June Oscar AO
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner
June Oscar AO is a proud Bunuba woman from the remote town of Fitzroy Crossing in Western Australia’s Kimberley region. She is a strong advocate for Indigenous Australian languages, social justice, women’s issues, and has worked tirelessly to reduce Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).
June has held a raft of influential positions including Deputy Director of the Kimberley Land Council, chair of the Kimberley Language Resource Centre and the Kimberley Interpreting Service and Chief Investigator with WA’s Lililwan Project addressing FASD.
She led a successful community driven campaign for alcohol restrictions in Fitzroy Crossing and is an international advocate on the impacts of intergenerational trauma and the need to restore societal wellbeing through the revitalisation of cultural practices, languages and connection to land and water.
In 2013 June was awarded an Officer of the order of Australia for distinguished service to the Indigenous community of Western Australia, particularly through health and social welfare programs. In 2015, June received the Menzies School of Health Research Medallion for her work with FASD. In 2016, she was the recipient of the Desmond Tutu Global Reconciliation Award, she was named NAIDOC person of the year in 2018, and in 2019 she was bestowed the honorary role of a Distinguished Fellow of ANZSOG.
June began her five-year term as Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner in 2017, and in April 2022 she was reappointed for a further two years. She published the landmark Wiyi Yani U Thangani (Women’s Voices) Report in December 2020 and continues to pursue its full implementation to advance First Nations gender justice and equality in Australia.
Dr Michelle Evans
Associate Professor, Faculty of Business and Economics and Director, Dilin Duwa Centre for Indigenous Business Leadership, University of Melbourne
Dr Michelle Evans is the inaugural Director of Dilin Duwa Centre for Indigenous Business Leadership, a centre of engagement, research and teaching focused on Indigenous economic empowerment.
Michelle Evans holds a joint appointment of Associate Professorship of Leadership and Associate Dean, Indigenous, at the University of Melbourne and the Melbourne Business School.
As Director of the Dilin Duwa Centre for Indigenous Business Leadership, Michelle also leads Indigenous initiatives at Melbourne Business School and the Faculty of Business and Economics.
Michelle is co-Founder of Australia’s number one Indigenous Business Master Class program, MURRA, based at Melbourne Business School, founder of the Wilin Centre for Indigenous Arts and Cultural Development at the Faculty of Victorian college of the Arts and Music, and founder of WALAN MAYINYGU Charles Sturt University’s Indigenous entrepreneurship Pop Up innovation hub program (2017/8).
A Fulbright scholar, Michelle has a unique combination of professional experience in management, community engagement and facilitation coupled with a strong track record in research. Michelle has attracted three highly competitive Australian Research Council grants, focused on investigating Australian Indigenous entrepreneurial leadership and the impact of the Indigenous preferential procurement policy.
Michelle has personally taught and mentored over 250 Australian Indigenous business people through various Indigenous business programs and serves on a number of committees nationally and internationally that focus on Indigenous advancement and rewarding excellence in engagement.
As Director of the Dilin Duwa Centre for Indigenous Business Leadership, Michelle also leads Indigenous initiatives at Melbourne Business School and the Faculty of Business and Economics.
