Christine Nixon (born 11 June 1953) is an Australian former police officer who was the
chief commissioner
A chief commissioner is a commissioner of a high rank, usually in chief of several commissioners or similarly styled officers.
Colonial
In British India the gubernatorial style was chief commissioner in various (not all) provinces (often after be ...
of
Victoria Police
Victoria Police is the primary law enforcement agency of the Australian States and territories of Australia, state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. It was formed in 1853 and currently operates under the ''Victoria Police Act 2013''.
, Victo ...
from 23 April 2001 to 27 February 2009, being the first female chief commissioner in any Australian state police force. After leaving Victoria Police, she was appointed as
chair
A chair is a type of seat, typically designed for one person and consisting of one or more legs, a flat or slightly angled seat and a back-rest. They may be made of wood, metal, or synthetic materials, and may be padded or upholstered in vario ...
of the
Victorian Bushfire Reconstruction and Recovery Authority in February 2009 until she stood down from the position in July 2010.
Education
Nixon attended
Macquarie University
Macquarie University ( ) is a public research university based in Sydney, Australia, in the suburb of Macquarie Park. Founded in 1964 by the New South Wales Government, it was the third university to be established in the metropolitan area of S ...
before attaining a
Master of Public Administration
The Master of Public Administration (M.P.Adm., M.P.A., or MPA) is a specialized higher professional post graduate degree in public administration, similar/ equivalent to the Master of Business Administration but with an emphasis on the issues of ...
from
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
's
John F. Kennedy School of Government
The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), officially the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school offers master's degrees in public policy, public ...
.
Police career
The daughter of Ross Nixon, an assistant commissioner with the
New South Wales Police Force
The New South Wales Police Force (NSW Police Force; previously the New South Wales Police Service and New South Wales Police) is the primary law enforcement agency of the state of New South Wales, Australia. Divided into Police Area Commands (P ...
, Christine Nixon began her policing career with the same police force in 1972, also rising to the rank of Assistant Commissioner.
She was appointed Chief Commissioner of
Victoria Police
Victoria Police is the primary law enforcement agency of the Australian States and territories of Australia, state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. It was formed in 1853 and currently operates under the ''Victoria Police Act 2013''.
, Victo ...
in April 2001 by the
Bracks Labor government.
Having initially set a retirement date of late March 2009, Nixon departed earlier at the request of the Victorian Government to take on responsibility for the Victorian Bushfire Reconstruction and Recovery Authority.
She was succeeded as Chief Commissioner by
Simon Overland
Simon James Overland (born 19 March 1962)
2 March 2009, www.premier.vic.gov.au is the for ...
.
Pride March
As Chief Commissioner, Nixon marched in uniform during Melbourne's gay and lesbian '
Pride March
The NYC Pride March is an annual event celebrating the LGBTQ community in New York City. Among the largest Pride events in the world, the NYC Pride March attracts tens of thousands of participants and millions of sidewalk spectators each J ...
', run as part of the
Midsumma Festival
Midsumma Festival is an annual celebration of LGBTQIA+ arts and cultures, held annually for 22 days across January and February in Melbourne, Australia. The festival began as a one-week celebration of gay pride in 1989. The festival has expande ...
. Nixon is heterosexual but marched to express her support for gay and lesbian causes, stating "What I'm doing is supporting decent and reasonable people who want to get on with their lives, and they have been treated appallingly previously by the Police, and I'm prepared to do something about it. And if it's a small symbol of marching with them, then that would be a reasonable thing to do."
Criticism
Nixon was criticised when she joined her husband, John Becquet, a former
Qantas
Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the world's third-oldest airline still in operation, having been founded ...
senior executive of crew operations, on the October 2008 inaugural international flight of Qantas'
Airbus A380
The Airbus A380 is a large wide-body airliner that was developed and produced by Airbus. It is the world's largest passenger airliner and only full-length double-deck jet airliner.
Airbus studies started in 1988, and the project was annou ...
airliner from Melbourne to Los Angeles, as guests of Qantas in an all-expenses-paid, three-day trip. Ms Nixon called the trip "reasonable" and commented that she was accompanying her husband, and that she had not had a holiday in about 12 months. Mr Becquet defended the trip by saying they were invited to LA after a chance meeting with a Qantas executive. "I am normally her handbag but on this she's my handbag." The couple celebrated their 16th wedding anniversary during this week. The head of the Office of Police Integrity, Michael Strong, sought information on the matter from Ms Nixon at a time of calls for her to reimburse the airline for the cost of the trip.
Royal commission
Nixon was called to appear before the
2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission concerning her actions as chief commissioner during the
Black Saturday bushfires
The Black Saturday bushfires were a series of bushfires that either ignited or were already burning across the Australian state of Victoria on and around Saturday, 7 February 2009, and were among Australia's all-time worst bushfire disasters. T ...
on 7 February 2009. Counsel assisting the commission, Rachel Doyle SC, questioned Nixon on issues such as a morning hairdressing appointment, a lunchtime meeting with her biographer and an evening dinner at a restaurant, all during the worst day of the bushfires. Nixon defended her actions, stating, "It was not my job to swoop in and take control. When you have good people who are more skilled in emergency management than I am, you let those people do the job."
Bushfire authority
In February 2009 Nixon assumed responsibility for the Victorian Bushfire Reconstruction and Recovery Authority, the agency tasked with rebuilding areas affected by the
Black Saturday bushfires
The Black Saturday bushfires were a series of bushfires that either ignited or were already burning across the Australian state of Victoria on and around Saturday, 7 February 2009, and were among Australia's all-time worst bushfire disasters. T ...
of February 2009.
She stood down from the position on 17 July 2010, and announced she would take on a voluntary advisory role with the authority.
Chair of RACGP
In October 2019 Nixon was selected as the chair of the
Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) is the professional body for general practitioners (GPs) in Australia. The RACGP is responsible for maintaining standards for quality clinical practice, education and training, and re ...
(RACGP) board. This was the first time in the college's 61-year history that a non-GP was chosen for the role. She had been on the RACGP council since 2017. RACGP president Harry Nespolon praised her prior skills in leading large organisations and said of the appointment, "Ideally we would have a GP chairing the RACGP as a member-based organisation, but at the moment, Christine is the right person."
Other positions
Nixon was a non-executive director of
Foster's Group
Foster's Group Pty. Ltd. was an Australian beer group with interests in brewing and soft drinks, known for Foster's Lager, now called Carlton & United Breweries since the company was renamed in 2011. Foster's was founded in 1888 in Melbourne, Vi ...
from 1 April 2010 to 31 August 2010. She also serves as Patron or Advisor to the Alannah and Madeline Foundation, Onside Victoria, Operation Newstart Victoria and The Phoenix Club Inc. She has been appointed as the Deputy Chancellor of Monash University.
Awards
Nixon has been awarded the
Australian Police Medal
The Australian Police Medal (APM) is awarded for distinguished service by a member of an Australian police force.
The APM was introduced in 1986, and replaced the Imperial Queen's Police Medal for Gallantry and Queen's Police Medal for Distinguis ...
, the
National Medal, the
Centenary Medal
The Centenary Medal is an award which was created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia and to recognise "people who made a contribution to Australian society or go ...
, the
New South Wales Police Medal and clasps for Ethical and Diligent Service and the New South Wales Police Force Olympic Citation. She was appointed an
Officer of the Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...
for "law enforcement, to women in policing, and to tertiary education" in the
2021 Queen's Birthday Honours.
Health
On 18 July 2010 Nixon was taken to hospital. She subsequently underwent
gall bladder
In vertebrates, the gallbladder, also known as the cholecyst, is a small hollow organ where bile is stored and concentrated before it is released into the small intestine. In humans, the pear-shaped gallbladder lies beneath the liver, althoug ...
surgery.
Memoirs
In 2011 Nixon published her memoirs in the book ''Fair Cop'' (), which she wrote with
Jo Chandler
Jo Chandler (born 1965) is an Australian journalist, science writer and educator. Her journalism has covered a wide range of subject areas, including science, the environment, women's and children's issues, and included assignments in Africa, the ...
. The book was launched by the Prime Minister,
Julia Gillard
Julia Eileen Gillard (born 29 September 1961) is an Australian former politician who served as the 27th prime minister of Australia from 2010 to 2013, holding office as leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP). She is the first and only ...
. It was criticised by the
Police Association Victoria
The Police Association Victoria (TPAV) is the union organisation representing about 18,000 members of the Victoria Police. The alliance is affiliated with the Police Federation of Australia
The Police Federation of Australia (PFA) is a pea ...
for what the association claims is a biased recollection of events, and by the ''
Herald Sun
The ''Herald Sun'' is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia, published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Corp Australia, itself a subsidiary of the Murdoch owned News Corp. The ''Herald S ...
''.
See also
*
Crime in Melbourne
Criminal activity in Victoria, Australia is combated by the Victoria Police and the Victorian court system, while statistics about crime are managed by the Crime Statistics Agency. Modern Australian states and cities, including Victoria, have so ...
*
Women in law enforcement
The integration of women into law enforcement positions can be considered a large social change. A century ago, there were few jobs open to women in law enforcement. A small number of women worked as correctional officers, and their assignment ...
References
External links
Christine Nixon official websiteAbout Christine Nixon from the Victoria Police websiteon
Australian Story
''Australian Story'' is a national weekly current affairs and documentary style television series which is broadcast on ABC Television. It is produced specifically by the ABC News and Current Affairs Department. The program first aired on 29 ...
Christine Nixon interviewedon
Radio National
Radio National, known on-air as RN, is an Australia-wide public service broadcasting radio network run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). From 1947 until 1985, the network was known as ABC Radio 2.
History
1937: Predecessors an ...
Trust us, says police chiefHonorary doctorate for Christine Nixon*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nixon, Christine
1953 births
Living people
Chief Commissioners of Victoria Police
Harvard Kennedy School alumni
People from Sydney
Police officers from Melbourne
Officers of the Order of Australia
Recipients of the Australian Police Medal
Recipients of the Centenary Medal
Women police officers