Tom Calma Dr Tom Calma Is an Aboriginal Elder from the Kungarakan Tribal Group and a Member of the Iwaidja Tribal Group in the NT

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Tom Calma Dr Tom Calma is an Aboriginal elder from the Kungarakan tribal group and a member of the Iwaidja tribal group in the NT. He has been involved in Indigenous affairs at a local, community, state, national and international level and worked in the public sector for 40 years and is currently on a number of boards and committees focusing on rural and remote Australia, health, education, justice reinvestment and economic development. Dr Calma, a consultant, is the National Coordinator, Tackling Indigenous Smoking where he leads the establishment and mentoring of 57 teams nationally to fight tobacco use by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Dr Calma’s most recent previous position was that of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner at the Australian Human Rights Commission from 2004 to 2010. He also served as Race Discrimination Commissioner from 2004 until 2009. Through his 2005 Social Justice Report, Dr Calma called for the life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people to be closed within a generation and laid the groundwork for the Close the Gap campaign. The Close the Gap campaign has effectively brought national attention to achieving health equality for Indigenous people by 2030 and the need to address the social determinants of health to achieve equality. Dr Calma is a strong advocate for Indigenous rights and empowerment and has spearheaded initiatives including the establishment of the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples and Justice Reinvestment. In 2010, Dr Calma was awarded an honorary doctor of letters from Charles Darwin University and in 2011, an honorary doctor of science from Curtin University. In the Queen’s Birthday 2012 Honours Awards Dr Calma was awarded an Order of Australia; Officer of the General Division (AO) and in December 2012 he was announced as the ACT Australian of the Year 2013. .

Copy Link

Recommended publications

Tom-Calma.Pdf
CHANCELLOR, Chancellor, I have the honour to present to you Tom Calma, who Council has determined should be awarded the degree of Doctor of Letters Honoris Causa. Mr Tom Calma is an Aboriginal elder from the Kungarakan tribal group and a member of the Iwaidja tribal group whose traditional lands are south-west of Darwin and on the Coburg Peninsula in Northern Territory. As a young man, Mr Calma completed an Associate Diploma of Social Work at the South Australian Institute of Technology and began working for the Australian Government in various roles. In 1980 he joined the then Darwin Community College, one of the predecessor institutions of this University we enjoy today, as a lecturer in the Aboriginal Task Force program. By 1981 he was coordinator of the program and then Head of the academic department. At the time Tom was the first Indigenous Australian appointed to a tenured position at a post-secondary education institution in the Northern Territory and one of the first nationally. In 1986 he rejoined the Australian Government as the Director of the Aboriginal Employment and Training Branch in the Department of Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs based here in Darwin. Following a transfer to Canberra, he became the Executive Officer to the Secretary of the Department of Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs. In this role he chaired and undertook a national review of Aboriginal Education Units in the department. Over the ensuring years he has held a range of positions with the Australian Government, roles that often had a national and international scope.
[Show full text]
Speech Brief Closing the Gap – Reconciliation Australia Day National Conference 2013 Brief for Dr Tom Calma AO
Speech Brief Closing the Gap – Reconciliation Australia Day National Conference 2013 Brief for Dr Tom Calma AO 13 June 2013 Closing the Gap—Reconciliation Acknowledgement of country and thanks to: • Aunty Agnes for the welcome Welcoming us to country and acknowledging your ancestors and connection to this land is a very important part of our reconciliation journey. It’s a simple yet powerful way to show respect, and a solid foundation on which to build relationships. Thanks also to: • The Hon Dr Andrew Leigh MP; and • Adam Gilchrist AM, and our next door neighbours in Old Parliament House, the National Australia Day Council] Tribute to Dr Yunupingu Ladies and Gentleman, just over a week ago we lost a great Australian: a song man; an educator; an Australian of the Year. He was a man of many firsts; the first Aboriginal person from the Northern Territory to gain a university degree; the first Aboriginal school principal; the front man of the first band to mix traditional Arnhem Land song cycles with modern rock and dance music to captivate the world. But his passing from kidney disease, which he battled in his adult life, was not a first, and sadly, something all too familiar to Aboriginal people. His death at 56, almost 20 years below the average life expectancy of Australian men, is a stark reminder of the challenges we face to close the gaps between the first Australians and those who now, also call Australia home. It is a reminder that, even an outstanding Australian of the Year—who has trod the world stage, and contributed in so many ways to make this country a better place—even he cannot fully escape the legacies of history.
[Show full text]
Bringing Them Home 20 Years On: an Action Plan for Healing Bringing Them Home 20 Years On: an Action Plan for Healing
Bringing Them Home 20 years on: an action plan for healing Bringing Them Home 20 years on: an action plan for healing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Healing Foundation Contents Executive summary 4 Background 6 The Stolen Generations 7 The Bringing Them Home report 10 Responding to Bringing Them Home 14 Why action is needed now 19 An action plan for making things right 26 Action one: comprehensive response for Stolen Generations members 27 Action two: healing intergenerational trauma 40 Action three: creating an environment for change 45 Appendix 1: key themes and recommendations from the Bringing Them Home report 50 Bibliography 52 We acknowledge Stolen Generations members across Australia, including those who have passed on, for their courage in sharing their stories and wisdom in the Bringing Them Home report. Notes 54 This report, written by Pat Anderson and Edward Tilton, was guided by the Healing Foundation’s Stolen Generations Reference Committee. The Committee’s efforts were central to ensuring that this report reflects the experience of Stolen Generations and for forming the critical recommendations to bring about change in Australia. We acknowledge and thank all other contributors who were consulted for this report. 1 …the past is very much with us today, in the continuing devastation of the lives of Indigenous Australians. That devastation cannot be addressed unless the whole community listens with an open heart and mind to the stories of what has happened in the past and, having listened and understood, commits itself to reconciliation. Extract from the 1997 Bringing Them Home report 2 Executive summary On 26 May 1997 the landmark Bringing Them Home report was tabled in Federal While this report might primarily detail the response from government to the Parliament.
[Show full text]
Contributing Authors
Contributing Authors Tom Calma Dr Tom Calma is an Aboriginal elder from the Kungarakan tribal group and a member of the Iwaidja tribal group in the Northern Territory. He has been involved in Aboriginal affairs at a local, community, state, national and international level focusing on rural and remote Australia, health, education and economic development. Dr Calma was appointed National Coordinator, Tackling Indigenous Smoking in March 2010 to lead the fight against tobacco use in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Past positions include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner and Race Discrimination Commissioner at the Australian Human Rights Commission, and senior Australian diplomat in India and Vietnam. Through his 2005 Social Justice Report, Dr Calma called for the life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people to be closed within a generation and laid the groundwork for the Close the Gap campaign. He chaired the Close the Gap Campaign Steering Committee for Indigenous Health Equality since its inception in March 2006 that has effectively brought national attention to achieving health equality for Indigenous peoples by 2030. He is a strong advocate for Indigenous rights and empowerment, and has spearheaded initiatives including the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples, development of the inaugural Indigenous suicide prevention strategy and justice reinvestment. In 2007, Dr Calma was named by the Bulletin Magazine as the Most Influential Indigenous Person in Australia and in 2008 was named GQ Magazine’s 2008 Man of Inspiration for his work in Indigenous Affairs. In 2010, he was awarded an honorary doctor of letters from Charles Darwin University and named by Australian Doctor Magazine as one of the 50 Most Influential People in medicine in Australia.
[Show full text]
Read the UQ Poche Centre for Indigenous Health 2020–2024
UQ Poche Centre for Indigenous Health 2020–2024 Strategic Plan UQ Poche Centre for Indigenous Health The University of Queensland (UQ) Poche Centre for Indigenous Health was established in 2015 following a $10 million donation from Mr Greg Poche AO and Mrs Kay van Norton Poche. The Centre is part of the national Poche Indigenous Health Network, together with Poche Centres at the University of Melbourne, the University of Sydney, the University of Western Australia and Flinders University in Adelaide, Darwin and Alice Springs. A key partner in the activities of the UQ Poche Centre, since the beginning, is the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health (IUIH), which delivers world-class primary health care services to the Indigenous population of South East Queensland. The UQ Poche Centre for Indigenous “The Poche Network is an Health brings together Indigenous and Vision health expertise across the University, Provide national leadership in urban important initiative to advance and works collaboratively with Indigenous health research and research Indigenous health in Australia. Indigenous community organisations workforce development to close the gap With a focus on turning and health providers, on improving in life expectancy and achieve health health outcomes for Aboriginal and equality for Aboriginal and Torres research into outcomes, we Torres Strait Islander people. With a Strait Islander peoples. will be harnessing some of the mandate to respond to challenges in urban Indigenous health, the Centre best minds around the country undertakes and facilitates a broad range Mission to focus on wicked problems of transdisciplinary research activities To become a leading urban Indigenous and creative solutions that targeted at improving health outcomes.
[Show full text]
Connecting on Country
Connecting on Country Closing the Digital Divide for First Nations students in the age of COVID-19 Connecting on Country This is a joint report by World Vision Australia and The Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation © 2021 World Vision Australia. ABN 28 004 778 081. World Vision Australia is a Christian relief, development and advocacy organisation dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice. For further information regarding this report, contact: Dr Scott Winch Senior Policy Advisor (First Nations) [email protected] Cover Photo: Digital connectivity can open up a world of online learning opportunities, but sadly almost one in four First Nations households do not have internet access at home © The Australian Literacy & Numeracy Foundation 2 World Vision Australia IntroductionContents Foreword 4 Part 1: Defining the Problem 5 What is the Digital Divide? 5 Extent of the Digital Divide 5 Affordability and the Digital Divide 6 Remoteness and the Digital Divide 6 The Education Divide and the Digital Divide 8 Snapshot of the Education Divide 8 COVID-19 as a divide multiplier 8 Part 2: Scoping Solutions 12 Closing the digital asset divide 12 Expanding internet coverage, speed and reliability 12 Leveraging the public and private sectors 12 Making digital access more affordable 13 Building digital literacy 13 Part 3: Recommendations 14 References 15 3 Connecting on Country Foreword COVID-19 exacerbated many inequalities in COVID-19 has accelerated the digital revolution Australia, but few more so than the Digital Divide across many sectors, including in education, which between First Nations and non-First Nations makes it more important than ever to urgently students.
[Show full text]
How to Reposition the Social, Cultural and Economic Value
GALNYA ON WOKA PROSPERITY ON COUNTRY: HOW TO REPOSITION THE SOCIAL, CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC VALUE OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE IN THE GOULBURN MURRAY REGION Raelene L. Nixon ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7532-0995 Submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Melbourne Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Science December 2020 1 DECLARATION This is to certify that: I. The thesis comprises only my original work towards the PhD II. Due acknowledgment has been made in the text to all other material used III. The thesis is approximately 79 081 words Raelene Nixon December 2020 2 ABSTRACT Prime Minister Gillard's 'Closing the Gap' speech in February 2011 called on the country's First Peoples to take responsibility for improving their situation. This kind of rhetoric highlights one of the underlying reasons there has been no substantial improvement in the position of Indigenous Australian peoples. Indigenous peoples are predominately identified as 'the problem' and positioned as the agents who need to 'fix it', which ignores the influence of dominant culture in maintaining the current position of Indigenous peoples. Drawing on the experience and knowledge of Indigenous and government leaders working on strategies to empower Indigenous communities, this thesis captures the work undertaken in the Goulburn Murray region of Victoria in the quest to reposition the social, cultural and economic value of Indigenous peoples. For substantive change to be made, power relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians need to be realigned and dominant social structures reconstituted. Only once these shifts have been made can the country’s original inhabitants enjoy parity in education, health, employment, and economic prosperity.
[Show full text]
2010 and Beyond
Dr Tom Calma - HonDLitt CDU – HonDSc Curtin Ph: + 61 2 6289 1622 Mob: +61 429 121 942 Email: [email protected] Biography for Dr Tom Calma Dr Calma is an Aboriginal elder from the Kungarakan tribal group and a member of the Iwaidja tribal group whose traditional lands are south west of Darwin and on the Coburg Peninsula in the Northern Territory of Australia, respectively. He has been involved in Indigenous affairs at a local, community, state, national and international level and worked in the public sector for 40 years and is currently on a number of boards and committees focussing on rural and remote Australia, health and education. Dr Calma was appointed National Coordinator, Tackling Indigenous Smoking in March 2010 to lead the fight against tobacco use in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Dr Calma’s most recent previous position was that of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner at the Australian Human Rights Commission from 2004 to 2010. He also served as Race Discrimination Commissioner from 2004 until 2009. Through his 2005 Social Justice Report, Dr Calma called for the life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people to be closed within a generation and laid the groundwork for the Close the Gap campaign. He chaired the Close the Gap Steering Committee for Indigenous Health Equality since its inception in March 2006 and has recently retired as Co-Chair of the steering committee. The Close the Gap campaign has effectively brought national attention to achieving health equality for Indigenous people by 2030. National Close the Gap Day is celebrated on 24 or 25 March each year.
[Show full text]
JENNY MACKLIN MP Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs
JENNY MACKLIN MP Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs Statement on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Parliament House Canberra 3 April 2009 Today, Australia takes another important step in re-setting the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians and moving forward towards a new future. Today, Australia joins the international community to affirm the aspirations of all Indigenous peoples. We show our respect for Indigenous peoples. We show our faith in a new era of relations between states and Indigenous peoples grounded in good faith, goodwill and mutual respect. The work of drafting the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples began in 1985. The Declaration was more than twenty years in the making. For the first time governments worked directly with Indigenous peoples to develop a significant human rights statement. The decades of work culminated in a landmark document. A document that reflects and pays homage to the unique place of Indigenous peoples and their entitlement to all human rights as recognised in international law. Indigenous Australians made a significant contribution to the development of the Declaration. Today cannot pass without paying tribute to a number of Indigenous Australians whose leadership and efforts were central to the development of the Declaration. Les Malezer, Chair of the International Indigenous Peoples’ Caucus and a recipient of the Australian Human Rights Medal. Professor Lowitja O’Donoghue, former Australian of the Year and former Chairperson of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission. Professor Mick Dodson, Australian of the Year, Member of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
[Show full text]
University of Canberra ANNUAL REPORT 2013 Volume One
UNIVERSITY OF CANBERRA ANNUAL REPORT 2013 VOLUME ONE BREAK THROUGH April 2014 LETTER to THE MINISTER Dear Minister In accordance with Section 36 of the University of Canberra Act 1989, we present the Report by the Council of the University of Canberra for the period 1 January to 31 December 2013, together with financial statements in respect of that period. Yours sincerely Dr Tom Calma AO Chancellor Professor Stephen Parker AO Vice-Chancellor and President 2 TBA LE OF CONTENTS TABL E OF CONTENTS Letter to THE MINISTER 1 FOREWORD FROM THE CHANCELLOR 4 VICE-CHANCELLOR’S WeLCOME 6 COUNCIL REPORT 8 COUNCIL ActIVITIES 10 VICE-CHANCELLOR’S GROUP 12 EDUCATION 14 RESEARCH 26 CENTENARY OF CANBERRA 38 CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY 42 INTERNATIONAL 58 APPENDICES 64 A1. Workplace Health and Safety 65 A2. Freedom of Information 65 A3. Risk Management Statement 67 GLOSSARY 68 4 UNIVERSITY OF CANBERRA 2013 ANNUAL REPORT ForeRD WO FROM THE CHANCELLOR 5 FEOOR W RD FROM the ChaNCELLOR I n 2008, I was invited to help pack and bury a time capsule as part of the University of Canberra’s 40th anniversary celebrations. Before we closed the capsule, I pulled out a business card – and this wasn’t part of the script – and wrote on the back of it: “Thank you UC. You changed my life.” And I meant it. The University of Canberra gave me the skills I needed to start a successful career. The opportunity to become Chancellor two years later was one I couldn’t pass up. It gave me the chance to give back to the institution that made me the man I am today.
[Show full text]
2008 Essentials for Social Justice
2008 Essentials for Social Justice Speeches by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Tom Calma Australian Human Rights Commission everyone, everywhere, everyday Essentials for Social Justice Mr Tom Calma Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Australian Human Rights Commission Between December 2007 and November 2008 the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Tom Calma, delivered a series of key speeches setting out an agenda for change in Indigenous affairs. The speeches include: 1 Sorry (11 December 2007) .............................................................................. 2 2 Postscript: ‘Let the healing begin’ – Official response to the Prime Minister’s national apology to the Stolen Generations (13 February 2008) ........................................................................................ 10 3 Reform (20 February 2008) ........................................................................... 14 4 Protecting Indigenous children (31 March 2008) ....................................... 26 5 Close the Gap (11 June 2008) ...................................................................... 36 6 Caring for Culture, Caring for Country (7 July 2008) ................................ 47 7 The Future (12 November 2008) ................................................................... 58 8 Building a sustainable National Indigenous Representative Body (4 August 2008).............................................................................................
[Show full text]
Transcript of the 2016 Duguid Memorial Lecture, Held on Monday 30 November at Kerry Packer Civic Gallery, Hawke Building, Unisa City West Campus
Transcript of the 2016 Duguid Memorial Lecture, held on Monday 30 November at Kerry Packer Civic Gallery, Hawke Building, UniSA City West Campus “Three Generations on – The Duguid Legacy” Professor Tom Calma AO Chancellor, University of Canberra Co-Chair, Reconciliation Australia MC: Professor Peter Buckskin Dean: Aboriginal Engagement & Strategic Projects, University of South Australia Professor Peter Buckskin: Good evening everybody, if you could all just come into session for the lecture, my name is Professor Peter Buckskin, I am the Dean of Aboriginal Engagement and Strategic Projects for the University of South Australia and it’s my pleasure to be your MC tonight. I would like to welcome you all to the 12th Duguid Memorial Lecture 2016 where both universities, Flinders University and the University of SA are celebrating significant milestones in their histories. The University of Flinders is celebrating 50 years of its existence and we’re very proud here at the University of SA to be celebrating our 25th anniversary. So it’s very fitting that we’re launching tonight also as part of this series of lectures a publication capturing a number of years of the publication, I will talk more about that, of people that have spoken at the Duguid Lecture. We’re very honoured to host this year’s lecture at the University of South Australia, and particularly in the Alan Scott Auditorium. We acknowledge the continued support of the Hawke Centre in making the Kerry Packer Civic Gallery available to us for our pre and post lecture receptions. Before we get underway, I would like to invite Uncle Dr Lewis Yerloburka O’Brien, Kaurna elder but especially to the University of SA, an adjunct to our university, to honour us with a welcome to country.
[Show full text]