Pathways15: Conference Closing - Graeme Innes

Graeme Innes

Graeme has been a human rights practitioner for more than thirty years and was a Commissioner at the Australian Human Rights Commission for nine years, responsible for issues relating to disability, race and human rights. Graeme Innes was set to give the closing ceremony of Pathways15 but due to internet issues was unable to join us. Graeme was keen to share his speech with us and recorded it the following week.

Bio

Graeme Innes, AM is a lawyer, author, and company director. His autobiography Finding a Way achieved popular acclaim in 2016. He has been a human rights practitioner for more than thirty years and is a conference presenter and facilitator. Graeme was a Commissioner at the Australian Human Rights Commission for nine years, responsible for issues relating to disability, race and human rights.

Graeme led the merger of four blindness agencies to form Vision Australia, and chaired the board of that agency. He is currently the chair of the Attitude Foundation, a start-up aimed at using media to change attitudes towards Australians with disabilities.

Graeme was awarded an AM for his work on the development of the Disability Discrimination Act, was a finalist for Australian of the Year, and, on the international stage, he was a member of the Australian delegation that participated in negotiating the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities. He was awarded Honorary Doctorates by the University of Canberra in 2014, RMIT University in 2016, UNSW in 2017 and Edith Cowan University in 2018, in recognition of his work as a human rights activist.