A senior public servant, an ANU academic, scientist and an IT consultant have been honoured for their work advocating for multicultural Canberra.
Winners of the ACT Multicultural Awards were announced on Wednesday.
Dr Jane Chimungeni-Brassington has won the individual champion award for her work creating programs which support women from vulnerable and diverse backgrounds.
She is also an ocean policy advisor who works for the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment; and is a strong advocate for the Swahili-speaking Canberra community.
Dr Chimungeni-Brassington said the Canberra community had "brought out the best" in her.
"It is very inspiring to know that the multicultural community feels supported through my efforts, as my motivation is to affect positive change in the community and have satisfaction from that transformation," she said.
"This is the community that has brought out the best in me."
Father and senior IT consultant Nazmul Hasan won the ACT outstanding excellence award for diversity and inclusion for his work delivering food hampers across Canberra.
When lockdown hit, he began to offer a hot halal meal service through online noticeboards.
The government said he was a role model for the community.
ANU associate professor and member of the Refugee Action Committee in Canberra Dr John Minns was highly commended for his advocacy work.
The government said he has been a tireless campaigner for refugees and the disadvantaged across Canberra over a long period of time, helping refugee groups advocate through the media.
Scientist Dr Shamaruh Mirza was also highly commended for her work around mental health.
Her organisation SiTara's Story raises community awareness while training women from diverse cultural backgrounds in mental health and disability issues.
Dr Shanti Reddy was also highly commended for making a significant contribution to promoting diversity and inclusion across the ACT region through his work with Canberra's growing Indian community.
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