his childhood living in Lebanon. He believes Australia’s hate laws will not protect any religious community, including the Jewish community. He says we need to understand each other more and find community.

Giri Sivaraman he is Australia’s Racial Discrimination Commissioner, He promotes racial equality and inclusion and leads efforts to combat racism around the world. Prior to joining the Commission, he was Senior Counsel with Maurice Blackburn and Chair of Multicultural Australia. He believes the Bondi Beach terror attack was motivated by racism, and says he thinks anti-racism education should start in schools and workplaces.

Kirstie Parker she is a Yuwaalaraay woman from north-west NSW. He has been a director of Reconciliation Australia since 2010, and Chair since 2024. Her leadership in community, non-profit and government settings includes First Nations rights, advocacy and advocacy, policy development, journalism and communications, and the arts. He is an independent advisor to First Nations and the First Nations Chief at the South Australian Film Corporation.

Om Dhungel is a Sydney-based community leader who describes herself as passionate about bringing people together from diverse backgrounds. Born in The Kingdom of Bhutan, he came to Australia as a student in 1998 and went on to work as a business analyst at Telstra for ten years. Today he sits on the NSW Police Multicultural Advisory Council, the Blacktown Multicultural Advisory Committee and the board of the Asylum Seeker Centre.

Look The Social Schism on SBS and SBS On Demand, premiering on Wednesday 4 March at 7:30 pm. The Social Schism a collaboration between SBS Insight and SBS Examines.

The Social Schism will be available to stream on SBS On Demand with subtitles in Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese.