In April 2024, an advisory committee was established to provide oversight and guidance to ensure effective community engagement and deliverance of quality research outputs in the “Buddhism in Australia” research project. The Advisory Committee had its inaugural meeting online on 28th May 2024, where scholars and community leaders from New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia and Queensland gathered to chart the course for this three-year study.
The committee includes Venerable Chokyi, the chair of the Australian Sangha Association and Dr Di Cousens OAM, president of the Federation of Australian Buddhist Councils, Venerable Phuoc Tan OAM from Quang Minh Temple in Melbourne, Venerable Bodhicitta, a leader in the Sri Lankan Buddhist community, Bhante Sujato, ASPRO (Australian Partnership of Religious Organisations) representative of the Australian Sangha Association, and Venerable Tsultrim from Karuna Hospice in Queensland. Dr Tyson Yunkaporta and Joshua Waters have graciously agreed to join the committee and share their knowledge on engagement with First Nations people in the project. The project will also benefit from the expertise and insights of Gawaine Powell-Davies, president of the Buddhist Council of NSW, Tina Ng, founding president of Metta Centre in Sydney, Assoc Prof Ann Gleig from the University of Southern California and Dr Hannah Gould from Melbourne University.