Ali Roude got involved in community work shortly after he migrated to Australia in 1970. Many Muslims came to know him through his community work and through his long career at the Department of Immigration and Ethnic affairs. He would diligently preside over many citizenship ceremonies and handle immigration inquiries.
As Chairman of the ICNSW, Ali’s voluntary works led to the development and the establishment of vital services and programs aimed at promoting effective community participation in Australian society. Several of his notable community-defining projects include:
- Lobbying the NSW Government, then under the Premiership of the Hon. Nick Grenier (Liberal Party) to accept the inclusion of religious studies within the public school system (1991).
- The development of a Youth and Community Centre at Chullora (1991),
- Establishing the Muslim Cemetery Trust, the Australian Welfare Council (now known as the Australian Arab Council) and the Voice of Islam Radio station (1996)
- and lobbying for the amending of the Planning Act to include mosques as a place of worship in 2000.
He has sat on numerous government consultative bodies, lobbied for strong government relations with the Gulf states, attracting interest and investment into Australia. Ali also contributed to building the Bosnian Humanitarian Appeal and the providing Muslims in jails and Hospitals with a chaplain.
In 1988, Ali was awarded the Order of Australia, (Queen’s Medal) for outstanding services to the Muslim communities. In 1996 he was appointed by the NSW Government to the Police Ethnic Advisory Committee and the Olympic Multicultural Advisory Committee. In 2005, he was appointed by the Prime Minister of Australia on the Muslim Community Reference Group and Sub-Group. He was awarded an Australia Day award in 2006 and 2010 amongst other awards.
Ali has sat on numerous community and government boards. For example, he was appointed by the NSW Government to the NSW Commission for Children and Young People Board, Police and Advisory Committee, Gulf Crisis Reference Group, the Arabic Reference Harmony Group and a Ministerial Advisory Committee to review substitutes care services for Muslim families and children in NSW. In the last role, the committee published and implemented a number of recommendations to improve service delivery. This effort received a high commendation Award by the Premier of NSW at the Multicultural Marketing Award in 2001.
