Tanya Hosch

Tanya Hosch is a Torres Strait Islander social activist and business executive. She has held leadership roles in sport, the arts, social justice and public policy. She was joint campaign manager of the "Recognise" campaign run by Reconciliation Australia from 2012 to 2016. At her appointment as social inclusion manager to the Australian Football League (AFL) in June 2016, she became the first Indigenous Australian person and the second woman appointed to an executive position in the AFL.

Early life and education Hosch's biological mother, a white woman, was of Welsh origin, while her biological father is a Torres Strait Islander man. She was adopted by a white Australian woman and an Aboriginal Australian man after her parents' 16-year-old eldest child was killed in a car accident. The fact that she was adopted was never hidden from her, and her adoptive home was a loving, caring and stable one, although money was tight and her parents worked very hard. instead. Being a feminist organisation, colleagues encouraged her to attend university, which she did and loved, studying social work part-time. and the Australian Indigenous Governance Institute.

2012–2016: "Recognise" campaign From 2012 Hosch was joint campaign director (with Tim Gartrell ) of the "Recognise" campaign run by Reconciliation Australia. Hosch was also the public face of the campaign, after addressing the National Press Club in February 2013. In May 2013, her team toured Australia aiming to inform and involve people in the bid to get Indigenous people recognised in the Australian Constitution. This included public advocacy, building support and partnerships behind the scenes, and consulting Aboriginal people in remote areas. Beginning in Melbourne and finishing at Nhulunbuy in the Northern Territory, the trail was inspired by the "Long Walk" from Melbourne to Canberra undertaken in 2004 by AFL footballer Michael Long. On 13 February 2013, Hosch addressed the National Press Club. The title of her address, delivered with Jason Glanville, was "Recognition: Why It's Right".

The campaign was highly successful, raising awareness of the issue from around 30% to 70%,

2016: AFL social inclusion manager Hosch was named the general manager of inclusion and social policy at the AFL in June 2016, beating Nova Peris to the role. She became the second female executive at the AFL, and the first Indigenous person in such a role.

Hosch advocated for the creation of a statue of Nicky Winmar (the first of an Indigenous player, erected at Perth Stadium in 2019 ), and helped to bring about an apology by AFL for Adam Goodes, after they had handled his 2015 crowd abuse badly.

Hosch was one of 16 members of the Referendum Council, which was appointed by the prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and leader of the opposition Bill Shorten on 7 December 2015 "to talk to Australians about changing our Constitution to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples". The Council handed down its final report on 30 June 2017.

she is a member of Chief Executive Women and the NAB Indigenous Advisory Group, as well as a board member of Circus Oz. She joined the board of the Coaxial Foundation in 2024.

Recognition 2013: Named in the South Australian Women's Honour Roll. 2021: Listed as 6th in "the top 10 most culturally powerful people in Australia" by the Australian Financial Review. 2021: South Australian of the Year. November 2022: The Sydney Morning Herald'''s Sunday Life'' listed Hosch as one of 25 trailblazers: "women reshaping Australia".

Personal life Hosch has a daughter.

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