Tom Calma

Thomas Edwin Calma (born 1953) is an Aboriginal Australian academic and human rights advocate who served as the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner and Race Discrimination Commissioner from 2004 to 2009. He was the sixth chancellor of the University of Canberra from 2014 to 2023 and became the second Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person to serve as chancellor of an Australian university. Calma was designated as 2013 Australian Capital Territory Australian of the Year and 2023 Senior Australian of the Year.

Born in 1953 in Adelaide River in the Northern Territory, Calma's parents had a background of Iwaidja and Kungarakany people. Calma also had Filipinos and Dutch ancestors. Calma grew up in Darwin where he was brought up through exposure to the strength of family and culture, difficult experiences of poverty, and an understanding of the consequences of dispossession and Stolen Generation. Having completed his high school education in 1971, Calma relocated to Adelaide and attended the South Australian Institute of Technology, specialising in the areas of community development and social work.

Calma began his career in the Indigenous education and advocacy sphere, having worked on setting up the Aboriginal Task Force at the Darwin Community College in 1980 and later being appointed one of the first Indigenous academics who gained tenure in Australia. He also had a career in the Australian Public Service and worked as a diplomat for Australia in India and Vietnam. He was appointed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner and Race Discrimination Commissioner at the Australian Human Rights Commission in 2004. While working at the commission, he became a member of the development team of the Close the Gap campaign, called for action on family violence among Indigenous population, reacted to the apology made by the Australian government to the Stolen Generations in 2008, and helped to create new Indigenous representation structures.

Calma became the national coordinator of the Tackling Indigenous Smoking campaign, co-chair of Reconciliation Australia, chair of Ninti One and an adjunct academic at the Australian National University. He assumed the position of the first Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person to become the Chancellor of the University of Canberra from 2014 until 2023, during which time he chaired the process of the Indigenous Voice federal advisory body with Marcia Langton, participated in national debates on constitutional recognition and Voice to Parliament.

Early life and education Calma was born in 1953 at Adelaide River, near Darwin, to Tom Calma Senior and Ada Calma. Through his parents, he is connected to both regions of the Northern Territory, with his father belonging to the Iwaidja people of the Cobourg Peninsula and his mother being of Kungarakany descent from the Adelaide River region. His family heritage also includes Filipino ancestry through his paternal grandfather and Dutch ancestry through his maternal grandfather, both of whom married Aboriginal women. Calma's father began his career as a truck driver before later becoming a senior public service official within the federal government. His family experienced the effects of dispossession and policies associated with the Stolen Generations, contributing to a strong awareness during his childhood of the impacts of forced removal on Aboriginal families. Calma moved with his family to Darwin when he was three years old. He later described his upbringing as being strongly influenced by family relationships, Aboriginal culture, and a close connection to Country shaped his identity and values. Calma later discovered after his father's death that his parents had concealed many of their financial hardships from their children despite periods of significant economic strain. Encouraged by discussions at a community meeting in Darwin, Calma decided to pursue higher education and relocated to Adelaide, where he studied community development and social work at the South Australian Institute of Technology. He later noted that the program created an educational atmosphere conducive to Indigenous learners while expanding his national vision. Calma succeeded William Jonas as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner and National Race Discrimination Commissioner at the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), Calma had recommended that Australian governments needed to make a commitment for equality in terms of health status and life expectancy between indigenous people and other Australians within 25 years, which was a factor in the formulation of the Close the Gap initiative. The second report published by him in 2006 highlighted that family violence in indigenous communities was a matter of serious human rights abuse which required appropriate response from all stakeholders. In March 2007, Calma released the Voices of Australia education resource designed for secondary school students to explain Australian history of race relations, population diversity, and the functions of the AHRC. In his address, Calma recounted the experience of his great-grandmother's removal, drawing on a historical government document dated 1899 to challenge claims that Aboriginal children were voluntarily released by their families, and emphasised truth-telling as a process of healing and reconciliation in addressing the colonisation of Australia. On 21 October, he joined the University of Canberra Council. On 17 December, Calma was appointed to oversee the development of a new Indigenous advisory body to the Australian government, and later that month, he was appointed by Jenny Macklin to chair an Independent Steering Committee tasked with consulting communities and designing models for a national Indigenous representative organisation, work that ultimately informed the 2009 establishment of the National Congress of Australia's First Peoples.

Since 2009, Calma has worked with the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation in early years language and literacy. In that same year, he delivered the Mabo Oration and also acted on behalf of the Stolen Generations in the parliamentary response to the national apology. With his 2009 Social Justice Report, he has been a core advocate for justice reinvestment in Australia. Following his departure from the public sector later that year he described this phase of his career as a "pseudo retirement." while the National Race Discrimination Commissioner role was filled by Graeme Innes.

Later career Reconciliation Australia (2010–2012) Until leaving his position as commissioner, Calma maintained that racism in Australia existed at both social and institutional levels, and called for stronger protections against racial discrimination. He argued that aspects of government policy, including elements of welfare reform and the Northern Territory Intervention, constituted direct or indirect racial discrimination, particularly where the Racial Discrimination Act had been suspended. As part of the Closing the Gap initiative, Calma also served as national coordinator for the Tackling Indigenous Smoking program from its commencement in March 2010.

Calma delivered the Chalmers Oration in August 2010. Calma succeeded Mick Dodson, who retired in 2011, to become the co-chairman of Reconciliation Australia. Calma publicly criticised the threats made against Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott during their visits to the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in January 2012, saying that it threatened the process of reconciliation and constitutional recognition of Aborigines. By March 2012, he had been appointed chair of Ninti One Limited, the parent organisation of the Cooperative Research Centre for Remote Economic Participation, and in May 2012 he was appointed Adjunct Associate Professor at the Australian National University National Centre for Indigenous Studies.

Chancellor of the University of Canberra (2014–2023) On 1 January 2012, Calma was appointed Deputy Chancellor of the University of Canberra, before becoming Chancellor on 1 January 2014. During his official address after assuming office on 20 February 2014, Calma emphasised the role of education in addressing inequality and poverty, called for greater collaboration among universities in Indigenous health and reconciliation, and advocated for increased participation of Indigenous students in higher education. He took up the post of the first-ever chair of the Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity in October 2016, and on 10 February 2017, he was granted an extension to his chancellorship of the University of Canberra for another three years. As of 2018, he had also taken up the post of patron of the Media Centre for Education Research Australia.

Calma and Marcia Langton were named as joint chairs of the Indigenous Voice co-design process led by the Ken Wyatt on 30 October 2019. The co-design process was intended to formulate recommendations for Indigenous representation at the local, regional, and national levels. In addition, Calma served as the co-chair of the senior advisory group for the Indigenous Voice co-design process and he resigned from his position at Reconciliation Australia in order to take up the role. Calma had previously participated in indigenous recognition proposals from both main political parties' governments, and he maintained that constitutional protection was required for the Indigenous Voice in light of the previous abolition of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC). On 7 July 2020, he discussed the early COVID-19 response among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in an interview with National Indigenous Television, noting low infection rates attributed to strong community-led health measures and heightened vigilance in protecting elders and remote populations, as well as highlighting tobacco and e-cigarette use as key contributors to poor Indigenous health outcomes. In subsequent roles, he was appointed to the Australian Medical Research Advisory Board in September 2021 and led the University of Canberra's Stretch Reconciliation Action Plan (2021–2024), and in 2022 delivered the Ralph Slatyer Address for Science and Society calling for greater inclusion of Indigenous knowledge and leadership in science and innovation. In December 2022, he and Langton defended the Voice co-design report against criticism, emphasising its basis in extensive consultations and parliamentary engagement.

In January 2023, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated that a legislated Indigenous Voice to Parliament remained a possible alternative should the proposed constitutional referendum fail, amid criticism from Opposition Leader Peter Dutton regarding the level of detail provided about the proposal, which was based on the Calma–Langton co-design framework. On 11 April, Julian Leeser resigned from the Liberal frontbench to campaign in support of the Voice, a move commended by Calma, who also continued to advocate for the co-design report's advisory model, including a 24-member representative Voice linked to local and regional bodies and the implementation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

Australian Tertiary Education Commission (2024–present)

Calma became a member of the Australian Tertiary Education Commission (ATEC) Accord Implementation Advisory Committee in 2024, while also receiving honours, such as the 2024 Lowitja O'Donoghue Oration and the 2025 Deakin University Indigenous Oration, before becoming Acting First Nations Commissioner of the interim ATEC in January 2026 and participating in the selection process of the new Chancellor of the Australian National University in May 2026.

Honours and awards Calma has been honoured in 2007 by being named the "Most Influential Indigenous Person in Australia" according to The Bulletin and in 2008 for his contribution in Indigenous affairs he won the GQ Man of Inspiration award. In 2010 he was included in the list of the "50 Most Influential People in medicine in Australia" by the Australian Doctor magazine. On 20 May 2010, Calma received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Charles Darwin University in recognition of many years of dedicated public service including contributions to education, training and employment in Indigenous communities. In 2012 he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in honour of his distinguished service to the Indigenous community especially for his contributions to human rights, social justice and government policy reform as well as cross-cultural awareness. In 2013, he was named Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Australian of the Year in recognition of his lifelong commitment to improving outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. In November 2014, Calma received the Indigenous Allied Health Australia (IAHA) Lifetime Achievement Award for his lifelong contribution to improving the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and in 2017 he was appointed inaugural patron of IAHA.

In October 2015, Calma was one of four recipients of the University of South Australia Alumni Awards in acknowledgment of his dedication to society. He was awarded the Sidney Sax Public Health Medal from the Public Health Association of Australia in November 2015 for his efforts toward the advancement of public health protection and promotion, especially with respect to community awareness and healthcare delivery equity. The awarding of the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Flag Award occurred on 1 July 2016 on the 240th anniversary of the independence of the United States. In May 2017, Calma became one of only three Indigenous Australians, alongside Lowitja O'Donoghue and Galarrwuy Yunupingu, to be honored with Australia Post "Indigenous Leaders" Legends Commemorative Stamps in the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the 1967 referendum. He received recognition when he was honoured inducted in the ACT Honour Walk in 2018. On 26 May 2022, he was elected as Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, being the first Aboriginal fellow, On 25 January 2023, he was awarded Senior Australian of the Year, and in November 2023, he was elected Honorary Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities.

On 11 February 2024, Calma was conferred with the position of Professor Emeritus at the University of Canberra. In recognition of his contribution to building a more inclusive Australia, Calma was granted an honorary Doctor of Letters at the University of Sydney on 24 May.