Pino Migliorino, Managing Director of Cultural Perspectives Group, speaks at an interview with SBS
Giuseppe Pino Migliorino, Managing Director of Cultural Perspectives Group, was named a Member of the Order of Australia on the Queen’s Birthday weekend this year. Mr Migliorino’s appointment recognises his outstanding contribution to the Italian community, to multicultural and refugee settlement assistance groups and through advisory roles.
Mr Migliorino moved to Australia with his family from Italy when he was five and, amongst many other achievements, helped build a bilingual school and a culturally targeted aged-care program.
In response to the increasing cultural diversity in Australia, Mr Migliorino helped build the first Italian Bilingual School in partnership with Co.As.It, a prominent Italian community assistance organisation, giving children in Sydney a unique opportunity to learn Italian as a second language and to understand cultural diversity in Australia. “Caring for Older Italians” is a signature aged-care program that assists elderly Italian Australians to age with dignity.
Mr Migliorino has expressed his gratitude and appreciation, “the award for me is a culmination of over 30 years of both a professional worker as well as a volunteer in our diverse communities. This is very much recognition that the work we’ve done alongside ethnic communities to ensure that they were able to develop and contribute to Australian society is being recognised “, he said.
During an interview with SBS World News, Mr. Migliorino stressed the three most important objectives in building a multicultural Australia are equity, participation, and the creation of opportunities to people regardless of how or when they’ve come to Australia. Mr Migliorino carries these values and objectives throughout his work in the multicultural space.
About his life experience as an Italian migrant in Australia, Mr Migliorino also said “I find that a really interesting aspect in terms of my own upbringing, that my family sees me as someone who didn't really necessarily comply with being Italian, yet I've become a great defender of Italian rights to cultural maintenance."
Established in 1975 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the Order of Australia is the principal and most prestigious means of recognising outstanding members of the community at a national level. This honour also defines, encourages and reinforces community standards, national aspirations and ideals by identifying role models and acknowledging their actions and achievement. It is usually announced on Australia Day (26 January) and the Queen’s Birthday public holiday (June).
On behalf of Cultural Perspectives Group and Cultural and Indigenous Research Centre Australia (CIRCA) we are proud to congratulate Pino on his appointment and this recognition.
To know more about the Order of Australia, please go to: https://www.gg.gov.au/australian-honours-and-awards/order-australia
To read more about Pino’s interview with SBS, please go to http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2017/06/12/indian-scientist-lebanese-professor-and-italian-migrant-recognised-queens