Toni Hassan (born 1972) is an Australian journalist, a writer with an interest in contemporary social issues, and emerging artist who works predominantly in painting.

Biography

Hassan was born in South Africa, settling in Australia with her parents in the late 1970s. She attended Sydney Mackellar Girls High and completed a Bachelor of Arts, Communication at

Charles Sturt University Charles Sturt University is an Australian multi-campus public university located in New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and Victoria. Established in 1989, it was named in honour of Captain Charles Napier Sturt, a British explorer w ...

, before pursuing a career as a journalist with the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...

The Canberra Times ''The Canberra Times'' is a daily newspaper in Canberra, Australia, which is published by Australian Community Media. It was founded in 1926, and has changed ownership and format several times. History ''The Canberra Times'' was launched in ...

Fairfax Media Fairfax Media was a media company in Australia and New Zealand, with investments in newspaper, magazines, radio and digital properties. The company was founded by John Fairfax as John Fairfax and Sons, who purchased ''The Sydney Morning Herald' ...

and Nine Newspapers. In 2001 she was awarded a

Walkley Award The annual Walkley Awards are presented in Australia to recognise and reward excellence in journalism. They cover all media including print, television, documentary, radio, photographic and online media. The Gold Walkley is the highest prize and ...

for her radio documentary "''The Health of Asylum Seekers in Detention''". Broadcast as part of the ABC's Health Report, Hassan explored the services available to asylum seekers and the implications of long-term detention. Hassan was also awarded a Human Rights Media Award by the

Australian Human Rights Commission The Australian Human Rights Commission is the national human rights institution of Australia, established in 1986 as the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) and renamed in 2008. It is a statutory body funded by, but opera ...

for excellence in journalism. Hassan is an Adjunct Research Fellow with the

Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture The Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture is a national Christian ecumenical centre, established in 1993, in Canberra, the national capital of Australia. It encourages dialogue and cooperation among Christian churches and between Christi ...

, Charles Sturt University. She is well-known for her ongoing interest in community development, government policy and human rights and contributes to the online public policy journal ''Pearls and Irritations''. Hassan is an emerging artist: her work has been influenced by her early years living in South Africa during the Soweto Riots, as well as ongoing issues of human trafficking and social justice. Hassan's social art practice can be seen as "an intersection of the secular and the sacred". In 2018, she was awarded the ACT Legislative Assembly's Speaker's Emerging Artists Support Scheme Award (EASS). Her painting "''Shifting ground and King Billy''" is now in the collection of the Legislative Assembly of the ACT. The acrylic paintings depicts a "

Wiradjuri The Wiradjuri people (; ) are a group of Aboriginal Australian people from central New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , ...

man, Jimmy Clements, who walked for nearly a week to attend the opening of Australia's Federal Parliament in 1923" and the image is described as "being immediately recognisable as a reflection on race and power". Her book, ''Families in the digital age'', was highly commended in the Nonfiction section of the 2020

ACT Writing and Publishing Awards The ACT Writing and Publishing Awards are an Australian literary award presented by the ACT Writers Centre for the best books in the categories of non-fiction, fiction, poetry and children's literature written in the Canberra region. They have bee ...

Education

* 1990–1993, Bachelor of Arts, Communication,

* 2015–2018, Bachelor of Visual Arts,

The Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and i ...

Publications

Exhibitions

* 2021 "''Together alone''", Canberra Contemporary Art Space, Manuka * 2020 "''Stations of the Cross''", Northmead Creative and Performing Arts High School, Northmead, NSW * 2020 Fisher's Ghost Art Award,

Campbelltown Arts Centre Campbelltown Arts Centre (C-A-C or CAC) is a multidisciplinary contemporary arts centre located in Campbelltown, New South Wales, south west of Sydney, Australia. It is a cultural facility of Campbelltown City Council, assisted by other governm ...

, Campbelltown, NSW * 2018 "''Alone together''", ACT Legislative Assembly, Canberra

Personal

Hassan is married to economist, journalist and commentator Peter Martin AM.

References

External links

"''Shifting ground and King Billy''"
Legislative Assembly of ACT Collection {{DEFAULTSORT:Hassan, Toni 1972 births Living people Charles Sturt University alumni Australian women journalists South African journalists South African women journalists 21st-century Australian women artists Australian National University alumni South African emigrants to Australia ABC radio (Australia) journalists and presenters Walkley Award winners Australian painters South African painters Australian women painters South African women painters 21st-century Australian painters 21st-century South African painters 21st-century South African women artists 21st-century Australian journalists