Mary Kostakidis was the first woman appointed to present a national prime time news bulletin in Australia. She was a member of the management team that set up and developed SBS Television in 1980 and is well known as the presenter (for twenty years) of its flagship World News program. She serves on the board of many organisations including, the Sydney Peace Foundation the  Fred Hollows Foundation Board, the Sydney Theatre Board, the National Library of Australia Council, the ResMed Foundation Board, and a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (NSW). In 2009 Kostakidis served on the National Human Rights Consultation Committee chaired by Frank Brennan. Her board and committee appointments during nearly 3 decades at SBS and subsequently reflect a strong commitment to social justice and the arts.

Without a doubt we need to harness, I believe, our collective imagination as a civilized nation. Those of us who are complacent because our own lives are not affected, need to imagine ourselves in the shoes of others and respond with the compassion and reason that are the ultimate measure of our humanity.