Rosanna Baini OAM

Rosanna Baini was the first Lebanese woman to be appointed a Justice of the Peace in Victoria and a Bail Justice and the first Lebanese woman to be appointed a Commissioner of the Victorian Multicultural Commission.

Rosanna Baini was born in 1963 in Sydney; her parents were migrants from Lebanon. In 1984 she had almost finished a Diploma in Business and Marketing when she gave up her studies to marry and move to Melbourne where she assisted her husband in his business. She has four children.

Rosanna recognised the needs within the Lebanese community and has consistently worked to make a difference. After her marriage, she returned to study and undertook a Diploma in Health Sciences and she is currently studying for a Degree in Criminal Justice Administration at RMIT. In 1995 Rosanna was appointed a Justice of the Peace and a Bail Justice. In 1997 she became a Commissioner with the Victorian Multicultural Commission.

Her particular interests are troubled youth, isolated women and newly arrived migrants. She is an executive board member of the steering committee with the Victorian Maronite Committee which oversees service delivery for youth in the form of a 'one-stop-shop' in the North East and North West region of Melbourne.

Rosanna has assisted many young Muslim women to be active in the workforce, to showcase their skills and not to be concerned that they might be looked on as 'different'. She has encouraged them to present themselves with confidence and offered practical help in ways to combine 'dress sense' with a culturally appropriate dress code.

Rosanna was instrumental in the success of the Victorian Multicultural Youth Conferences. Aware that many young women's groups from various cultural backgrounds did not intend to go to the Conference, Rosanna got in touch with every group, assuring them that all young women attending would be treated with the utmost respect. The result was a series of successful conferences.

Her most recent interest is in getting more musically talented young women from diverse cultural backgrounds to become part of the urban music industry. The aim is to incorporate the lyrics and tunes of many cultures into the dance music of today and to increase the proportion of radio and television air-time given to local talent. Rosanna is committed to cultural diversity.