The 2025 Sandy Duncanson Social Justice Lecture

Every child deserves the chance to learn to read. But that that expectation is too often unmet.

In 2023, just 40% of Tasmanian students met expected literacy levels, among the lowest results in the country. These children are not compromised by lack of ability, but by the failure of systems designed to support them.

We know how to teach reading. The evidence is clear: high-quality, explicit instruction works, especially for those most at risk. Yet too many children, especially those starting from behind, are being left behind by slow reform and muddled policy. This isn’t just an education problem. It’s a matter of social justice and a public health imperative.

This talk confronts the cost and history of Australia’s literacy failures, calling for evidence-based action to ensure every child learns to read. Because when we fail a child on literacy, we fail them for life.

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The experts

Distinguished Professor Pamela Snow, La Trobe University Distinguished Professor (Cognitive Psychology) and Co-Director, Science of Language and Reading (SOLAR) Lab, La Trobe University

Hosted by Leanne Mclean, Director, Underwood Centre for Educational Attainment, University of Tasmania, and former Tasmanian Commissioner for Children and Young People

About the expert

Pamela Snow, PhD, is a registered psychologist, and a Distinguished Professor of Cognitive Psychology, having qualified originally in speech-language pathology.

In 2020, Pamela established The Science of Language and Reading Lab with her colleague, Professor Tanya Serry, at La Trobe University. This platform has been instrumental in effecting and supporting jurisdictional changes in early reading instruction in Australia.

She has taught a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate education and health professionals. Her research concerns the role of language and literacy skills as academic and mental health protective factors in childhood and adolescence. She has undertaken research on the profiles and needs of high-risk groups such as youth offenders, children and adolescents in the state care system and flexible education systems, as well as research advancing evidence in the language-to-literacy transition in the early years of school.

Pamela has over 200 publications, comprising refereed papers, books and book chapters, monographs and research reports. In addition to these academic outputs, Pamela writes a popular blog for teachers, parents, and clinicians: The Snow Report. In 2024, Pamela was named by the Australian Financial Review as one of the five most influential voices in education in Australia.

The Sandy Duncanson Legacy
Each year, the University of Tasmania presents a public lecture in honour of Alexander (Sandy) Duncanson, to raise awareness of social justice issues among students, staff, legal professionals, and the broader Tasmanian community.

Sandy Duncanson was a Tasmanian lawyer deeply respected for his work in community legal services and housing advocacy. He died in June 2010, aged 37, after living with cancer for 16 years. As a law student in 2002, Sandy visited the Woomera Detention Centre to interview people seeking asylum—an experience that shaped his unwavering commitment to social justice and guided the course of his career.

Pre-event refreshments

Head to the venue early and enjoy complimentary refreshments from 5.30pm.

Parking

Free parking, including accessible spaces, is available at the venue.

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