Anyone agitating for change – especially D&I professionals in the workplace – would be no stranger to backlash. But is a strong negative reaction such a bad thing? Could it mean people are listening and might change their minds? And is it inevitable if you want to challenge the status quo?
On the flip side, does backlash mean people don’t agree and will never get on board? Does it mean that you’re going about it the wrong way? And can it come with too much personal cost for those trying to achieve it?
So is backlash a force for good or evil? A forerunner for change or a sign of defeat? That is the question we tackle at this year’s Debate.
Our panellists include:
FOR THE AFFIRMATIVE -
Jan Fran
Journalist and TV Presenter
Jan Fran is best known for her work on The Feed, Medicine or Myth, and The Project. She has appeared on Q&A, ABC Breakfast, Studio 10, Paul Murray Live, The Latest, The Today Show, The Drum and Triple J’s Hack. Her strong reporting on women’s issues earned her a 2018 Walkley nomination for Women’s Leadership in Media.
David Hackett
Chief Executive Officer, MLC Life Insurance
David’s career spans 30 years in the finance industry including a number of major global and investment banks. He became CEO and Executive Director of MLC Limited in 2016, and before that was Executive General Manager Insurance for NAB’s wealth management business.
Kirsty Webeck
Comedian
Kirsty is one of the most in demand comedians in Australia. In six years, she’s gone from doing her first five minute set to performing on some of the biggest stages across the country. She’s also a regular guest on ABC radio and performed on The ABC’s ‘Tonightly with Tom Ballard.”
FOR THE NEGATIVE -
Chas Licciardello
Comedian, The Chaser
Chas has produced, written and appeared in such TV shows as The Chaser's War on Everything, The Checkout, The Hamster Wheel, and a series of election specials. He has also sold mobile phones and edited a local newspaper - occupations that we note to prove that he did actually once hold a real job.
Jackie Huggins AM
Historian and Author
Jackie is a Bidjara (central Queensland) and Birri-Gubba Juru (North Queensland) woman who has worked in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs for over thirty years. She is a celebrated historian and author who has documented the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people throughout the decades.
Chris Varney
MD and Chief Enabling Officer, I CAN Network
Growing up with Asperger’s, Chris was inspired to start I CAN from the support his family, schools and mentors gave him. Since it’s inception, the I CAN Network has mentored 1,052 Autistic kids, teenagers and adults nationwide through schools, TAFEs, workplaces, camps and online programs.
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