UC Graduations
Student Centre, Building 1
Monday to Friday, 10am - 4pm
Student.Centre@canberra.edu.au
1300 301 727
Occasional address
An occasional address is delivered by a guest speaker at each graduation ceremony, to provide perspective and insights particularly relevant to our graduating cohort.
Below is a list of occasional speakers in previous years.
Past addresses
Dion Devow – Faculty of Science and Technology
Founder - Yerra Consulting and Creative Director - DDesigns
Download the speech
Andrew Greene – Faculty of Arts & Design/ Faculty of Education
Defence Correspondent – Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Download the speech
John Faulks – Faculty of Business, Government & Law
Former Deputy Chief Justice - Family Court of Australia
Download the speech
Emeritus Professor Tom Calma AO – Faculty of Health
Former UC Chancellor, Social Justice Advocate, Honorary Doctorate recipient
Professor Stuart Semple – Faculty of Health
Executive Dean, Faculty of Health
Adjunct Professor Kieran Hynes – Faculty of Science and Technology
Director and founder of Willyama, Chair of the Canberra Indigenous Business Network and Chair of Technology for Ageing and Disabled-ACT.
Joanne Farrell - Faculty of Arts and Design
2024 ACT Australian of the Year recipient, Founder of Build Like A Girl, General manager of Kane Constructions ACT.
Karina Hogan – Faculty of Business, Government and Law
Journalist and content producer at ABC.
Jane Simmons PSM – Faculty of Education
Deputy Director General, ACT Education Directorate
Adjunct Professor Kylie Ward – Faculty of Health
CEO - Australian College of Nursing, Chair - Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council, Chair - Health Education Services Australia.
Robyn Hudson - Faculty of Health
Deputy Director General, ACT Health
Dr Vicki Gardiner – Faculty of Science and Technology
ACT Branch Manager - Australian Computer Society
Bob Ross – Faculty of Education, Faculty of Arts and Design
Former School Principal, District Superintendent, School Education Director
Dr Ali Drummond – Faculty of Health
CEO - Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives
Danielle Harmer – Faculty of Business, Government & Law
General Manager, Allhomes and Domain Group
Dr Justin Garrick – Faculty of Education
Head of School, Canberra Grammar School
Noor Blumer – Faculty of Business, Government & Law
Director, Blumers Personal Injury Lawyers
Darlene Cox – Faculty of Health
Executive Director of Health Care Consumers Association
Tara Searle – Faculty of Science & Technology
Branch Manager Technical Services, Australian Digital Health Agency
Peter Strong - Faculty of Business, Government & Law
Principal, Community Economics
Dr Hayley Teasdale – Faculty of Health
Manager - Science Policy Projects at The Australian Academy of Science
Gaven Morris – Faculty of Arts & Design
CEO, Bastian Transform
Professor Richard (Dick)Telford AM PhD FACSM FSMA | Faculty of Education, Faculty of Health (Nursing & Midwifery) Ceremony
Professorial Fellow (UC Research Institute for Sport and Exercise), Senior Australia of the Year recipient 2017, Former Australian Rules footballer
Associate Professor Annette Schmiede – Faculty of Health
Chair Research Australia and CEO Digital Health CRC
Kate Carnell AO – Faculty of Business, Government & Law
Deputy Chair BeyondBlue and Director Australian Made Campaign Ltd, Former ACT Chief Minister
Hala Batainah – Faculty of Science & Technology, Faculty of Arts & Design
Chair of the CBRIN Board of Directors and Principle Coach at Humanosity
Adjunct Professor Trish Bergin | Faculty of Business Government and Law Ceremony
Chair of the Women’s Legal Centre, ACT and Regions and Former Co-Director, Governance - 50/50 by 2030 Foundation
Adjunct Professor Robin Eckermann AM | Faculty of Science and Technology Ceremony
Former Chief Architect of TransACT Communications
Dr Paresh Dawda | Faculty of Health Ceremony
General Practitioner, Next Practice Health
Betty Kitchener AM | Faculty of Health Ceremony
Australian Mental Health Educator and Founder of Mental Health First Aid
Dr Caroline Hughes | Faculty of Education Ceremony
Ngunnawal Elder and Executive Director Collections Services Group, AIATSIS
Rachael Clark | Faculty of Business Government and Law Ceremony
Solicitor/Program Manager, Dhurrawang Aboriginal Human Rights Program, Canberra Community Law
Dr Bobby Cerini | Faculty of Science and Technology Ceremony
Director of Science and Learning, Questacon
Natalie Howson | Faculty of Education Ceremony
Chair - Board of Teacher Quality Institute, Former Director General, ACT Education Directorate
Prof Nick Coatsworth | Faculty of Health Ceremony
Executive Director Medical Services, Canberra Health Services, ACT Government
Dr David Hughes | Faculty of Health Ceremony
Chief Medical Officer, Australian Institute for Sport
Shane Drumgold SC | Faculty of Business Government and Law Ceremony
Director of Public Prosecutions, ACT Government
Cath Ingram | Faculty of Business Government and Law Ceremony
ACT Chair and Lead Partner, Federal Government, KPMG Australia
Danielle Harmer | Faculty of Business Government and Law Ceremony
General Manager – Allhomes
Dr Maxine Cooper | Faculty of Arts and Design Ceremony
Adjunct Professor, Design and the Built Environment, Faculty of Arts and Design, University of Canberra
Katherine Murphy | Faculty of Arts and Design Ceremony
Political Editor and Canberra Bureau Chief of The Guardian Australia
Barnie Van Wyk | Faculty of Education Ceremony
Chief Executive Officer St Vincent de Paul Society – Canberra/Goulburn
Cindy Mitchell | Faculty of Business Government and Law Ceremony
Chief Executive Officer, The Mill House Social Enterprise Accelerator
Pierre Johannessen | Faculty of Business Government and Law Ceremony
Partner, Johannessen Legal
Professor Vicki Flood | Faculty of Health Ceremony
BAppSc, GradDipNutr&Diet, MPH, PhD, APD
Matthew Brown | Faculty of Education Ceremony
R/Executive Director, School Performance
Michael Socolow | Faculty of Arts and Design Ceremony
2019 Fullbright Scholar, UMaine
Meredith Edwards | Faculty of Business Government and Law Ceremony
Peter Alexander | Faculty of Business Government and Law, Faculty of Science and Technology Ceremony
Australian Government Chief Digital Officer, Digital Transformation Agency
Betty Kitchener | CCAE 50 Years Celebration
Bill Maiden | Faculty of Arts and Design Ceremony, Faculty of Education Ceremony
Lt Col Jo-Anne Ikin | Faculty of Health Ceremony
Acting Director Defence Force Nursing (A/DDFN)
Richard Potok | Faculty of Education, Science, Technology and Mathematics Ceremony
Founder and CEO of the Aurora Project and the Aurora Education Foundation
John Faulks | Faculty of Arts and Design Ceremony
Dr Helen Watchirs OAM | Faculty of Business Government and Law Ceremony
ACT Human Rights Commissioner
Heather Reid | Faculty of Health Ceremony
Melanie Fisher | Faculty of Business Government and Law Ceremony
Deputy CEO and GM, Food Standards Australian New Zealand
Robin Eckerman | Faculty of Education, Science, Technology and Mathematics Ceremony
Adjunct Professor, University of Canberra
Lana Read | Faculty of Education, Science, Technology and Mathematics Ceremony
Principal, UC High School Kaleen
Dan Bourchier | Faculty of Arts and Design Ceremony
Journalist and host, ABC Canberra
Shane Breynard | Faculty of Arts and Design Ceremony
Director, ACT Museums & Galleries
Mark Duggan | Faculty of Health Ceremony
Manager Medical Imaging, Canberra Hospital and Health Services
Mèdy Hassan | Faculty of Business Government and Law Ceremony
Managing Director, Haus Holdings
Renèe Leon PSM | Faculty of Business Government and Law and Institute for Governance and Policy Analysis Ceremony
Secretary, Department of Employment
Glen Brennan | Faculty of Business Government and Law Ceremony
Head of Indigenous Business Development, National Australia Bank
Fiona Godfrey | Faculty of Education, Science, Technology and Mathematics Ceremony
Principal, Radford College
Samia Goudie | Faculty of Education, Science, Technology and Mathematics and Faculty of Health Ceremony
Senior Lecturer, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health, ANU
John Body | Faculty of Arts and Design Ceremony
Founding Partner, ThinkPlace
Professor Stephen Parker AO | Faculty of Arts and Design Ceremony
Vice-Chancellor, University of Canberra
Professor Stephen Parker AO | Faculty of Business Government and Law Ceremony
| Vice-Chancellor & President, University of Canberra |
Dr Dawn Casey | Faculty of Arts and Design and Faculty of Health Ceremony
Chairperson, Indigenous Land Corporation
Craig Sloan | Faculty of Business Government and Law Ceremony
Partner, KPMG Canberra
John Boersig | Faculty of Business Government and Law Ceremony
CEO Legal Aid
Francis Sullivan | Faculty of Business Government and Law, Institute for Governance and Policy Analysis and Faculty of Health Ceremony
CEO of the Truth, Justice and Healing Council
Katy Gallagher | Faculty of Health Ceremony
Former Chief Minister of the ACT
Professor Will Steffen | Faculty of Education, Science, Technology and Mathematics Ceremony
Executive Director, ANU Climate Change Institute
Dr Justin Garrick | Faculty of Education, Science, Technology and Mathematics Ceremony
Head of School, Canberra Grammar School
Chris Latham | Faculty of Arts and Design Ceremony
Artistic Director, Illumina: Remembering the Lost Voices of World War 1, Gallipoli Symphony, Voices in the Forest
Christopher Doyle | Faculty of Arts and Design Ceremony
Director, Christopher Doyle & Co
