Lord Mayor's Multicultural Awards for Business The Lord Mayor's Multicultural Awards for Business celebrate the contribution multicultural businesses make to the Brisbane economy and community through their creativity, innovation and resilience. Winners of the 2023 Lord Mayor's Multicultural Awards for Business were announced at the Lord Mayor's Multicultural Business Dinner and Awards on Friday 17 November 2023. 2023 award winners Congratulations to the winners of the 2023 Lord Mayor's Multicultural Awards for Business. Nick Xynias Multicultural Young Business Person of the Year This award recognises the success, creativity and energy of a multicultural young business leader under the age of 35, celebrating both their contribution to their community and that of Brisbane’s continued economic prosperity. Mengting (Nike) Zhao, PEER Consulting Engineers Pty Ltd In 2009, the opportunity to study a Bachelor of Business brought Nike from Chengdu to Brisbane. She later transferred into QUTs Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree and graduated with First Class Honours in 2014. Nike's passion for making a difference
led her to volunteer on building projects supporting abused women and children in South Africa. She also furthered her global engineering experience through working on diverse major projects in Fiji. Grateful for the opportunities her education and career in Brisbane provided, Nike was keen to give back to the community through her onstop professional structural and engineering services business. PEER Consulting Engineers allows young,
talented professionals to develop their careers and learn and thrive under Nike's leadership. Multicultural Business Person of the Year This award recognises a successful multicultural Brisbane business leader and celebrates the recipient’s contribution to the Brisbane economy and recognises them as a local champion of enterprise who may have a global outlook for their business
Alen Chi Kong Ho and Irene Swee Kong Ho After meeting while travelling Malaysia and marrying in Hong Kong, Alen and Irene decided to move their family to Brisbane in 1976. Despite limited funds, they embarked on a bean sprout growing venture in a rented house in Fortitude Valley. Initially their business supplied bean sprouts to Chinese shops and traders at the Brisbane Markets, but in the 1980s they expanded to larger clients including Coles. Today, Chilik Agencies, Pallara strives for innovation through the implementation of new technologies to enhance their growing systems and packaging processes for bean sprouts. After 35 years in business, Chilik Agencies has become one of the most trusted
providers of fresh food to outlets and supermarkets across Australia. Multicultural Entrepreneur of the Year This award recognises a multicultural Brisbane business leader that demonstrates through their business success, entrepreneurial flair, embedding a culture of innovation as a central pillar to their growth strategy. The recipient will personify the best in entrepreneurialism, possessing qualities from clear leadership and sound management to determination and ambition. Kyungtae (Tenny) Kim, Littles Lawyers In 2000, Tenny's father made the decision to
broaden his family's life experiences and immigrate from Busan to Australia. Tenny faced numerous challenges living in a new environment but forming new friendships in the Brisbane community assisted his transition. Understanding the needs of multicultural communities firsthand, Tenny's Littles Lawyers business has a multilingual team that is proficient in more than 33 languages to support its clients. Tenny is highly respected within the Brisbane legal community and has fostered a strong sense of unity and support amongst its members. Littles Lawyers focuses on the success of its team and has implemented innovative technology solutions to optimise its services.
SUPPORTING The Consular State of Play AUSTRALIANS WHEN provides data and analysis on consular services provided to TROUBLE STRIKES Australians in need overseas OVERSEAS The 2022-23 Consular State of Play reflects an increase in post-pandemic travel, with non-crisis consular cases growing towards pre-2020 levels. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) provided assistance more than 9,200 consular cases last financial year. DFAT’s 24/7 Consular Emergency Centre answered, on average, one call for help every 11 minutes. The last financial year, where we saw a record 3.1 million Australian passports issued, showed Australians are taking to the skies with enthusiasm. Consular cases, excluding crisis cases, rose 17% compared to 20212022, and included: • A 23% increase in illness
and hospitalisation, with 1,122 cases • A 28% increase of immigration detention, with 229 cases • A 54% increase in reported assaults, with 199 cases • A 57% increase in whereabouts enquiries, with 265 cases • A 241% increase in theft, with 157 cases • A 168% increase in lost or stolen passports, with 2,043 cases During the 2022-23 period, DFAT also supported more than 800 crisis cases, including Australians impacted by conflict in Ukraine and Sudan, as well as the Türkiye earthquakes. Insights from the Consular State of Play are a reminder of the importance
8 — THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, December, 2023
of being well prepared before travel. This includes getting travel insurance, making sure you have sufficient funds and registering with Smartraveller. The Smartraveller website has detailed travel advice on over 175 destinations. There is also information on passports, visas and travel insurance, and you can subscribe for destination updates. This year, the Consular State of Play, has gone fully digital and can be accessed on the Smartraveller website. It includes data infographics and case studies of consular support provided to Australians. The Consular Services Charter outlines what assistance DFAT can provide to Australians overseas.
In 2022-23 the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) assisted in over 9,200 cases of consular assistance and crisis support. This represents an increase of 17% of consular cases (excluding crisis cases) from financial year 2021-22 and aligns with the increase in Australians travelling overseas. The Department was supporting approximately 1,375 active cases at any one time. In the 2022-23 financial year, compared to the previous financial year: • theft cases have increased 241%, with 157 cases • arrest and immigration detention cases have increased 28%, with 969 cases • whereabouts enquiry cases have increased 57%,
This represents an increase of 17% of consular cases (excluding crisis cases) from financial year 2021-22 and aligns with the increase in Australians travelling overseas.
with 265 cases • illnesses and hospitalisation cases have increased 23%, with 1,122 cases • cases involving welfare and other serious matters have increase 2%, with 3,160 cases • cases involving death have increased 23%, with 1,871 cases • assault cases have
increased 54%, with 199 cases • repatriation assistance cases increased 176%, with 163 cases. The top locations for consular cases were: • Thailand with 778 cases, an increase of 9% from last year • the Philippines with 610 cases, an increase of 4% from last year • Indonesia with 512 cases, an increase of 38% from last year • United States of America with 451 cases, a decrease of 2% from last year • Vietnam with 330 cases, an increase of 25% from last year In 2022-23, the 24/7 Consular Emergency Centre responded to over 48,000 calls or one call every 11 minutes.
