University Of Newcastle Honours Former Prime Minister Julia Gillard
Dr Daphne Daniels, Marjorie Biggins and Dr A. Bakar Jaafar were also awarded honorary doctorates and recognised for their outstanding contributions to society during the University’s December graduation ceremonies earlier this week.
Ms Gillard delivered the commencement address to students graduating from the College of Human and Social Futures during the final graduation ceremony of 2022 on Wednesday 14 December.
Ms Gillard was the 27th Prime Minister of Australia and the first, and only, woman to serve in that role. Across a distinguished 15-year career in public office, Ms Gillard also served as Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Education, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, and Minister for Social Inclusion.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Alex Zelinsky said the University of Newcastle recognised Ms Gillard’s many achievements in public life, including her ongoing dedication to education and gender equity.
“Ms Gillard’s contributions continue to have a profound impact on the educational and life opportunities for people throughout our region,” Professor Zelinsky said.
“The historic reforms to universities achieved during her term as Minister for Education transformed access to higher education, particularly for students from low socio-economic status backgrounds. The introduction of the demand-driven system for university education represented a life-changing expansion of opportunity for students in the Hunter.
“I’m sure that many within our University community will draw inspiration from her ongoing dedication to education and gender equity, as it resonates so strongly with our institutional values,” Professor Zelinsky said.
Delivering the occasional address, Ms Gillard said she felt honoured to receive this recognition and recalled her earliest memories of visiting the University of Newcastle.
“I first came here in 1981, when I was an education vice president of the then Australian Union of Students… I remember clearly walking on this campus and falling in love with it immediately, because it was so different to anything else I had seen.
“It looked as though some giants had picked up the buildings and placed it carefully there so the bush and trees could continue to thrive right next door.
“I thought to myself: this is really what an Australian university should look like. It really is for me something of the heart to be back here all of these years later.”
Ms Gillard spoke about her surprising journey from leading the student union into national politics and the changes she has witnessed the past 40 years.
“If you had asked me then when I was visiting the University of Newcastle, 40 odd years ago what the future would bring, I couldn’t have imagined the pathway that my life actually took.
“I wasn’t thinking then of honorary doctorates. My parents were most concerned because I had broken my studies, I may not even finish my undergraduate degree. I wasn’t thinking then of politics…
“But I had got this taste that if you were really interested in shaping your world.. if you had a cause, had a purpose if you really believed in something the way I passionately believed in education then you could make a difference. If you got involved, and you lifted your voice and you tried to shape the world in which you lived.
“So, even as I was thinking about what to after this year… I was starting to imagine that just maybe… there could be a future for me where this passion for public policy could make a difference.
Ms Gillard encouraged the new graduates to consider their personal purpose early on and how it can help shape the future world we will be living in.
“If I can give you one piece of advice on this very special day of your lives it is…Don’t let these things, your sense of purpose, where you want to go, your sense of self, who you want to be in the world…don’t just let them organically sneak up on you the way I let them organically creep up on me. Instead think about them, really sit down and think about what it is you want to do, this next stage of your life.” .
2022 University of Newcastle Honorary Doctorate recipients include:
Professor Dato’ I.R. Doctor Abu Bakar Jaafar: A mechanical engineer by profession and an environmental scientist by specialisation. He has had a long and influential career spanning Malaysian government, environment and education that has left an indelible mark at a national level.
Dr Marjorie Biggins: A pioneer in the arts in our region and a national trailblazer for the representation of women in regional media. Throughout her long career, she worked as a producer, writer, director and broadcaster. Her significant achievements over more than six decades have contributed enormously to the cultural life and creative industries of the Hunter.
Dr Daphne Daniels: A Nunggubuyu woman from the community of Ngukurr in South East Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory. She is a community leader and advocate for issues impacting remote Aboriginal communities. She serves in several leadership roles, including as Deputy Chair of the Board of Directors for the Yugal Mangi Development Corporation in Ngukurr. She is also the Chair of the Stronger Communities Program.