MaryAnn Bin-Sallik

MaryAnn Bin-Sallik (2 November 1940 – 21 February 2026) was an Australian academic and Djaru elder who specialised in indigenous studies and culture. She was the first Indigenous Australian to gain a doctorate from Harvard University.

Early life and nursing Bin-Sallik was born in Broome, Western Australia, on 2 November 1940. She moved with her family to Darwin, Northern Territory, at age nine. On leaving school she trained as a nursing sister at Darwin Hospital, where she was the first Indigenous person to graduate in 1961.

Academic career In 1975 Bin-Sallik was appointed student councillor to the Aboriginal Task Force (ATF) Program at South Australian Institute of Technology, Adelaide South Australia; becoming the first Indigenous Australian to work in the higher education sector. In 1979 she also completed an associate diploma of social work whilst working as student councillor. She then became coordinator of the ATF from 1980 to 1985. In 1985 she left to study at Harvard University, where she completed both a master's degree in education administration (1986)

In 2001 she returned to live in the Northern Territory and was appointed Ranger Chair and dean of faculty of the Faculty of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies at Charles Darwin University. She retired in 2008 and was awarded the title emeritus professor "for services to Indigenous Higher Education in Australia". She also served as co-commissioner of the Australian Human Rights Commission's Enquiry into the Forced Removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children.

Awards and recognition Victorian Honour Roll of Women, 2001 Female Elder of the Year, NAIDOC Awards, 2016 Honorary Doctor of the University (DUniv), University of South Australia, conferred 29 March 2017 "in recognition of her distinguished service to the community" In October 2017, the University of Wollongong announced Marcelle Skimmings and Jacob Stephenson as winners of the inaugural MaryAnn Bin-Sallik Cancer Council NSW Indigenous Health scholarship. The scholarship was set up by the Woolyungah Indigenous Centre at the University and Cancer Council NSW to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students studying for medical careers. Its name recognises Bin-Sallik's achievements in health and academia.

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