Mick Gooda to be the new Social Justice Commissioner

Mr Mick Gooda will be the next Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, replacing Tom Calma who has been in the position since 2004. Mr Gooda’s five-year appointment will begin in February 2010.

Attorney General Robert McClelland formally named Mick Gooda as the new commissioner on 16 December 2009. Mr McClelland said “Mr Gooda has demonstrated a strong commitment to improving the lives of Indigenous Australians and will make a valuable contribution to the work of the commission in protecting and promoting human rights, particularly with respect to Indigenous issues”.

Mr Gooda is a descendent of the Gangulu people of central Queensland and has worked for 25 years on Indigenous policy issues. A former ATSIC chief executive, he presently serves as the chief executive of the Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal Health. He was also a member of the Western Australian Premier’s Advisory Council on Racial Discrimination and is a valued member of the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet Advisory Board.

• Further information:
  • New Social Justice Commisioner named
    View news item: ABC News (15 December 2009)
  • View website: Australian Human Rights Commmission
• Contact details:
  • Australian Human Rights Commission, Level 8, Piccadilly Tower, 133 Castlereagh Street, Sydney NSW 2000, GPO Box 5218, Sydney NSW 2001, ph: (02) 9284 9600, general enquiries and publications, ph: 1300 369 711, TTY: 1800 620 241, fax: (02) 9284 9611.