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
2020 Marie Johnson - CEO, Centre for Digital Business
2021 Karni Liddell - Diversity and Inclusion Manager, Queensland Public Service Commission
2022 Professor Bruce Bonyhady AM, Executive Chair and Director, Enterprise Professor, Disability Economics, Melbourne Disability Institute