David Smith (Bean, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

DAVID SMITH (—) (): I'm pleased to rise to offer my congratulations to an outstanding Australian and resident of Bean. Professor Tom Calma, Chancellor of the University of Canberra, is the 2023 Senior Australian of the Year. This is the second consecutive year a resident of Bean has been named Senior Australian of the Year, which is a major achievement and a reflection of the quality of people we have on the south side of the ACT. Tom has already made an extraordinary contribution to our country over many decades. Tom has served as the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner and the Race Discrimination Commissioner. He is a fellow of the Academy of Science. He was a key architect of the Closing the Gap initiative, through his authorship of the Social justice report 2005. Since 2005 Tom has served in the important role of Co-Chair of Reconciliation Australia. His work continues to have an enduring impact on public discourse in Australia and beyond. With Professor Marcia Langton, he co-led the co-design of the Voice to Parliament initiative. We will have a referendum on this nation-building and healing issue this year.

This recognition is a testament to the quality and consistency of Tom's hard work, his commitment to making Australia a fairer place, and the trust with which he is regarded by all sides of politics. Tom is a leader and a great Australian. I'm proud to call him a constituent.