Our experts
The University of Melbourne is proud to have a number of academic experts who are available to discuss various aspects of the forthcoming referendum to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Peoples of Australia and to establish an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
Professor Marcia Langton AO
Professor Marcia Langton AO is an anthropologist and geographer, and since 2000 has held the Foundation Chair of Australian Indigenous Studies at the University of Melbourne. In 2016 Professor Langton was honoured as a University of Melbourne Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor.
Professor Jason Varuhas
Jason N E Varuhas is a distinguished Professor of Law at Melbourne Law School, who has published extensively in public and private law. His scholarship is frequently cited by high courts in Australia and globally, and he has significant experience in law reform processes. Additionally, he serves as the Director of the Centre for Comparative Constitutional Studies and the international series of Public Law Conferences.
Professor Cheryl Saunders AO
Cheryl Saunders is a Laureate Professor Emeritus at Melbourne Law School and was the founding Director of the Centre for Comparative Constitutional Studies. She has specialist expertise in Australian and Comparative Constitutional Law and a long commitment to contributing to public understanding of constitutional issues, in Australia and elsewhere.
Dr Denis Muller
Denis Muller is a highly respected media ethics expert with 27 years of journalism experience, including as assistant editor at the Sydney Morning Herald and associate editor at the Age. He conducts independent research on education, health, environment, and media, making him well-suited to discuss media issues related to the Voice to Parliament debate.
Professor Cathy Humphreys
Cathy Humphreys is a Professor of Social Work at University of Melbourne. She was a founding member of the Melbourne Research Alliance to End Violence Against Women and their Children (MAEVE) and a chief investigator on the Safer Families NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence. Her research focuses on domestic and family violence (DFV) and child abuse.
Laureate Professor Hugh Taylor AC
Melbourne Laureate Professor Emeritus Hugh Taylor, former Head of Ophthalmology at the University of Melbourne and founding director of the Centre for Eye Research Australia, is a leading researcher in blindness prevention, infectious causes of blindness, and health policy. His current work particularly focuses on Aboriginal eye health and the elimination of trachoma.
Professor Aaron Corn
Professor Aaron Corn is an expert in music, curatorial studies, and Indigenous knowledge. He is the University's inaugural Indigenous Knowledge Institute Director. He collaborates with First Nations colleagues and communities on co-designed research. Professor Corn's research investigates new strategies for bolstering human cultural diversity in the digital age, with an emphasis on the intergenerational sustainability of Indigenous knowledge.
Professor Sandra Eades AO
Professor Sandra Eades is Associate Dean (Indigenous) of the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, and a Professor at the Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health. Her PhD investigated the causal pathways and determinants of health among Aboriginal infants in the first year of life.
Associate Professor Jenny Chesters
Dr Jenny Chesters is an Associate Professor with the Melbourne Graduate School of Education. Her research interests focus on transitions between education and employment throughout the life course, inequality in educational attainment and social stratification and social mobility.
Professor Barry Judd
Professor Barry Judd is Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous) and Professor of Indigenous Studies in the School of Culture and Communication at the University of Melbourne. As the DVC (Indigenous), he plays a crucial role in shaping institutional policy, strategy, and guidance on all aspects of Indigenous higher education. His research expertise lies in Australian race relations in Australian sports and interdisciplinary research methods in Indigenous Studies and Australian history.
Adrian Beaumont
Adrian Beaumont is an Honorary Associate in the School of Mathematics and Statistics, Faculty of Science, at the University of Melbourne.
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