PATRONS OF THE AUSTRALIAN CENTRE FOR LEADERSHIP FOR WOMEN

 

PATRON-IN-CHIEF

HER EXCELLENCY Ms QUENTIN BRYCE AC

GOVERNOR-GENERAL OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA

Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce AC
BA. LLB (Qld). Hon LLD (Macquarie). Hon DLitt (Charles Sturt). Hon DUniv (Griffith). Hon DU (QUT). Hon LLD (Qld). Hon DUniv (JCU) 

Quentin Bryce was born in Brisbane in 1942 and spent her early years in Ilfracombe, a small town in Central Western Queensland. In 1965, she graduated with the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws from The University of Queensland and, in the same year, was admitted to the Queensland Bar. She has since enjoyed a rich and distinguished career as an academic, lawyer, community and human rights advocate, senior public officer, university college principal, and vice-regal representative in Queensland, and now Australia.

Ms Bryce’s former roles – some, among firsts for women in this country – include:

• Lecturer and Tutor in Law, The University of Queensland, 1968-1983
• Convenor, National Women’s Advisory Council, 1982-1984
• Inaugural Director, Queensland Women’s Information Service, Office of the Status of Women, Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, 1984-1987
• Director, Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, Queensland, 1987-1988
• Federal Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, 1988-1993
• founding Chair and CEO, National Childcare Accreditation Council, 1993-1996
• Principal and CEO, The Women's College, University of Sydney, 1997-2003
• Governor of Queensland, 2003-2008

Quentin Bryce’s contribution to advancing human rights and equality, the rights of women and children, and the welfare of the family was recognised in her appointment as an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1988 and a Companion of the Order of Australia in 2003. Also in 2003, she was invested as a Dame of Grace of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem.

Ms Bryce was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws by Macquarie University (New South Wales) in 1998, an Honorary Doctorate of Letters by Charles Sturt University (New South Wales) in 2002, and an Honorary Doctorate of Laws by The University of Queensland in 2006. She was conferred with the degrees of Honorary Doctor of the University by Griffith University (Queensland) in 2003, Queensland University of Technology in 2004 and an Honorary Doctorate from James Cook University in 2008.

In her civic role as Governor of Queensland, Ms Bryce continued her work with women, families and young people while extending her influence across the State’s broad and diverse spectrum, including the rural, regional, aged, indigenous, migrant, and disability sectors.

As a mother and grandmother, Quentin is a role model and mentor to women at every stage of their lives. She values and encourages women’s capacity to form strong and enduring bonds of friendship, intellectual and emotional enrichment, and mutual support in their roles within the family, workplace and community.

On 5 September 2008 Quentin Bryce was sworn in as Australia’s twenty-fifth Governor-General. As the first woman to take up the office, she remains a pioneer in contemporary Australian society, and yet one who brings more than forty years of experience in reform, community building and leadership to the role.

Quentin Bryce and her husband, Michael, were married in 1964. They have two daughters and three sons, and seven grandchildren.

 

 Sir Gustav Nossal AC, CBE, FAA, FRS

Sir Gustav Nossal was born in Austria in 1931, and came to Australia in 1939.  In 1965 he was appointed Director of The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, a position he held from 1965-1996.  Sir Gustav is currently a consultant for the World Health Organization and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.  He was formerly Chairman of the Global Foundation Advisory Committee.   He was Deputy Chairman of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation from 1998-2000.  He was knighted in 1977, made a Companion of the Order of Australia in 1989 and appointed Australian of the Year 2000.

dr Jocelynne Scutt

Dr Jocelynne Scutt is a Barrister and Human Rights lawyer, writer and commentator. Dr Scutt has worked with the Australian Institute of Criminology and as director of research with the Legal and Constitutional Committee of the parliament of Victoria. She practices mainly at the Victorian and Sydney Bar, and is admitted to practice in all Australia states and territories. Dr Scutt is a former Judge of the High Court and Court of Appeal of Fiji and  Head of the Family Division and Employment Division of the High Court of Fiji.

Dr Scutt holds degrees and diplomas in law and arts from the universities of Western Australia, Sydney, Michigan,Cambridge, New South Wales and Adelaide, gaining her doctorate in the science of jurisprudence from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in 1979 and an honorary doctor of laws degree from Macquarie University in 1994.

Amongst others, her books include The Incredible Woman - Power and Sexual Politics, The Sexual Gerrymander - Women and the Economics of Power, Poor Nation of the Pacific - Australia's Future and the Artemis 'Women's Voices - Women's Lives' series in which some 12 volumes have so far been published. Her filmmaking includes The Incredible Woman and A Greenshell Necklace.

 

Professor S K Randell AO, PhD, FACE, FAIM, FAICD, AIE, MEd, BEd, DipDiv, DipREd  

Professor Shirley Randell was born on 8 March 1940 in Perth. She was educated at Perth Modern School and the Universities of Papua New Guinea, Canberra, New England and London where she took degrees in education and philosophy. As a leading expert in Public Sector and Institutional Reform in Developing Countries, Prof. Randell has provided specialist technical assistance to governments in the Asia Pacific Region and in Africa over the last 14 years. She is an author who has written numerous journal articles and books, including secondary education textbooks on Ni-Vanuatu Role Models: Women in their own right and I Stret Nomo: Girls in Vanuatu can do anything, and edited gender and development training manuals for public servants, INGO workers and water professionals.

In other countries Prof. Randell has been Program Implementation Specialist with the UNDP Capacity Building for Gender Mainstreaming Project of the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, Government of Bangladesh (2004-2005); Human Resource Adviser with the NZAID Human Development Project for the Government of Niue; Local Government Consultant for an ADB Provincial Government Review for the Solomon Islands Department of Provincial Government and Rural Development; Women, Youth and Non Government Organisation Specialist for an ADB study on skills development for the Papua New Guinea Government; Quality Assurance and Gender and Development Specialist for a skills development study for the Sri Lanka Government; and Performance Management Systems, Business Process Re-engineering Training, Human Resources Management, and GAD Specialist for an AusAid funded project for the Fiji Government’s Department of Customs and Excise.

Professor Shirley Randell has been made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2010 for her distinguished service to international relations, particularly through the promotion of human rights of women and through public sector reform in developing countries.

Currently serving as Director of the Centre for Gender, Culture and Development Studies at the Kigali Institute of Education in Rwanda, she has has had a long and distinguished career that has included a sustained focus on advancing the rights and status of women and supporting the development of civil society organisations that advocate for women’s rights.

 

Sue Conde, AM, President, Unifem Australia

Sue Conde is the President of Unifem Australia. Sue has held various Executive Leadership positions at State and National levels of Girl Guides Australia serving as Deputy Chief Commissioner from 1998-2002. International experiences include attending the UN General Assembly Special Session on Women in New York in 2000 and as a member of the Australian Government delegations; she has attended the UN Special Session on Children in 2002 and the Commission on the Status of Women in 2006 and 2010.
 
She joined the UNIFEM Australia National Committee in 2002 and was elected Vice President in 2005. From 2003-2007 she was actively engaged as a member of the National Leadership Group in UNIFEM Australia’s launch of the new Australian initiative – the White Ribbon Campaign.
 
Building on her strong engagement in the women’s NGO sector over the past 10 years, Sue has previously represented UNIFEM Australia on the Australian Women’s Coalition (AWC). Sue served as President of the AWC for three years from 2003-2006.
 
In January 2005 Sue was appointed as a Member in the Order of Australia for service to the community through organisations and advisory bodies that promote the interests of women, to youth through the guiding movement and to the Uniting Church in Australia. She is also a member of the Council of Knox Grammar School.