New Board appointment to Reconciliation NSW
Associate Professor Amy Maguire, Deputy Head of the Newcastle School of Law and Justice and Director of the Centre for Law and Social Justice has been appointed to the Board of Reconciliation NSW.
An alum of the Research Advantage Women on Boards program, Amy brings a breadth of knowledge and experience to the role: in particular, in relation to international human rights obligations and the relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the Australian legal system. Amy has been a long-term advocate for reconciliation and justice for First Nations peoples. She established the Indigenous Early Entry scheme at the Newcastle School of Law and Justice and has worked throughout her academic career to support the access and progress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in higher education, and to promote curricular justice in law programs. This Board position is a natural extension of Amy’s work. As a human rights lawyer, Amy strives to ensure that her research, teaching and engagement work has real community impact.
“I noticed the position advertised by a former student of our School, Worimi Man Josh Gilbert, who is the Indigenous Co-Chair of the Board,” Amy says. “We’ve stayed in touch and my appointment to the Board is a great opportunity to work with Josh and other motivated and talented board members to promote the goals of Reconciliation NSW.”
Reconciliation NSW works across a broad range of sectors such as education, local government and workplaces to progress reconciliation. This includes work on the Uluru Statement: Voice, Treaty, Truth campaign, along with initiatives in Cultural Capability Training and for National Reconciliation Week. Amy is looking forward to working with the Board to promote real systemic change. “Of course, a major current focus is on the Voice to Parliament referendum. Reconciliation NSW endorses the recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Constitution through the establishment of a Voice to Parliament, and will pursue the complementary goals of Treaty and truth-telling.”
Reconciliation NSW also develops anti-racism resources and convenes the annual Schools Reconciliation Challenge. Now in its third cohort, the Women on Boards program is equipping women researchers and academics at the University of Newcastle with the skills they need to transfer their knowledge to Boards at all levels across the nation. Amy says that the Women on Boards program helped her to identify how her academic background could be useful in a board setting, and how to pitch her skills for the benefit of another organisation. Eight members of the Women on Boards program have now been appointed to a board since the program’s inception in 2021. The six-month program provides targeted training led by industry leaders with extensive Board experience.
Meet the full board of Reconciliation NSW here
Read more about Reconciliation NSW here.
Contact
- Amy Maguire
- Email: amy.maguire@newcastle.edu.au
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The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.