About Jackie

Her qualities include:

• Highly developed leadership, mediation, dispute resolution, facilitation and communication skills;
• Demonstrated ability to effectively apply these in a variety of cross-cultural settings;

• A sound knowledge and understanding of Indigenous issues in urban, rural and remote settings across Australia and internationally;

• Outstanding network of established contacts and relationships across the public, private and non-government sectors and internationally;
• Excellent strategic policy and practical implementation skills;
• An established and demonstrated reputation for strong leadership, integrity, honesty and fairness.

Jackie holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Queensland and Flinders University (with Honours), a Diploma of Education and an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Queensland. She is an academically trained historian and author.

View Jackie Huggins' previous and current engagements and positions below

For her outstanding contributions to Australian life, Jackie has been recognised with a number of awards including the Member of the Order of Australia in 2001 for her services to the Indigenous community, particularly for her work with reconciliation, literacy, women’s issues and social justice 

Current engagements

In addition to being Director of JHA, Jackie’s other engagements include:

• Director of the Telstra Foundation;
• Spokesperson, Recognise (Constitutional Recognition);
• Patron, Reconciliation Qld Inc;
• Patron, First Nations Aboriginal Writers Network;
• Adjunct Professor, Australian Centre for Indigenous History at the Australian National University;
• Indigenous Reference Group, Centre for Domestic and Family Violence Research, Central Queensland University, Mackay;

• Board member of the National Apology Foundation 

Prior to her work as a consultant, Jackie has worked widely across academia, community and government spheres.

Some previous engagements include:

• Member of the Australian Heritage Council  (2008-2014);
• Anzac Centenary Advisory Board member (2012-2014);
• Co-Chair of the Indigenous Stream of the 2020 Summit;
• Co-Chair of Reconciliation Australia (2001-2007);
• Queensland Public Service Commissioner (2008 – 2011);
• Author of “Auntie Rita”, and “Sister Girl”, as well as many academic papers;
• Deputy Director of University of Queensland’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit from 1997 to 2011;
• Member of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation (1994-2000);
• Commissioner for Queensland for the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from their Families (1997);
• Board Member of Pacific Film and Television Corporation (2005 – 2006);
• Director, Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, Western Australia (2006-2010);
• Council Member of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (1995 – 2007);
• Chair of the Queensland Domestic Violence Council, (2001);
• Member of the ATSIC Review Panel (2003);
• National Director, National Indigenous Knowledge Centre’s scoping project, 2010.

Awards 

For her outstanding contributions to Australian life, Jackie has been recognised with a number of awards including the Member of the Order of Australia in 2001 for her services to the Indigenous community, particularly for her work with reconciliation, literacy, women’s issues and social justice.

• Premier’s Millennium Award for Excellence in Indigenous Affairs, 2000;
• University of Queensland Alumnus of the Year, 2007;
• Fellow of Australian Academy of the Humanities (FAHA), 2007;
• Stanner Award from Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies for Indigenous Literature, 1997;
• Australia’s Top 100 Intellectuals (Sydney Morning Herald, 2005)