Aden Derek Ridgeway (born 18 September 1962) is an Australian former politician.''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territo ...

'' (2006)
Present politics
Retrieved 6 July 2006. He was a member of the Australian Senate for

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

from 1999 to 2005, representing the

Australian Democrats The Australian Democrats is a centrist political party in Australia. Founded in 1977 from a merger of the Australia Party and the New Liberal Movement, both of which were descended from Liberal Party dissenting splinter groups, it was Australi ...

. During his term he was the only

Aboriginal Aborigine, aborigine or aboriginal may refer to: *Aborigines (mythology), in Roman mythology * Indigenous peoples, general term for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area *One of several groups of indigenous peoples, see ...

member of the

Australian Parliament The Parliament of Australia (officially the Federal Parliament, also called the Commonwealth Parliament) is the legislative branch of the government of Australia. It consists of three elements: the monarch (represented by the governor-gen ...

. He is currently a spokesperson for Recognise, the movement to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait peoples in the

Australian Constitution The Constitution of Australia (or Australian Constitution) is a constitutional document that is supreme law in Australia. It establishes Australia as a federation under a constitutional monarchy and outlines the structure and powers of the ...

Personal life

Ridgeway was born on the Bellwood

Aboriginal Reserve An Aboriginal reserve, also called simply reserve, was a government-sanctioned settlement for Aboriginal Australians, created under various state and federal legislation. Along with missions and other institutions, they were used from the 19th ce ...

near Nambucca Heads (close to

Macksville, New South Wales Macksville is a small town on the Nambucca River in the Nambucca Valley, New South Wales, Australia. It is halfway between Sydney and Brisbane, along the Pacific Highway, approximately 40 minutes north of Kempsey, 40 minutes south of Coffs Har ...

), as one of the Gumbaynggirr people. He was educated at Bellwood and St John's College, Woodlawn in Lismore.

Early career

After leaving school in Year 11, he worked as a boilermaker. He then became involved in the public service, engaging in a number of careers, including being a park ranger, and working in several New South Wales government departments. In 1990, Ridgeway was elected onto the first

ATSIC The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) (1990–2005) was the Australian Government body through which Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders were formally involved in the processes of government affecting ...

Sydney Regional Council, a position in which he served two terms of office. In 1994, he became the Executive Director of the New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council. He continued in this position until 1998. Also in 1994, he became a Member of the Australian Museum Trust. He became a Member of the Geographical Names Board of New South Wales from 1995. He was the Director of the Public Service Board Staff Credit Union from 1996 to 1998.

Political career

Ridgeway joined the Australian Democrats in 1990. During 1997–98 Ridgeway served as the state policy convener for the New South Wales Branch of the Democrats. He was subsequently selected in the first position on the Democrats' Senate ticket at the 1998 election. Ridgeway has served on a number of parliamentary and senate committees. In March 2001, he addressed the United Nations Special Session on Racism. He also attended the World Conference Against Racism in South Africa in the same year. In April 2001, Ridgeway was elected deputy leader of the Democrats, after

Natasha Stott Despoja Natasha Jessica Stott Despoja AO (born 9 September 1969) is an Australian politician, diplomat, advocate and author. She is the founding Chair of the Board of Our Watch, the national foundation to prevent violence against women and their childr ...

toppled

Meg Lees Meg Heather Lees (née Francis, born 19 October 1948) is a former member of the Australian Senate from 1990 to 2005, representing the state of South Australia. She represented the Australian Democrats from 1990 to 2002, and was her party's l ...

in a leadership spill. Ridgeway continued as deputy leader until August 2002, when along with fellow senators John Cherry, Lyn Allison and Andrew Murray, he succeeded in forcing Stott Despoja to resign. It was widely tipped that he would succeed her as leader. However, the media did not portray the spill kindly, labelling them the 'Gang of Four'. Ridgeway was expected to be appointed interim leader however, in a surprise decision, the party's National Executive installed Brian Greig as interim leader due to the role Ridgeway played in forcing the resignation of Stott Despoja. Ridgeway did not contest the subsequent leadership ballot, at which Andrew Bartlett defeated Brian Greig. Ridgeway was technically leader between Natasha Stott Despoja's resignation and the appointment of Brian Greig as interim leader. Ridgeway also stood down as deputy leader and was replaced by Lyn Allison. Ridgeway did not contest the leadership and stood down as deputy leader as he felt the National Executive's decision not to appoint him as interim leader was a reflection on him in a leadership position. He remained in the Senate, being particularly active on issues of indigenous affairs and reconciliation. He lost his seat in the 2004 election, along with Cherry, Lees (who had since left the party), and Greig. His term expired on 30 June 2005.

Post-political career

Ridgeway received the NAIDOC Person of the Year award in 2005 and was made chair of the National NAIDOC Committee, a role that he occupied until 2008. In May 2006, Ridgeway was selected as the new host of ABC Television's ''

Message Stick A message stick is a graphic communication device traditionally used by Aboriginal Australians. The objects were carried by messengers over long distances and were used for reinforcing a verbal message. Although styles vary, they are generally ...

'' program. He was the inaugural chairman of Indigenous Tourism Australia. In 2007, Ridgeway partnered with Tim Powell of Cox Inall Communications to establish Cox Inall Ridgeway, a social change agency that seeks to disrupt disadvantage in Indigenous communities. The agency is based on the lands of the Eora Nation (Walsh Bay, New South Wales), and Ridgeway is currently a partner in the business. Ridgeway was Chairman of Bangarra Dance Theatre from 1998 to 2010. Ridgeway was an Ambassador of the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation in 2013. In February 2013, Ridgeway was announced as a spokesperson for the Recognise campaign, a movement to recognise

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

peoples in the

. In May 2013, he was one of a number of Aboriginal leaders to start the "Journey to Recognition", a relay across Australia to raise awareness of the issue. On 4 March 2020, it was announced that Ridgeway would be a member of the Local and Regional Co-Design Group for the Indigenous voice to government, set up in late 2019.

References

External links

Home page for Cox Inall Ridgeway
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ridgeway, Aden 1962 births Living people Australian Democrats members of the Parliament of Australia Indigenous Australian politicians Members of the Australian Senate Members of the Australian Senate for New South Wales Australian boilermakers 21st-century Australian politicians 20th-century Australian politicians