About the Centre
Centre for Dialogue 2008 Annual General Meeting. Left to Right: Tim Brown, Depty Vice Chancellor (Research), LTU; The Hon Steve Bracks, Chair; Elizabeth Proust, former Chair; Professor Joseph Camilleri, Director.
Left to Right: Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria, The Hon Marilyn Warren; Sylvia Walton, Chancellor, LTU; Phillip Adams, ABC Radio National; Judge Christopher Weeramantry; Elizabeth Proust, former Chair; Barry Jones; Professor Brian Stoddard, Vice Chancellor, LTU (2006-2007); Professor Joseph Camilleri; John Pandazopoulos, former Minister assisting the Premier on Multicultural Affairs.
The La Trobe University Centre for Dialogue is a major initiative of La Trobe University. The Centre proposes to specialise in the theory and practice of dialogue across all its cultural, religious, political and economic dimensions, and to identify avenues and mechanisms that can promote it nationally and internationally. It is hoped that by broadening and deepening our understanding of dialogue we can in turn address the many problems of coexistence that remain essentially unresolved.
The Centre was inaugurated on the 15th of August 2006, at National Gallery of Victoria, with the strong support of the Victorian Government. At the opening, attended by more than 700 people, Judge Christopher Weeramantry, former Vice-President of the International Court of Justice, delivered the inaugural Annual Lecture. Messages of support were received from the Australian Prime Minister John Howard (1996 — 2007), distinguished scholars, international research centres, religious leaders and twenty five foreign governments.
Several promising research and educational projects have emerged since the Centre's opening, and a number of important partnerships and networks are being developed nationally and internationally.
The Board, which is chaired by the Honourable Steve Bracks, has played an invaluable role in the Centre's activities, it has helped to bring together highly placed and well connected people in business, media, religious and community organisations, universities and other sections of society.