Mr Phillip Pallas

Phill Pallas is a Lecturer and Deputy Program Convenor of Social Work in the College of Human & Social Futures. Phill's current PhD research explores the complexities of local and non-local engagement in a geographically-defined group of remote Aboriginal communities in the tri-state region of Australia. His research seeks to better understand the complex relationships between Anangu and non-local practitioners, in order to promote better practice social work where the voices, knowledges and aspirations of Anangu are foregrounded. Phill also researches and publishes on social work pedagogy, undergraduate student experience and rural and remote social work practice. 

Phill was awarded the faculty award for teaching excellence and contribution to student learning in 2018 and made the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Merit List for Teaching and Learning Excellence twice in 2020. He is the Chief Investigator on a number of projects that explore experience-based pedagogy and has co-published with First Nation practitioners to bring voice to the varied negotiations of decolonisation in practice. 

Phill founded the Central Coast Social Work Practice Network (currently 125 members) to provide a space for genuine knowledge exchange between practice and research. Seeing an opportunity to enhance new partnerships with local social service organisations, Phill established a network for social workers to gather and discuss regional challenges and investigate new ways of delivering better health outcomes to communities across our region. The Network hosts an annual forum and other professional network and research translation events. 

An experienced consultant, he continues to provide a range of strategic and professional support to teams and organisations in Central Australia as they negotiate the challenges of working across points of language, culture and complexity.

Phill's work is born from two-decades of relationship and direct practice experience in remote communities across the tri-state region where the borders of the Northern Territory and South Australia meet Western Australia. He gratefully acknowledges the significant investment in his learning by Anangu through language, ceremony and story. The red dirt has become a classroom that dramatically shapes his research approach, practice framework and teaching philosophy. Phill describes his engagement in this space as 'having a series of blindfolds removed to reveal new and deeper knowledge'; a space where he is 'entangled' and committed to learning as he stumbles, fails, feels and learns.'

Of Greek and English heritage, Phill acknowledges his cultural connections through ceremony and kinship with Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara people.