Legislation Committee

Emeritus Professor Stephen Parker

Vice-Chancellor and President

Emeritus Professor Stephen Parker AO, Vice-Chancellor, University of Canberra

Stephen Parker, Vice-Chancellor in the interim at the University of Canberra (UC) is an Emeritus Professor at the University and an Honorary Professorial Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Higher Education at the University of Melbourne.

His academic leadership roles have included Dean of Law and Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Monash University; and Vice-Chancellor of UC between 2007 and 2016.

Following a short period at The Conversation, developing its international strategy, Stephen was made a senior partner at KPMG Australia in 2017 leading the firm’s work with education clients before becoming KPMG’s global lead focusing on clients in the UK, North America and Middle East until 2021.

Since 2021, Stephen has consulted on higher education matters, including the development of university rankings for the Australian Financial Review (AFR) and assisting the University Chancellors’ Council with its submission to the University Accord process. He has also been practising law with Galbally Parker, solicitors in Melbourne.

Stephen graduated with an Honours in Law from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne and a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Wales.  He has published books, monographs and articles on the court system, legal ethics, family law and children's rights.  He has co-edited various collections of essays, including Children, Rights and The Law (with Philip Alston and John Seymour, Clarendon Press) and Legal Ethics and Legal Practice (with Charles Sampford, Clarendon Press).

Stephen was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) as part of the Australia Day Honours in January 2014 for his distinguished service to tertiary education through administrative, academic and representational roles, and as a leader in the growth and development of UC.

Stephen’s varied interests include co-hosting a podcast series, Law in Context, with Emeritus Professor Stephen Bottomley, and supporting a British soccer team which has not won a major trophy since The Beatles were still together but is starting to show a glimmer of improvement.

Ms Anne-Marie Lansdown

Council member

Anne-Marie Lansdown is an experienced executive who has worked in government in the education and research sectors nationally and internationally. As a senior executive in the Education, Industry and Communications departments she developed a deep understanding of higher education and research policy. In the international space, she worked on multiple bilateral science and technology agreements, OECD committees, and UN summits.

Anne-Marie was one of the architects of Australia’s national research infrastructure program, NCRIS, developing three of the national NCRIS roadmaps. These were augmented by the Education Investment Fund and the Super Science funding. The NCRIS is a highly collaborative and distinctively Australian program which maximises Australia’s research infrastructure investments by coordinating open access, targeted specialities, and co-funding across the country.

Over her period in government, she worked with five of the past six Chief Scientists, most recently as Chief of Staff to former Chief Scientist, Dr Alan Finkel.

As Deputy Chief Executive at Universities Australia over seven years, she was responsible for managing the higher education policy agenda for the advocacy group.

She currently sits on the boards of the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC), Cooperative Research Australia (CRA) and the Australian National Imaging Facility (ANIF). As Chair of the Marine National Facility (MNF), she is able to follow the powerful science being generated by Australia’s marine researchers. She is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

As a lifelong Canberran, she has followed the progress of the University of Canberra over the decades. The university’s important focus on the Canberra community and support for the development of our professional workforce is a source of pride. She is honoured to be part of the University of Canberra enterprise.