Life On The Job


Indigenous Famous Person's Story

Professor Michael James "Mick" Dodson (born 10 April 1950 - ) B Juris; LIB; LID(HC) Lit D (HC)

 Barrister, Lawyer, Academic

In Academic robes
(Source: Australian Aboriginal Online Television)

Introduction:

Mick Dodson is an Indigenous Australian barrister, academic, and member of the Yawuru peoples in the Broome area of the southern Kimberley region of Western Australia.  His brother is Patrick Dodson, also a noted Aboriginal leader. (Source: Wikipedia)

Professor Mick Dodson is a member of the Yawuru peoples the traditional Aboriginal owners of land and waters in the Broome area of the southern Kimberley region of Western Australia. (Source: ANU)

Education:

Born to an Aboriginal mother and an Irish-Australian father in Katherine, Northern Territory, and orphaned at 10, he escaped the affront of what he later helped dub the "stolen generations" when he and his older brother, Pat, were granted an education by the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart at Monivae College in far away Hamilton, western Victoria.

The Dodson brothers would later emerge as leaders of Australia's reconciliation movements, but their inner strength was recognised early.

Pat was made captain of that large, overwhelmingly white boarding school in the 1960s, and Mick became a prefect and house captain, each elected by their fellow students. Mick went on to study law at Monash University, becoming in 1981 Victoria's first Aboriginal barrister. He is now a professor of law at the Australian National University, Canberra, where he is also director of the National Centre for Indigenous Studies. (Source: The Age)

With Pat Dodson
with Pat Dodson, 2013
(Source: ANU)

He completed a Bachelor of Jurisprudence and a Bachelor of Laws at Monash University. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of Technology Sydney in 1998.

Professor Dodson also holds an honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of NSW. (Source: ANU)

In November 2010, Dodson was the recipient of an honorary doctorate from the University of Canberra in recognition of his contribution to human rights, social justice and Indigenous affairs in Australia and around the world:  

YouTube: Mick Dodson  University of Canberra (URL: https://youtu.be/Sx1Kgk44JTg )

 

Employment:

Following graduation, he worked as a criminal solicitor for the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Aid Service [from 1976 to 1981], and later as a criminal defence barrister at the Victorian Bar, where he still practices as a barrister specialising in native title.

[He joined the Northern Land Council as Senior Legal Adviser in 1984 and became Director of the Council in 1990. (Source: ANU) ]

He has worked extensively as a legal adviser in native title and human rights, and as an academic in Indigenous law. He is currently Professor of Law at the Australian National University, as the director of its National Centre for Indigenous Studies, and has lectured as a visiting academic at the University of Arizona and Harvard University respectively.

He has been a prominent advocate of land rights and other issues affecting Indigenous peoples in Australia and globally and has extensive involvement in the United Nations Forum on Indigenous Issues.

He is the Chief Investigator for the 'Serving Our Country: a history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the defence of Australia' project which is an Australian Research Council-funded research project based at The Australian National University.
(Source: Wikipedia)

From August 1988 to October 1990, Mick was Counsel assisting the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody.

 He has been a member of the Victorian Equal Opportunity Advisory Council and secretary of the North Australian Legal Aid Service.

He is the current Chair of Council of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), and is also a member of AIATSIS.

Jandamarra Cadd's Portrait of Mick Dodson
This portrait was entered into the Archibald Prize [2013].


"I have titled this portrait "Working Progress" as I feel it symbolizes that there is somuch more work to be done to heal and improve the quality of life of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The symbolism of the jigsaw pieces is that behind his modern and western attire is a man who is not only deeply connected to his own people and culture, but also a true warrior who fights for the rights of all people to be equal."
(Source
: Jandamarra Cadd)

He is the former Chairman of the National Aboriginal Youth Law Centre Advisory Board, and has been a member of the National Children's & Youth Centre Board and the advisory panels of the Rob Riley and Koowarta Scholarships.

Mick is a member of the Publications Committee for the University of New South Wales' Australian Indigenous Law Review (formerly called the Australian Indigenous Law Reporter), and is on the Editorial Board of Australian Aboriginal Studies.

He is a member of the New South Wales Judicial Commission and a former special commissioner with the Law Reform Commission of Western Australia.

He is Chair of the ANU Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) Committee and a member of the Board of the Lingiari Foundation. He served on the board of Reconciliation Australia and was, until recently, its Co-Chair. He was a founding member and chairman of the Australian Indigenous Leadership Centre.

Mick Dodson has been a prominent advocate on land rights and other issues affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, as well as a vigorous advocate of the rights and interests of indigenous peoples around the world.

He was the Co-Deputy Chair of the Technical Committee for the 1993 International Year of the World's Indigenous People and was chairman of the United Nations Advisory Group for the Voluntary Fund for the Decade of Indigenous Peoples. He served for 5 years as a member of the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Indigenous Voluntary Fund and in January 2005, commenced a 3-year appointment as a member of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. He was subsequently reappointed for a further 3 years to December 2010.

Mick participated in the crafting of the text of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in the United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations (WGIP), and the Inter-sessional Working Group of the Human Rights Commission which was adopted overwhelmingly in 2007 by the United Nations General Assembly.

In 2009, Mick Dodson was named Australian of the Year by the National Australia Day Council.

From September 2011 to February 2012 inclusive, Professor Dodson was at Harvard University where he was the Malcolm Fraser & Gough Whitlam Harvard Chair in Australian Studies and a Visiting Professor, Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development. He was based at the Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy in the John F Kennedy School of Government. (Source: ANU)

 

Experiences:


NGROO

Education access 'essential', says Dodson
"We should be giving every Australian child a chance to learn about this country's Indigenous history and culture. It's a culture all Australians can take pride in. That every child deserves a good education, and that a country as prosperous as this one should be able to provide it, are things all of us can agree on.
"When I was named Australian of the Year I said I wanted to encourage Australians to uphold and protect the human rights and human dignity of their fellow citizens.
"I say let's begin with education. I think we can all agree that a good education is a right and that all Australian children have that right. I think we can all agree that in bestowing knowledge, skills, opportunity and a chance at happiness and self-sufficiency, education also bestows dignity."

- Professor Mick Dodson, AM, National Press Club, Canberra, 2009
(Source: NGROO Education)

Opportunities and Honours

YouTube: Professor Mick Dodson AM - Australian of the Year 2009 Acceptance speech (URL: https://youtu.be/sonB7uLmOuw )

 

  • Australian of the Year, 2009

  •  Chairperson of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies

  •  Distinguished Alumni Award, Monash University, 1998

  •  Fellow, Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, 2009

  •  Honorary Member of the University of Kingwood Nationals, 2010

  •  Member of the Order of Australia (AM), 2003

  •  Member of the Order of Indonesia (PM), awarded on New Year’s Day 2003

  •  Sydney Peace Prize, 2008, for courageous advocacy of the human rights of Indigenous people, for distinguished leadership of the reconciliation movement and for a lifetime of commitment to peace with justice, through dialogue and many other expressions of non-violence.


Links:

ANU - Professor Mick Dodson AM

Mick Dodson

 

ANU - Australian of the Year 2009

Mick Dodson Australian of the Year 2009

The Age - A Story for All

The Age 26/01/2009


National Archives of Australia

NAA


National Museum Australia: Behind the Lines 2009 (Cartoons 2009)

Behind the Lines

  
CAAMA - Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association

CAAMA

  
UTAS - Recognition for Reconciliation
2013


UTAS



Kooriweb: The Australian - The Dodsons' white songline

White Song Line


NSW Reconciliation Council

NSW Reconciliation Council
Australian Inspiration - Quotes from Mick Dodson

Australian Inspiration

 

Did You Know?

On 25 January 2009, he was named Australian of the Year. He now lives and works in Canberra.

Australian of the Year logo

• Professor Mick Dodson was Australia's first Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner with the Australian Human Rights Commission. He served as Commissioner from April 1993 to January 1998.


Australian Human Rights Commission


• In 2003, Professor Dodson became a Member of the Order of Australia for service to the Indigenous community and as a campaigner for native title rights.

Member of the Order of Australia


• Professor Dodson is also currently a Director of Dodson; Bauman & Associates Pty Ltd - Legal & Anthropological Consultants. He is formerly the Director of the Indigenous Law Centre at the University of New South Wales; Kensington.


Activities

PowToon..."Mick Dodson come on down!"

PrimaryPrimary MiddleMiddle 

ICT Capability Australian Curriculum General Capability: ICT Capability

LiteracyAustralian Curriculum General Capability: Literacy

Critical & Creative ThinkingAustralian Curriculum General Capability: Critical & Creative Thinking 

IndigenousAustralian Curriculum Cross Curriculum Priorities: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures

 

 

1. Research Mick Dodson, his life and achievements using the information above.

2. Create a "This is Your Life" animated video using PowToon for Mick Dodson.

Powtoon

3. Present your PowToon to your class.

 

 

Concerns of Young Indigenous Australians

High SchoolSecondary

LiteracyAustralian Curriculum General Capability: Literacy

Critical and Creative ThinkingAustralian Curriculum General Capability: Critical and Creative Thinking

Personal and social capabilityAustralian Curriculum General Capability: Personal and Social Capability

Intercultural UnderstandingAustralian Curriculum General Capability: Intercultural Understanding

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and culturesAustralian Curriculum: Cross Curriculum Priorities: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures

 

1. In groups of 3 - 4 students, go to and read the PDF at the Australian Institute of Health & Welfare 2018 (40 pages but there is a lot of acknowledgments at the beginning)

AIHW

 

2. "Research shows that Indigenous youth are physiologically, socio-economically and psychologically disadvantaged. They face many challenges in life and are more likely than non-Indigenous youth to experience a variety of hardships including ill-health and reduced wellbeing. Furthermore, Indigenous young people are over-represented in the child protection system, juvenile justice system and other statutory bodies. Two-thirds of Indigenous males and one-quarter of Indigenous females have had contact with the juvenile justice system, a rate much higher than non-Indigenous young people." (Source: Kids HelpLine)

3. Using Voki, create a presentation explaining the concerns of young Indigenous Australians from this report. Present it at a school assembly.

voki

 

Material sourced from 
ANU,
Jandamarra Cadd,
NGROO Education,

The Age,
Wikipedia

side 5

side bar

side bar

sidebar 9

Jeweller side

side 5

side bar

side bar

sidebar 9

Jeweller side

side 5

side bar

side bar

sidebar 9

Jeweller side

side 5

side bar

side bar

sidebar 9

Jeweller side

side 5

side bar

side bar

sidebar 9

Jeweller side

side 5

side bar

side bar

sidebar 9