Author: Samoda Silva

By Samoda Silva.   On the 24th of July 2024, the then Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs of Australia, Andrew Giles MP, launched the final report of the Multicultural Framework Review.  What is the Multicultural Framework Review?   The Review was launched in August 2023 by the Minister and proposed a comprehensive assessment… Continue reading The Multicultural Framework Review just launched. What does it mean for multicultural Australia?

By Samoda Silva.   “You can’t be what you can’t see”. I hear this quote constantly when it comes to representation. And while I concur with it to some extent, I don’t think it does enough to actually illustrate what it means to grow up in multicultural Australia and not see multicultural Australians in major… Continue reading Why representation ACTUALLY matters as a multicultural Australian: An opinion piece

Written by Samoda Silva Graphics by Justin Olivares   Cornerstone Alliance prides itself on being one of the leading South Australia-based multicultural marketing and communication agencies, and there is a reason for it. Time and time again, we see agencies disregard cultural sensitivities and norms, overlook accessibility of communications and miss the opportunity to connect… Continue reading How to prioritise multicultural marketing in the new year

Written by Samoda Silva Is Australia a melting pot or a salad bowl? These metaphors, amongst variations, have illustrated the different approaches to cultural integration within the country and have been heavily debated alongside the developments in migration and multiculturalism. Some may say that the Australian culture is a melting pot of contributions from the… Continue reading Australia is neither a melting pot nor a salad bowl – it is a mosaic

Written by Samoda Silva From promoting an openly racist and discriminatory stance with the White Australia Policy from the time of federation, to welcoming around 395,000 migrant arrivals from across the globe in 2021-22, Australia has made significant progress to become one of the most multicultural countries in the world. Even now, with continual developments… Continue reading Multiculturalism in Australia is changing, and our language needs to keep up

Written by Samoda Silva   Recently, I was scrubbing through the recording of Polaron’s VicForum, keeping an ear out for captivating soundbites for some social posts. During my watch, I hear this quote, read out by Christopher Balmford from Words and Beyond: Clear, simple communication is… an absolute and critical necessity for democracy. People have… Continue reading Dullah Omar & his Legacy of Plain Language Advocacy

What a big week in Canberra, with Cornerstone Alliance supporting FECCA’s multicultural marketing, communications and engagement work.

What a big week in Canberra, with Cornerstone Alliance supporting FECCA’s multicultural marketing, communications and engagement work.

About the Disability Inclusion Act The South Australian Government in 2022 organised an independent review of the Disability Inclusion Act 2018 (SA), conducted by Richard Dennis AM PSM. This review involved an inquiry into the Act’s operation and effectiveness as the South Australian framework for promoting disability inclusion in society, and included a state-wide public… Continue reading Advancing Easy Read in SA – Disability Inclusion Act Review

We get it. People out there don’t seem to like marketers and everything they do. There is a general assumption that marketers are annoying and pushy at best and exploitative and manipulative at worst. That marketers are the evil by-product of a hyper-capitalistic society with seemingly no morals, little compassion, and much greed.  So why… Continue reading Why people hate marketers and how to change that