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The legal profession should be ‘leading the way’ on diversity
As Australian screens and media get more diverse, the legal industry should be leading the way when it comes to diversity, inclusion and equality, according to the inaugural CEO of Media Diversity Australia.
Lauren Croft
Mariam Veiszadeh is a former lawyer, diversity and inclusion practitioner and the former Diversity Council Australia advisory, member relations and knowledge management director. Following her recent appointment to the role of CEO of Media Diversity Australia (MDA), Ms Veiszadeh told Lawyers Weekly her experience as a lawyer had been good preparation for a leadership role.
“Having insights into the legal industry and having practised as an in-house lawyer has prepared me well to be able to navigate this role.”
According to Ms Veiszadeh, more lawyers should be involved in conversations surrounding diversity and inclusion.
“Being part of an esteemed and privileged profession means we as lawyers are part of the top echelons of broader society. We therefore hold significant power to be able to do our part in helping level the playing field. The legal industry shouldn’t be lagging other industries when it comes to diversity, inclusion and equity – it should be leading the way,” she said.
“It can do this by having those tough conversations at a senior level, holding up a mirror to itself, heeding the advice of the experts and holding itself accountable.”
Within her new role, Ms Veiszadeh is keen to address diversity on TV screens and hopes for more cultural diversity on Australian shows.
“Whom we see reflected back at us on our television screens has broad implications. If minority groups spend only a small percentage of time on our screens and we only hear from them in the context of specific topics related to them and they are not involved in editorial decisions then the natural consequence is that Australian television news and current affairs media does not represent all Australians, and this affects the way stories are told and framed,” she said.
“I’ve always been cognisant of this issue and have spent so much of my working career trying to tackle it, in one way or another.”
MDA has had enormous success since journalists Isabel Lo and Antoinette Lattouf founded the not-for-profit in 2017 – and Ms Veiszadeh said she hopes to only build on this success.
“Media Diversity Australia has some exciting projects on the go, and next year we look forward to releasing Part 2 of our ground-breaking research Who Gets to Tell Australian Stories. We will also be continuing with our paid summer internships, which have been great and often convert into industry jobs. We’ll also roll out our inaugural Political Fellowships for diverse young people to cover the federal election, and we’ll launch our Canberra Chapter,” she clarified.
“I am incredibly passionate about ensuring Australian media walks the walk and not just talks the talk when it comes to media diversity. Additionally, I love amplifying and supporting others to succeed. I will be working collaboratively with MDA’s dedicated team to continue the great successes of MDA and take the company to the next level.”
Lauren Croft
Lauren is a journalist at Lawyers Weekly and graduated with a Bachelor of Journalism from Macleay College. Prior to joining Lawyers Weekly, she worked as a trade journalist for media and travel industry publications and Travel Weekly. Originally born in England, Lauren enjoys trying new bars and restaurants, attending music festivals and travelling. She is also a keen snowboarder and pre-pandemic, spent a season living in a French ski resort.
