Professor Marcia Langton AO — Keynote Speaker, WATLF 2026 

Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor, University of Melbourne
Foundation Chair of Australian Indigenous Studies

We are honoured to welcome Professor Marcia Langton AO as the keynote speaker for the 2026 Western Australian Teaching and Learning Forum.

A proud descendant of the Yiman and Bidjara peoples of Queensland, Professor Langton is one of Australia’s most influential Indigenous academics, public intellectuals, and advocates for First Nations rights. Her groundbreaking work spans political and legal anthropology, Indigenous knowledge systems, land rights, and cultural heritage, shaping national conversations and policy for over four decades.

Since 2000, she has held the Foundation Chair of Australian Indigenous Studies at the University of Melbourne, where she also serves as Associate Provost. Her leadership has been instrumental in embedding Indigenous perspectives into higher education, research, and public discourse.

Professor Langton’s contributions include:

• Serving on the Expert Panel on Constitutional Recognition of Indigenous Australians

• Delivering the 2012 ABC Boyer Lectures, The Quiet Revolution: Indigenous People and the Resources Boom

• Co-editing the landmark publication Indigenous Knowledge: Australian Perspectives, which brings together Elders, scholars, and practitioners to explore how Indigenous knowledge informs sustainability, health, and social wellbeing

• Influencing the Native Title Act negotiations and contributing to the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody

In recognition of her lifelong advocacy and scholarship, she was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 1993 and is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia.

Professor Langton’s keynote will speak to the Forum’s theme, Co-creating the Future: Connection and Collaboration in Higher Education, offering a powerful vision for how Indigenous knowledge and leadership can shape more inclusive, ethical, and connected futures in teaching and learning.

Having Professor Langton deliver our keynote is not just a highlight — it is a generational opportunity to centre Indigenous leadership, inspire deeper cultural competence, and amplify the voices of reconciliation across our institutions.