Australian Cohesion Forum

Fifteen people came together this weekend for a powerful writing workshop focused on Royal Commission submissions.

Using a structured template developed by the Australian Cohesion Forum, participants were guided to organise their thoughts, articulate their experiences, and put into words what has often felt overwhelming to carry.

We spoke about the emotional toll of the past 2.5 years, the moments that have stayed with us, and the impact on daily life. Stories were shared, feedback was offered, and no one sat alone in their experience.

Now more than ever, every story matters.

Lived experience cannot be dismissed. Your story is evidence. Your voice needs to be part of the record.

Please write. And if you need support, guidance, or a place to start, reach out. We are here to help.

Our first Melbourne The Living Archive filming happened yesterday.

We interviewed Perry from Mediterranean Greek Tavern, a genuine ally who has stood up and spoken out. That hasn’t come without a cost, and his business has felt it.

We’re now filming more stories.

If you’ve experienced antisemitism, or you’re an ally who has spoken up and felt the impact, we want to hear from you.

This project is building a national educational archive to strengthen understanding and social cohesion across communities.

This is not just a Jewish story. It’s an Australian one.

If you’re ready to share your story, reach out.

*Filming by Elahn Zetlin.
Roz Mendelle Simonne Oberklajd Whine

Feeling grateful after another 2 Cohesion Labs on March 29th in Brisbane and Melbourne, organised in partnership with Australian Hindu Community in Melbourne and Hindu Council of Australia - QLD Chapter, bringing together over 12 organisations and more than 60 participants, such as Vishva Hindu Parishad -VHP, BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, Hindus Down Under, Australian Hindu Association, HSS, and more.

This session formed part of our ongoing national series of co-design forums, focused on strengthening social cohesion through practical, community-led collaboration.

The Lab brought together Hindu community leaders from across Australia to:
*Share insights and lived experiences
*Identify key priorities impacting their communities
*Co-design cross communal practical initiatives to address rising challenges, including discrimination and social division

A consistent theme throughout the session was the importance of creating trusted spaces for open dialogue and action. Participants expressed strong support for continuing this work and deepening cross-community collaboration.

One participant shared what we were all feeling:
"We’ve been waiting for something like this. Now that we have it, we’re not letting it go."

We thank all participants and partner organisations for their leadership, openness, and commitment to building a more cohesive Australia, together. Thank you to Nada Ali from the Ezidi community and Jacob Shmuel from AUJS for bringing the youth perspectives.

A follow up session will be held in April to review next steps.

If your community is looking to actively strengthen social cohesion and be part of practical, solutions-focused collaboration, we invite you to join in!
Email: [email protected]

Simonne Oberklajd Whine Roz Mendelle
Australian Hindu Community Inc. Sudha Shanker Margesh Raval Prashanth Prabhakar Nada Ali