What is the Kenneth Jenkins Oration?

Kenneth Jenkins was World President of Rehabilitation International from 1976 to 1980. Through that involvement, leadership of Bedford Industries in South Australia and the presidency of National Disability Services (then ACROD), he made an outstanding contribution to the field of disability services. The Kenneth Jenkins Oration has been presented annually since the late 1970s.

Previous presenters of the Oration have been:

1982 Professor Dennis Smith, Rehabilitation Studies, Flinders University, South Australia

1983 The Hon. Justice Roma Mitchell

1984 Graeme Innes, President, Disabled People’s International Australia

1985 Wendy Home, President, Deaf Sports and Social Clubs of Queensland

1986 The Hon. Brian Howe MP, Federal Minister for Social Security

1987 The Hon. Justice Kemeri Murray

1988 Rhonda Galbally, Chief Executive Officer, Victorian Health Promotion Foundation

1989 Brian Burdekin, Federal Human Rights Commissioner

1990 Julian Disney, President, Australian Council of Social Service

1991 Andrew Buchanan, Queensland Manager, ABC Radio

1992 Judy Heumann, Co-Director, World Institute on Disability, USA

1993 Suzanne Lee, former Miss Australia and Advisor to Steve Hatton, Minister for Aboriginal Development, Northern Territory

1994 Professor Peter Baume, Head, School of Community Medicine at University of NSW and Chancellor, Australian National University

1995 Alan Rose AO, President, Australian Law Reform Commission

1996 Sir Ronald Wilson AC KBE CMG QC, President, Human Rights & Equal Opportunity Commission

1997 NR (Nobby) Clark AO, retired Chairman of Coles Myer and prominent Australian businessman

1998 The Hon. Justice Marcus Einfeld AO QC

1999 Mike Lynskey, Chief Executive, The Fred Hollows Foundation

2000 Lady Winifred Tumim OBE, Chair, National Council of Voluntary Organisations, United Kingdom

2001 Professor Adam Jamrozik, University of South Australia and Flinders University

2002 Ray Weekes, Chairman, The Brisbane Institute and CEO-in-Residence/Adjunct Professor at Queensland University of Technology; former Chief Executive of Rothmans Holdings Limited and Managing Director of Castlemaine Perkins Ltd (makers of XXXX)

2003 Anne Deveson AO, award-winning author, broadcaster, film-maker and human rights activist.

2004 Professor David Richmond AO, Director, Graduate School of Government, University of Sydney

2005 Ian Spicer AM, Former Chief Executive of the Confederation of Australian Industry and Chair of the National Disability Advisory Council

2006 Amy S Hewitt, Training Director and Research Associate at the Institute on Community Integration in Minneapolis

2007 Michael Traill, CEO, Social Ventures Australia

2008 Professor Peter Shergold AC, Centre for Social Impact, UNSW

2009 Bill Moss AM, Chairman, MossCapital, Founder and Chairman, FSHD Global Research Foundation

2010 Professor Ron McCallum AO, Member of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Professor of Industrial Law, University of Sydney

2011 Ann Sherry, Chief Executive Officer, Carnival Australia

2012 Moira Kelly, International Humanitarian and Victorian of the Year 2012

2013 Graeme Cowan, Director of ‘RUOK? Day’ & author of ‘Back from the Brink’.

2014 Associate Professor Leanne Dowse, Chair in Intellectual Disability BehaviourSupport, UNSW 

2015 Nance Haxton, ABC and Walkley Award winning journalist

2016 Dr Jordan Nguyen, Thought leader on the intersection between technology and humanity

2017 Andrea Mason, CEO, Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (NPY) Women’s Council

2018 Robert Fitzgerald AM, Productivity Commission and Member of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse

2019 Dr Ben Gauntlett, Disability Discrimination Commissioner