Lowitja O'Donoghue Oration 2022

The Don Dunstan Foundation is proud to present the 2022 Lowitja O'Donoghue Oration.

This year’s Oration will be delivered by Hon Linda Burney MP, Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians and Shadow Minister for Families and Social Services, on ‘The Way Forward – Informed by the Past’.

A proud member of the Wiradjuri nation, Linda Burney was the first Aboriginal person to be elected to the New South Wales Parliament, and the first Indigenous woman elected to the Federal House of Representatives.

Ms Burney’s commitment to Indigenous issues spans more than 30 years. 

Before being elected Federal member for Barton in 2016, Ms Burney had a 14-year career in the NSW Parliament, serving in several senior portfolios and later Deputy Leader of the Opposition.

She began her career as a teacher in western Sydney. In 2002, Charles Sturt University awarded Ms Burney – its first Aboriginal graduate – an Honorary Doctorate in Education.

Ms Burney has a long-held commitment to preventing domestic and family violence and has detailed publicly her personal experiences.