James Butterfield
Mr James Butterfield
Policy Advisor
Department for Victorian Communities
James’ interest in Asia was sparked by studying Mandarin at school and then by a few months spent travelling in Thailand and Laos, a trip which resulted in a leaning towards global politics in his final few years of university.
He lived in China for two years teaching English, studying Mandarin at Shandong University and travelling, especially through western China.
On his return from China, James worked as the Executive Officer for the Australian Arabic Council, a role which provided an insight into the challenge of maintaining and celebrating a cultural identity that is different from the Australian mainstream.
James currently works as a Policy Officer with the Victorian Office of Multicultural Affairs, where his main focus is the provision of language services for people with limited or no English. He is particularly interested in multiculturalism and attitudes towards ethnic and religious diversity in Australia and other countries, and how these attitudes are shaped by the media and by government.