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Patrick Dodson
Dodson in New York City in 2022
Senator for Western Australia
In office
2 May 2016 – 26 January 2024
Preceded byJoe Bullock
Succeeded byVarun Ghosh
Special Envoy for Reconciliation and Implementation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart
In office
1 June 2022 – 26 January 2024
Preceded by(position established)
Succeeded by(position terminated)
Personal details
Born
Patrick Lionel Djargun Dodson

(1948-01-29) 29 January 1948 (age 77)
Broome, Western Australia, Australia
Political partyLabor
Children1
RelativesMick Dodson (brother)
Alma materCorpus Christi College, Melbourne

Patrick Lionel Djargun Dodson (born 29 January 1948) is an Australian Indigenous rights activist and former politician. He is often referred to as the "father of reconciliation" owing to his commitment to reconciliation in Australia. He was a Senator for Western Australia from 2016 to 2024, representing the Australian Labor Party (ALP). He is the brother of Mick Dodson.

Dodson is a Aboriginal elder from Broome, Western Australia, who in his younger days was for a short while the first Aboriginal Australian Catholic priest. Dodson was chairman of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation and a Commissioner into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. In 2008 he was awarded the Sydney Peace Prize, and in 2009 the John Curtin Medal. The Parliament of Western Australia appointed Dodson to the Australian Senate on 2 May 2016, following the retirement of Joe Bullock. On 28 November 2023, Dodson announced his retirement from the Senate, which took effect on 26 January 2024, owing to the need for cancer treatment.

Early life and education

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Patrick Lionel Djargun Dodson was born on 29 January 1948 in Broome, one of seven children.[1][2][3] He is a Yawuru man.[4] His father, John "Snowy" Dodson, was born in Launceston, Tasmania, and his mother, Patricia, was an Aboriginal Australian woman.[5] His grandfather, Paddy Djiagween, was a leader of the Yawura people. When introduced to Queen Elizabeth II when she visited Broome in 1963, he simply asked: "Why can't we have the same rights as the white man?".[6] Dodson's family moved to Katherine, Northern Territory, when Pat was two, to escape Western Australian laws banning mixed-race families. His father had previously been imprisoned for 18 months for "cohabiting with a native woman".[7]

The Dodson children were orphaned after the deaths of both parents only three months apart in 1960 – first their father, and then mother.[7][6][1] He and his younger brother Mick, then aged 10, along with a brother Jacko and sister Patricia, were made wards of the state.[7] Two Catholic priests from the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSC) assisted the family by arranging scholarships first for Pat and later Mick, to study at the MSC-run Monivae College in Hamilton, Victoria,[7] which was agreed with their aunt and uncle. Pat won the diligence prize five out of the six years he was there, and became head prefect in 1967.[7][8] He was also captain of the Australian rules football team at the school,[1] and adjutant of the Cadet Corps.[7] Bill Walsh, father of Phil Walsh, who was later coach of the Adelaide Football Club, ran a department store in the town, and supplied both boys with sports apparel and other clothing.[7]

Career

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Catholic priesthood

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After leaving school, Dodson enrolled studied the priesthood at Corpus Christi College, Melbourne, and was ordained in the order of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart in May 1975. He was the first Aboriginal person to become a Catholic priest in Australia.[1] He left the priesthood in 1981[6][9] due to conflicts between Catholicism and his Aboriginal spiritual beliefs.[2][10] Dodson insisted that many ancient Aboriginal rites celebrated the same spiritual force as Christians worshipped.[6]

Industry, government, academia, and community

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Dodson with Attorney-General George Brandis in 2015

Dodson has been involved in matters relating to Indigenous rights and culture, including working as a consultant advising government, industry, and community groups, his whole life.[11][12]

In 1981 he joined the Central and Kimberley Land Councils.[1][2]

He has collaborated with staff at the University of Melbourne through the Cranlana Programme, the Lingiari Foundation, and the NHMRC Kimberley men's health project, and has given key lectures at Trinity College and Newman College.[13]

Roles he has held include:

In 2020 Dodson served on the parliamentary inquiry into the destruction of the caves at the Juukan Gorge in the Pilbara, which delivered its interim report, titled "Never Again" in December 2020[27] and the full report in October 2021.[28]

Politics

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On 2 March 2016, Dodson was announced as the replacement for Joe Bullock as a Labor senator for Western Australia, following Bullock's resignation.[29] The Parliament of Western Australia appointed Dodson to fill the casual vacancy in the Australian Senate on 2 May 2016.[30] He was sworn in as a senator on the same day, and sat as a Labor senator for Western Australia. He retained his seat at the 2016 federal election.[31] He has served on a number of Senate committees, notably as joint chair of the Joint Select Committee into Constitutional Recognition relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.[32]

Dodson was added to the shadow ministry in May 2016, as a shadow assistant minister. He was initially appointed shadow parliamentary secretary to the Leader of the Opposition, and in July 2016 was shadow assistant minister for Indigenous affairs and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. Opposition leader Bill Shorten promised to appoint Dodson as Minister for Indigenous Affairs if the ALP won the 2019 federal election. This did not eventuate, and Dodson, while re-elected to the Senate, did not stand for re-election to the Labor frontbench.[33] As the shadow assistant minister for reconciliation and constitutional recognition, Dodson supported the Uluru Statement from the Heart in full.[34] He also served on several senate committees.[3]

Following Labor's victory at the 2022 federal election, Dodson was appointed Special Envoy for Reconciliation and Implementation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.[35] Owing to illness he was not able to participate fully in the campaign for the Yes vote in the 2023 Voice referendum, and was very disappointed in the result.[12] On 28 November 2023 he announced his intention to resign as a Senator effective 26 January 2024, saying he was unable to serve further due to being treated for cancer earlier in the year.[36][37][38]

Post-retirement activities

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In May 2025, Dodson appeared on the ABC Television current affairs program 7.30. He called on the Albanese government to continue implementing the remaining requests of the Uluru Statement: a national truth-telling commission (Makarrata) and a treaty. He also urged him to set up regional assemblies, as described by Tom Calma and Marcia Langton in their 2021 report submitted to the Morrison government.[12]

Recognition and honours

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Dodson is often referred to as the "father of reconciliation" owing to his role at CAR and his commitment to reconciliation in Australia[39][5][36][12] by constructive dialogue and mutual respect.[1]

In 1997 Dodson was recognised as a National Living Treasure, along with his brother Mick – the only siblings on the list.[40]

In 2004, a portrait of Dodson, then aged 56, was painted by Melbourne-based artist Zhou Xiaoping,[41] which was gifted to the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra by the Lingiari Foundation in 2015.[15]

In 2006, Dodson was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Melbourne.[42][13][43][3]

In 2008 he was awarded the Sydney Peace Prize.[44][17]

In 2009 he was the recipient of the John Curtin Medal, awarded by Curtin University.[45]

In January 2012 Dodson gave the inaugural Gandhi Oration at the University of New South Wales.[39][46] In the same year, UNSW awarded him an honorary professorship at the end of his term at the Indigenous Policy and Dialogue Research Unit, and later that year an honorary Doctor of Letters degree.[20][47][48][3]

Personal life

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Dodson has a daughter, Grace, whose mother is artist Annunciata Dartinga. Grace works full-time as a nurse, and is an artist in her spare time. Both women are based in Peppimenarti, Northern Territory.[49]

In early 2023, Dodson was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, followed by an infection of the oesophagus and shingles. He was treated with chemotherapy and returned from medical leave to campaign for the "Yes" vote at the 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum.[50]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Patrick Dodson". Encyclopaedia Britannica. 25 January 2025. Archived from the original on 6 April 2025. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
  2. ^ a b c "National Finalist Senior Australian of the Year 2009: Patrick Dodson". National Australia Day Council. 2009. Archived from the original on 7 May 2016. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "DODSON, Patrick (Pat) Lionel Djargun". Parliamentary Handbook. Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  4. ^ Parke, Erin; Bamford, Matt (30 December 2021). "Binge drinking and alcoholism are problems across Australia, but more visible in outback towns". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  5. ^ a b Wright, Tony (11 November 2017). "How the citizenship farce ensnared the 'father of reconciliation', Patrick Dodson". The Age. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Heroes". Universal Rights Network. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Wright, Tony (5 March 2016). "Aboriginal elder Pat Dodson: portrait of the senator as a young man". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  8. ^ "Patrick Lionel Dodson (2009)". Curtin University. 22 January 2009.
  9. ^ Rolls, Mitchell; Johnson, Murray (2011). Historical Dictionary of Australian Aborigines. p. 64. ISBN 9780810859975.
  10. ^ "Patrick Dodson – Aboriginal leader". Wandoo Didgeridoo. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h "Mr Patrick Dodson". Australian National University. Archived from the original on 6 May 2016. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  12. ^ a b c d Brissenden, Neve; Ferguson, Sarah (26 May 2025). "Pat Dodson wants Anthony Albanese to forge ahead with Indigenous treaty and truth telling". ABC News. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
  13. ^ a b "Award of Degree of Doctor of Laws Honoris Causa: MR PATRICK LIONEL DODSON" (PDF). University of Melbourne. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  14. ^ "Central Land Council – Our History, Our Land".
  15. ^ a b c d "Patrick Dodson, 2004". National Portrait Gallery collection. 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  16. ^ "Kimberley Land Council Newsletter, September 2018" (PDF).
  17. ^ a b c d e f "KDC Board". kimberley.wa.gov.au. Kimberley Development Commission (KDC). 2007. Archived from the original on 20 February 2011. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
  18. ^ "Partnerships". Edmund Rice Centre. 1 August 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  19. ^ "Father of reconciliation joins UNSW". UNSW Sites. 27 February 2009. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  20. ^ a b "Our highest honour". UNSW. 20 August 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2025. He was the founding Director of UNSW's Indigenous Policy and Dialogue Research Unit and accepted an honorary professorship when his appointment ended earlier this year.
  21. ^ "Push for Indigenous recognition". UNSW Sites. 20 January 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  22. ^ "Yawuru PBC Elects New Chair". Archived from the original on 16 December 2013.
  23. ^ "Change to NBY Directors – YawuruYawuru". Archived from the original on 16 March 2016.
  24. ^ Karp, Paul (9 May 2016). "Labor's Patrick Dodson says Indigenous treaty should be an option". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 May 2025. He was replaced by Guardian Australia's Indigenous affairs editor Stan Grant after he took up the Senate seat.
  25. ^ "Footnotes". Parliament of Australia. 21 November 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  26. ^ Pearson, Esther (November–December 2012). "2014 Essay winner: 'Constitutionally speaking we are still basically White Australia, however much we boast that we have changed', says former High Court Justice Michael Kirby. Do you agree? Does the constitution need to be changed? If so, how?" (PDF). Indigenous Law Bulletin. 8 (16): 33. Retrieved 30 May 2025. See footnote 7.
  27. ^ "Never Again". Parliament of Australia. 9 December 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
  28. ^ "A Way Forward". 18 October 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
  29. ^ "Pat Dodson to replace retiring WA Labor Senator Joe Bullock". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2 March 2016.
  30. ^ "Pat Dodson elected WA's newest senator". ABC News (Australia). 28 April 2016.
  31. ^ "Senate: First preferences by candidate". AEC Tally Room. Archived from the original on 27 August 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  32. ^ "Senator Patrick Dodson". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  33. ^ Greg Brown (30 May 2019). "No frontbench seat for Labor MP Pat Dodson". The Australian. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  34. ^ Grattan, Michelle (12 July 2019). "Scott Morrison has already achieved one political miracle. Can he achieve two?". ABC News (Australia). Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  35. ^ Albanese, Anthony. "Statement on new Special Envoy for Disaster Recovery". Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.
  36. ^ a b Clun, Rachel (28 November 2023). "'Father of reconciliation' Pat Dodson to quit politics". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 28 November 2023. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  37. ^ Dodson, Patrick [@SenatorDodson] (28 November 2023). "This morning I announced my resignation as Senator for Western Australia, effective from 26 January 2024. Regrettably, my recent treatment for cancer means that my health, although slowly improving, has left me physically unable to continue as a Senator. It has been an honour" (Tweet). Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. Archived from the original on 28 November 2023. Retrieved 28 November 2023 – via Twitter.
  38. ^ Dan Jervis-Bardy (26 January 2024). "Federal politics: Senator Pat Dodson hailed as a 'giant' after slipping into retirement". The West Australian.
  39. ^ a b Jopson, Debra; Coorey, Phillip (31 January 2012). "Practise what we preach: father of reconciliation attacks two-faced Australia". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  40. ^ Stephens, Tony (11 December 2022). "From the Archives, 1997: Australia's 100 living treasures named". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  41. ^ "Zhou Xiaoping, b. 1960". National Portrait Gallery people. 10 April 2025. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  42. ^ "The University of Melbourne's honorary degree holders". University of Melbourne. 14 April 2025. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  43. ^ "Senator Patrick Dodson delivers Dungala Kaiela oration in Shepparton" (Press release). University of Melbourne. 9 August 2019. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  44. ^ "2008 Patrick Dodson". Sydney Peace Foundation. 22 May 2017. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
  45. ^ "John Curtin Medal". Curtin University. 11 November 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
  46. ^ "Patrick Dodson to deliver inaugural Gandhi Oration". UNSW Sites. 25 January 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  47. ^ "Honorary Degree and Fellowship holders". UNSW. 7 May 2025. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  48. ^ "Deadly Streaming Patrick Dodson" (PDF). University of Newcastle. 2018. p. 52. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
  49. ^ "Durrmu Artists". Durrmu Arts Aboriginal Corporation. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  50. ^ Wright, Tony (6 October 2023). "Pat Dodson, on the comeback from cancer, gives his voice to The Voice". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 11 October 2023.

Further reading

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pat Dodson.
  • Kevin Keeffe, (2003) Paddy's Road: Life Stories of Patrick Dodson, Aboriginal Studies Press, Canberra ISBN 0-85575-448-6
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