Research

Gwenda Freeman is a Yorta Yorta woman who has recently returned to Victoria. Gwenda is a Lecturer in Aboriginal Health Education and part of the Aboriginal Health Team in the University of Melbourne Department of Rural Health. Her role in the Aboriginal Health team includes teaching, research and supporting local Aboriginal students who are studying health subjects. Gwenda is passionate about Aboriginal health, and education, and about improving the wellbeing of Aboriginal people. She is also a Fellow of the Australasian College of Health Service Management (ACHSM) and a committee member of the Friends of the Rural Health Alliance.

Dr Eddie Cubillo is Associate Dean and Senior Research Fellow (Indigenous Programs) at Melbourne Law School. With strong family links in both the urban and rural areas throughout the Northern Territory, Eddie is a descendant of the Larrakia, Wadjigan and Central Arrente peoples. His previous appointments include Director of Community Engagement on the Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory (2017) and Anti-Discrimination Commissioner of the Northern Territory (2010). In 2015 he was named the National Indigenous Legal Professional of the year and in 2016 attended Geneva on a UN Indigenous fellowship. Eddie is currently undertaking a PhD with the University of Technology of Sydney.

Dr Julia Hurst is Deputy Director of the Australian Centre at the University of Melbourne and Lecturer in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander History. Julia completed her PhD in Aboriginal History at Australian National University. Her Indigenous heritage crosses Dharawal and Darug land. Her research explores fundamental questions of Australian Aboriginal identity in 21st century Australia. She has a Master of Urban Planning and Bachelor of Arts and has presented her research in local and international forums. She has worked across academia, the arts and corporate sectors.