The Media Diversity Australia (MDA) 2025 Symposium, held on Monday 13 October in partnership with Western Sydney University (WSU), marked another inspiring chapter in MDA’s ongoing mission to transform the face and voice of Australian media.
This year’s event brought together over 30 trailblazing speakers, including leading journalists, academics, editors, and storytellers, to unpack the urgent issues shaping today’s media – from press freedom and racial equity to digital ethics and newsroom inclusion. The day-long program delivered keynote speeches, panels, and interactive workshops that ignited critical conversations while offering attendees a renewed sense of community, courage, and optimism.
The morning opened with a Welcome to Country by Peta Strachan, followed by powerful addresses from MDA CEO Paula Kruger and Distinguished Professor George Williams AO. A stirring keynote from Michael Slezak of the MEAA set the tone, spotlighting the dangers faced by journalists worldwide when truth becomes convenient to suppress, and the urgent need to defend press freedom.
A standout moment came during the “Breaking the Mould” conversation between Antoinette Lattouf and Jan Fran which explored the shifting narrative of diversity, anti-racism, media literacy, and the ongoing fight for equity in public discourse. The Race Discrimination Commissioner Giri Sivaraman also addressed attendees, reinforcing the role of journalism in advancing social justice and accountability.
Panels throughout the day examined pressing questions: How can media redefine “objectivity” without silencing lived experience? What does inclusive storytelling look like in regional and remote communities? And how are journalists from the Global South inspiring and reshaping media norms worldwide?
Afternoon sessions turned insight into action, offering hands-on workshops on race reporting, mental health and digital trauma, storytelling beyond the newsroom, and pathways for early-career journalists. The Indigenous Autonomy panel, featuring Rhianna Patrick, Professor Susan Page, and Peta MacGivillray powerfully addressed the heavy impact of the rhetoric, public discourse around and result of the Voice Referendum on First Nations communities sovereignty, while Tanya Denning Orman (SBS) and Professor Azadeh Dastyari (WSU) delivered impassioned keynotes on First Nations futures, race, law, and the media.
Closing with Professor Tanya Notley’s keynote on news literacy and platform power, and the timely panel “The Algorithm Has Bias”, the symposium underscored the complex intersection of technology, truth, and inclusion in today’s media environment.
The event received overwhelmingly positive feedback from participants, who described it as “empowering,” “eye-opening,” and “essential.”
In collaboration with Western Sydney University’s School of Humanities & Communication Arts and the Centre for Western Sydney, the 2025 Symposium once again demonstrated that diversity and integrity are not in conflict – they are the foundation of a thriving, democratic media.
A heartfelt thank you to all speakers, moderators, and attendees who helped make the 2025 MDA Symposium a resounding success.
