By Shashikanth Narasimhiah

Pallavi Sinha, an Indian Australian born and raised in Sydney, maintains very close links with Indian Culture and the Community and is an accomplished and award-winning Lawyer, Lecturer and Entrepreneur. She currently works as Principal at Lawyers with Solutions & Convenor of Advanced Administrative Law and Advanced topics in Public Law at Macquarie University. I had the opportunity of catching up with Pallavi to discuss and reflect on her past contributions and achievements & also to get an insight on her future aspirations. The interview will be published in two parts – one in July about her journey so far, and the other in the August issue to be able to capture Pallavi’s in-depth understanding of the community, her specific views and contributions on various issues as well as her future plans.

Part 1:

Pallavi, thank you for agreeing to meet with us for this interview. We are all very proud of you and your achievements. You have been recognised in the mainstream & by Indian organisations such as AFR & Westpac 100 Women of Influence, the Migration Council, Indian Executive Club, Australian Chapter of Institute of Chartered Accountants, GOPIO, Hindu Council, Hindi Gaurav & UIA. You established the award-winning firm Lawyers with Solutions (LWS), and we think that you have what it takes to be the first person of Indian origin from NSW to be elected as a Liberal MP. What are some of the key issues that you have advocated for?

Thanks for your time & for the important work by you, Minu ji, Rajesh ji & Indus Age. I’m passionate about serving the community, and I’ve been actively involved for over 20 years. A lot of my free time goes towards community work, so I often have to do my paid work on weekends (laughs).

I strive to contribute to positive change, and I’ve taken a stand on numerous issues, especially Education, Small & family business, good governance, stronger Australia-India ties, law and policy reform, mental health, social cohesion, domestic or family violence(DV) and mentoring.

What are some of the specific achievements in these areas? Did you face any challenges along the way?

I have faced numerous challenges & I strongly believe that challenges are a stepping stone to success, and that “FAIL” actually means “first attempt in learning”. Stand by your convictions & never give up.

Examples of some of my specific achievements are:

• First one is LWS –I have some insight of what it’s like to form a business from scratch, and the difficulties of running a small business. I’ve worked across NSW, including areas such as the North Shore & Macquarie University. LWS predominantly provides innovative education and training, but also provides advice in areas such as immigration law.

Though I have employed people from time to time, I often have to multi-task a lot! In addition, whenever I have employed people, I have recognised the importance of flexible working hours, including working from home. My parents established award winning Strathfield Plaza Family Medical Practice, & I have also provided some strategic advice to the Practice. Many people (especially of Indian origin) set up small and family businesses, and it’s important to provide them with adequate support.

• Education & Mental health Though standard subjects like Maths and Science are important, I’ve continuously advocated for more holistic education. For example, in articles that I have written, and when I was on ABC TV Q&A Panel with then Federal Education Minister, Christopher Pyne, I emphasised that curriculums & training should be broader to include topics such as communication and dispute resolution skills (including cross cultural communication skills), and Resilience.

The content of the course that I developed &delivered at Macquarie University focussed on good governance, integrity and the importance of the arms of Government serving the best interest of public.

I have delivered Resilience and Wellbeing workshops at the College of Law & to other organisations. I also deliver domestic and family violence workshops, including for a Migrant resource centre in Tasmania for new & emerging communities.

• Law & Policy reform I presented submissions before the Inquiry into s20D of the NSW Anti-Discrimination Act 1977. As a result of combined efforts by many organisations and individuals, there has been law reform to address some of the problems with s20D. I’m presently working on some areas of law reform with NSW Attorney General Mark Speakman MP & Federal Government AG Christian Porter MP and community organisations.

• Social cohesion is a significant issue for a multicultural country like Australia. I have written articles in SMH& other publications, about the importance of: harnessing the benefits of diversity integration and imbibing Australian values and respecting Australian laws(while maintaining one’s own cultural values). I’ve also served on multicultural councils such as the Multicultural Consultation Council of the NSW Anti-Discrimination Board, and I organised a Racism Symposium at NSW Parliament House, hosted by then Minister for Communities Victor Dominello MP. In addition, I participated in the Racism debate at Sydney City Recital Hall, and broadcast on ABC TV & BBC World.

• In regards to DV, I’m an appointed Supporter of the Joint Federal, State & Territories Government Campaign to stop DV. I spoke at the multicultural media launch at SBS last year. Research shows that this campaign is the highest viewed and the campaign has been highly effective. I have also contributed to changes to Government policy to assist DV survivors & I presented submissions before a Government Committee. The Committee accepted the recommendations that I made on behalf of the Federation of Ethnic Communities Council Australia. In addition, I’ve often been a spokesperson and/or written articles in the area of DV reform.
• Mentoring Mentors are important to help individuals in career paths and generally. I did not have such mentoring support in my profession when I first at studied university and started working. I encourage and mentor young kids. In addition, I have been approached by NSW young liberals to mentor aspiring young women.

As an Indian Australian you have experienced both sides of the society. What are some of the specific achievements for the Indian community?

I feel fortunate to be an Australian of Indian origin – with exposure to the best of both worlds. As there are now around 400,000 people of an Indian origin nationally, it’s important for the community to have a strong voice. Though born in Sydney, I was exposed to Indian culture from a very young age including participating in cultural programs that my parents organised for Indian organisations & temples. Stronger Australia-India ties has always been close to my heart. When I finished university, I deferred my job & I worked at the National Human Rights Commission in Delhi. I was the Vice President of the Indian society “Ashoka” at Sydney University, and I helped organise social events & combined university cultural programs etc. Since university days, some of my achievements are:

• I was the youngest person appointed to the former Indian Ministerial Consultative Committee. Firstly, when this committee was established it comprised of only men. The Minister accepted my recommendations that women should also be appointed to the Committee and subsequently women were appointed to the committee. As a part of that Committee, I participated in discussions that contributed to the Opera House being illuminated for Diwali, and other discussions.
• I suggested to then Federal Assistant Minister for Multicultural Affairs Craig Laundy MP to have an event for Holi, which he subsequently did. I recently represented Federal Minister for Small and Family Business Laundy at the 20-year anniversary of Sai Baba temple.
• In 2018, I suggested to the NSW Minister for Innovation Matt Kean MP to conduct a forum which engages with businesses working in the area of innovation between Australia & India. He agreed to this suggestion and I organised the Forum with a full house of businesses, and representatives from organisations such as the Australian Chapter of Institute of Chartered Accountants, Indian Executive Club, AIBC & the Indian media. One outcome of this Forum was increased engagement between businesses and the NSW Government. In addition, I’m a Founder Member & Co-chair of Liberal Friends of India. I have suggested events, and I will be assisting the Chair with upcoming events.
• I participated in the consultation organised by Dr Yadu Singh ji, with the NSW Minister for Multiculturalism Ray Williams MP, about an advertisement by Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA), featuring Lord Ganesha. The outcome was that Minister Williams wrote to MLA. He also included a suggestion that I made to clarify what form of consultation was being used. The final outcome was that with the combined efforts of different community groups, the ad was removed.
• I was a Moderator of the forum initiative of the Indian Counsel General Vawna ji on the Indian Constitution.
• I have been a speaker and MC at several Indian community events. e.g. I spoke at an Australia India Institute Conference in Melbourne

What scope have you identified in terms of expanding bilateral trade, cultural exchanges, cooperation and addressing mutual security concerns between the two countries?

There’s a lot of scope for expanding bilateral trade, cultural exchanges, cooperation and addressing mutual security concerns between India & Australia. There’s already a lot of delegations and exchange between the two countries in various areas. The Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull MP & NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian MP have visited India. Premier Berejiklian recently gave a debrief of her trip to Indian at an event at NSW Parliament House. I was part of the organising team of AIBC NSW for this event. There’s a lot to be gained for both countries through greater Australia-India ties, including in the area of security. I hope that a Comprehensive Economic Cooperative Agreement (free trade agreement) is signed soon, as this is important to foster greater engagement between the two countries. The upcoming visit of another Indian Minister to NSW is positive, and I’ll continue to work with the Government & other organisations to strengthen Australia-India ties.

For more information about Pallavi Sinha, see her website www.pallavisinha.com. You can also follow her on LinkedIn & Facebook: Pallavi Sinha and on Twitter & Instagram: mspallavisinha