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Dr Tom Calma AO is the University of Canberra Chancellor. He is an Aboriginal elder of the Kungarakan tribal group and a member of the Iwaidja tribal group.

A respected human rights and social justice campaigner, Dr Calma is a champion for the rights, responsibilities and welfare of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. From 1995 – 2002 he represented Australia's education and training interests as a senior diplomat in India and Vietnam. In 2003, he served as Senior Adviser of Indigenous Affairs to the Minister of Immigration, Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs.

Dr Calma served as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner at the Australian Human Rights Commission from 2004 to 2010 and as the Race Discrimination Commissioner from 2004 until 2009. During this time his 2005 Social Justice Report, called on Australian governments to commit to achieving equality for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the areas of health and life-expectancy within 25 years. This report laid the foundation for the Close the Gap campaign; a collaboration of some 40 Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian health and human rights groups. In addition to spearheading the Close the Gap for Indigenous Health Equality Campaign, Dr Calma has played a pivotal role in the establishment of the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples, the development of the inaugural Indigenous suicide prevention strategy and the Justice Reinvestment strategy.

In 2008, Dr Calma delivered the formal response to the government's national apology to the Stolen Generations.

In March 2010, Dr Calma was appointed National Coordinator Tackling Indigenous Smoking to lead the fight against tobacco use in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

In 2012 he was awarded an Order of Australia; Officer of the General Division (AO) and named ACT Australian of the Year 2013 for his service and commitment to the Indigenous community as an advocate for human rights and social justice.

On 1 January 2012 he was appointed Deputy Chancellor of the University of Canberra.

On 1 January 2014 he was appointed Chancellor of the University of Canberra. Dr Calma was the first Indigenous male to hold the position of chancellor of an Australian university. During his acceptance speech at the National Press Club of Australia, Dr Calma discussed the importance of education as a “vaccination against poverty” and the critical role universities play in making Australia “healthier, fairer and wealthier”.