Amardeep is a local Canberran, solutions consultant, community advocate, human rights activist, and a passionate nature lover.

Amardeep was born in India and moved to Canberra twenty years ago to work hard, share the benefits of his highly specialised qualification, and build a better life for his children. Amardeep worked extremely hard to build his career, looks after a family, and continuously gives back to the community despite the many challenges he faced along the way.

1. Amardeep is an advocate for diversity and has fostered community harmony and mutual respect in the ACT and region, by:

• Providing leadership as President of the Federation of Indian Associations of ACT (FINACT) from 2013 to 2017, to bring culturally and linguistically diverse Indian communities under the umbrella of FINACT and encouraging community members to play an active role in the advancement of multiculturalism in the ACT;
• Promoting and enhancing the linguistic and cultural richness of the Punjabi community within the diverse multicultural landscape of Canberra as a coordinator of the Punjabi language school and a broadcaster of a radio program on FM91.1 through Canberra Multicultural Services;
• Promoting religious diversity and harmony, and interfaith dialogue among different spiritual faith traditions in the ACT, as an active member of the Canberra Interfaith Forum;
• Helping the community to represent their voice as members of Denman Prospect Community Action Group and the Molonglo Valley Community Forum.

2. Amardeep promotes community harmony, cohesion, and inclusion across the ACT, by:

• Actively engaging in building peace, harmony and better understanding between members of different spiritual faith traditions, in his capacity as the Vice Chairman of the Canberra Interfaith Forum, through public interfaith forums and visits to different places of worship to meet with members of relevant faith groups; and
• Organising activities such as blood donation camps and peace walks to spread the message of intercultural and inter religious peace and harmony, and the distribution of free water bottles and soft drinks at National Multicultural Festivals to provide comfort to visitors, with the assistance of teams of volunteers.

3. Amardeep contributes to making Canberra a city where everyone feels welcomed. He initiates and participates in a number of community-based activities:

• Amardeep travelled with his colleagues and volunteers from other corporate bodies to Cambodia on a corporate immersion tour, to gain a glimpse into the lives of the women and girls supported to overcome extreme trauma and abuse. He helped to raise more than twenty thousand dollars to help prevent, support and empower victims, survivors and those at-risk of human trafficking, slavery and exploitation in Cambodia.
• During the 2020 January bushfires, Amardeep organised a fund-raising event at the Canberra Sikh Centre to deliver a truckload of supplies to affected people in fire affected areas in Cobargo, New South Wales.
• During severe COVID-19 restrictions in Canberra, Amardeep took the initiative to form a small group of community volunteers to deliver meals every day to some disadvantaged families.
• Amardeep has formed a volunteer group of around 25 passionate individuals called ‘Friends of Molonglo Reserve and Parks’ to plant trees, remove weeds, and look after the flora and fauna in Molonglo Valley. This volunteer group also assists the maintenance of the Canberra Interfaith Forum’s Community Garden, ‘Environment Meditation and Healing Garden’ located adjacent to the ACT Hospice in Barton.

Since migrating to Australia from India in 2003, Amardeep has played a crucial role in fostering and contributing to the vibrant and diverse cultural fabric of Canberra. In addition to his strong involvement in community activities as a volunteer, Amardeep also works fulltime as a Solutions Consultant, providing trusted consultation to the Government (Territory and Commonwealth) and commercial agencies.

Amardeep decided to put his hand up for the 2020 ACT elections to be able to give back to the Canberra community and make progress on his vision for a better Canberra.