Tom Calma facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tom Calma
AO FAA FAHA FASSA
|
|
|---|---|
Calma in 2008
|
|
| 6th Chancellor of the University of Canberra | |
| In office 1 January 2014 – 31 December 2023 |
|
| Preceded by | John Mackay |
| Succeeded by | Lisa Paul |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1953 (age 71–72) Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia |
| Profession |
|
Thomas Edwin Calma, often known as Tom Calma, is a respected Aboriginal Australian leader who has spent his life fighting for human rights and social justice. In 2023, he was named the Senior Australian of the Year for his important work.
For nearly ten years, from 2014 to 2023, Calma was the chancellor of the University of Canberra. A chancellor is the head of a university. He was only the second Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person to become the chancellor of any Australian university.
Calma has worked to improve the lives of Indigenous people in many areas. These include health, education, and justice. He is most famous for starting the Close the Gap campaign. This campaign aims to give Indigenous Australians the same chance at a long and healthy life as other Australians.
He has held important roles, such as the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner and the Race Discrimination Commissioner at the Australian Human Rights Commission. These jobs involve making sure people are treated fairly and their rights are protected.
Contents
Early Life and Heritage
Tom Calma was born in 1953 in Darwin, a city in Australia's Northern Territory.
He is an elder of the Kungarakan people and also belongs to the Iwaidja people. The traditional lands of these groups are located in the Northern Territory, near Darwin and the Cobourg Peninsula.
A Career of Helping Others
Tom Calma has had a long and varied career, always focused on helping people, especially Indigenous Australians.
Working for Australia
From 1995 to 2002, Calma worked as a diplomat for Australia in other countries like India and Vietnam. His job was to represent Australia's interests in education. In 2003, he became a top advisor on Indigenous issues to a government minister.
Fighting for Rights and Fairness
From 2004 to 2010, Calma held two very important jobs at the Australian Human Rights Commission. He was the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner and the Race Discrimination Commissioner.
In 2005, he wrote a famous report about the health of Indigenous Australians. The report showed that there was a big difference in health and life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. It called on the government to "close the gap" within 25 years. This report led to the creation of the national Close the Gap campaign, which is still working today to improve Indigenous health.
In 2008, the Australian government gave a formal Apology to the Stolen Generations—Indigenous children who were taken from their families. Tom Calma gave the official response to this apology on behalf of Indigenous people.
Improving Education and Safety
Calma believes that education is very important. Since 2009, he has been a co-chair of the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation, which helps people improve their reading and writing skills.
He has also worked to prevent smoking in Indigenous communities and has promoted a new way of thinking about justice called "justice reinvestment." This idea focuses on building stronger communities to prevent crime, instead of just building more prisons.
Leadership at the University of Canberra
Calma became the Deputy Chancellor of the University of Canberra in 2012. Two years later, on January 1, 2014, he was appointed Chancellor. He was the first Indigenous man to ever hold this top position at an Australian university. He served as chancellor until the end of 2023.
Advising the Government
In 2019, the Australian government wanted to create a way for Indigenous people to give advice on laws and policies that affect them. This was called the Indigenous voice to government. Tom Calma was chosen to be a co-chair of the group of experts that helped design this idea.
Honours and Awards
Tom Calma has received many awards for his incredible work. These awards show how much people respect his efforts to create a fairer Australia.
- 2012: He was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO), one of the country's highest honours. This was for his work in human rights and for helping the Indigenous community.
- 2013: He was named the Australian of the Year for the ACT.
- 2017: Australia Post featured him on a postage stamp as part of a series honouring important Indigenous leaders.
- 2022: He was elected as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, a high honour for a scientist or researcher.
- 2023: He was named Senior Australian of the Year.
He has also been given several honorary doctorates from universities like Charles Darwin University, Curtin University, and Flinders University. These are special degrees given to people who have made a great contribution to the world.
