Lynette Riley (born 1956) is a professor of Aboriginal Education and Indigenous Studies in the School of Education and Social Work at the
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...
. Riley is a
Wiradjuri
The Wiradjuri people (; ) are a group of Aboriginal Australian people from central New South Wales, united by common descent through kinship and shared traditions. They survived as skilled hunter-fisher-gatherers, in family groups or clans, a ...
and
Gamilaroi
The Gamilaroi, also known as Gomeroi, Kamilaroi, Kamillaroi and other variations, are an Aboriginal Australian people whose lands extend from New South Wales to southern Queensland. They form one of the four largest Indigenous nations in Austr ...
woman from
Dubbo
Dubbo (; ) is a city in the Orana (New South Wales), Orana Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre in the Orana region, with a population of 43,516 at June 2021.
The city is located at the intersection of the ...
and
Moree. She is known for her promotion of
Aboriginal culture
Australian Aboriginal culture includes a number of practices and ceremonies centered on a belief in the Dreamtime and other mythology. Reverence and respect for the land and oral traditions are emphasised. The words "law" and "lore", the latter ...
, in particular her
kinship
In anthropology, kinship is the web of social relationships that form an important part of the lives of all humans in all societies, although its exact meanings even within this discipline are often debated. Anthropologist Robin Fox says that ...
presentations and the associated online module.
Personal life
Riley was born in 1956
in
Dubbo, New South Wales
Dubbo (; ) is a city in the Orana (New South Wales), Orana Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre in the Orana region, with a population of 43,516 at June 2021.
The city is located at the intersection of the ...
.
She completed her schooling at Dubbo High School before completing teacher training at Armidale College of Advanced Education in 1977. Her first posting as a teacher was at
Moree, New South Wales
Moree () is a town in Moree Plains Shire in northern New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the banks of the Mehi River, in the centre of the rich black-soil plains. Newell and Gwydir highways intersect at the town. It can also be rea ...
.
In 1983 Riley shared a house with politician
Linda Burney
Linda Jean Burney (born 25 April 1957) is an Australian Labor Party (ALP) politician who was the member of Parliament (MP) for the division of Barton from 2016 to 2025. She was the minister for Indigenous Australians from 2022 to July 2024. S ...
and contemporary Indigenous visual artist
Michael Riley
Michael Riley (born February 4, 1962) is a Canadian actor. From 1998 to 2000, he portrayed Brett Parker in ''Power Play (1998 TV series), Power Play''. He has acted in over 40 films and television series, including ''This Is Wonderland'', for wh ...
.
Riley wed Aboriginal leader and politician
Warren Mundine
Nyunggai Warren Stephen Mundine (born 11 August 1956) is an Australian businessman, political strategist, advocate for Indigenous affairs, and former politician. Starting his political career in 1995, Mundine became the first Indigenous person ...
in 1984 at St Andrew's Congregational Church in
Balmain,
Sydney
Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
, and raised seven children with him (two from his previous marriage and one a foster child).
The couple renewed their vows in 2003 at St Brigid's Catholic Church, Dubbo.
[ They separated in 2006, and then again in 2008, at which time she changed her surname back to Riley.][
]
Career
Riley has education experience in a range of organisations including primary schools, high schools, TAFE
Technical and further education or simply TAFE () is the common name in Australia for vocational education, as a subset of tertiary education. TAFE institutions provide a wide range of predominantly vocational courses. Colloquially also known ...
and universities. In addition to teaching and research, Riley has also been actively involved in state government policy, for example as Acting Director of Aboriginal Education and Training NSW
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a state on the east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria to the south, and South Australia to the west. Its coast borders the Coral and Tasman Seas to the east. T ...
DET in 2002-2005.
From 1986 Riley became a Research Fellow at the University of New England University of New England may refer to:
* University of New England (Australia), in New South Wales, with about 26,000 students
* University of New England (United States), in Biddeford, Maine, with about 6,000 students
See also
* New England Coll ...
.[ She founded the Aboriginal Student Support Centre, "Oorala Centre" at the University and went on to establish the ]Frank Archibald Memorial Lecture
The University of New England (UNE) is a public university in New South Wales, Australia. Founded in 1938, it was the first Australian university to be established outside of a state capital. Its main campus is located in the regional city of ...
series focusing on Aboriginal issues.
By 2013 she was a Senior Lecturer in Indigenous Studies at the University of Sydney
The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...
.
Riley completed her PhD entitled, ''Conditions of academic success for Aboriginal students in school,'' in 2015. As part of this research, she conducted comprehensive qualitative research into high achieving students in NSW, finding that the high achieving Aboriginal students in NSW surveyed have a strong and positive sense of their cultural identity.
She was a finalist in the 2021 New South Wales Aboriginal Woman of the Year.
In the 2023 King's Birthday Honours Riley was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...
for "distinguished service to education, particularly through the development of Indigenous curriculum and student support, to reconciliation, and to the community".
In September 2024, Riley was promoted to a full professorship at University of Sydney, becoming the first Indigenous person to achieve this in the history of her school. She is believed to possibly be the first Indigenous person from western New South Wales to achieve a full professor role.
Kinship Module
In July 2014, the University of Sydney launched the online learning tool 'Kinship Module' which aims to increase understanding of indigenous culture. The content of this online module was largely based on research conducted by Riley and her colleagues Janet Mooney and Deirdre Howard-Wagner. Riley has been conducting Kinship presentations for a variety of audiences for many years with great success.
Works
*
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Riley, Lynette
1956 births
People from Dubbo
Indigenous Australian academics
Indigenous Australian artists
Living people
Indigenous Australian women academics
Academic staff of the University of Sydney
Australian women academics
Officers of the Order of Australia