{{Use Australian English, date=December 2019 {{Use dmy dates, date=December 2019 {{Infobox person , name = Jill Gallagher AO , image = , alt = , caption = , birth_name = Jillian Gallagher , birth_date = {{Birth year and age, 1955 , birth_place =

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

, death_date = , death_place = , nationality =

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

Gunditjmara The Gunditjmara or Gunditjamara, also known as Dhauwurd Wurrung, are an Aboriginal Australian people of southwestern Victoria. They are the traditional owners of the areas now encompassing Warrnambool, Port Fairy, Woolsthorpe and Portland. Their ...

, other_names = , occupation = CEO, Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation , years_active = , known_for = , awards =

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 ...

Jillian Gallagher AO (born 1955) is a

from Australia who has been the Chief Executive Officer of the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) since 2001. As a single mother in her twenties Gallagher was accepted into a training scheme for young Aboriginal people at the

Museum of Victoria Museums Victoria is an organisation which operates three major state-owned museums in Melbourne, Victoria: the Melbourne Museum, the Immigration Museum and Scienceworks Museum. It also manages the Royal Exhibition Building and a storage faci ...

. She worked on the return of the Murray Black Collection and served as manager of the heritage branch of Minister for Aboriginal Affairs (Victoria) before taking up a position at VACCHO in 1998. In 2017 Gallagher was appointed Commissioner of the Victorian Treaty Advancement Commission until the voting period ended in October 2019. Gallagher was inducted into the

Victorian Honour Roll of Women The Victorian Honour Roll of Women was established in 2001 to recognise the achievements of women from the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. The Honour Roll was established as part of the cele ...

in 2009 and the Victorian Aboriginal Honour Roll in 2015. She was made an

in 2013.

Early life

Gallagher was born in 1955, one of 10 children, in the

Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory (commonly abbreviated as ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) until 1938, is a landlocked federal territory of Australia containing the national capital Canberra and some surrounding townships. ...

, principally recognised as

Ngunnawal The Ngunnawal people, also spelt Ngunawal, are an Aboriginal people of southern New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory in Australia. Language Ngunnawal and Gundungurra are Australian Aboriginal languages from the Pama-Nyungan ...

Country. Her mother was a

woman and a father of

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

decent. Gallagher's father died in an accident when she was a baby.{{R, AbHonRoll Work available to Aboriginal people was limited and Gallagher's mother travelled extensively for seasonal work picking vegetables.{{R, TheAgeSharedPride Gallagher spent much of her early childhood in Gunaikurnai country,

Gippsland Gippsland is a rural region that makes up the southeastern part of Victoria, Australia, mostly comprising the coastal plains to the rainward (southern) side of the Victorian Alps (the southernmost section of the Great Dividing Range). It covers ...

, her community revolved around the seasonal camps inhabited by other seasonal workers.{{R, IndXDJ In 1963 Gallagher's family moved to Collingwood on

Wurundjeri The Wurundjeri people are an Australian Aboriginal people of the Woiwurrung language group, in the Kulin nation. They are the Traditional Owners of the Birrarung (Yarra River) Valley, covering much of the present location of Narrm (Melbourne ...

Country, where her mother found work in a box factory. Gallagher graduated from the George Street

Primary School A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

after attending 13 different schools, and continued her education at the Fitzroy Girls'

School A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compuls ...

. She was rebellious, clashed with teachers, left school at the age of 14 and ran away from home, living on the streets before returning home and commencing work in a factory.{{R, AbHonRoll Early memories include living in a camp on

Braiakaulung The Braiakaulung are an Indigenous Australian people, one of the five tribes of the Gunai/Kurnai nation, in the state of Victoria, Australia. They were recognized by Norman Tindale as an independent tribal grouping. Name The Braiakaulung are al ...

country on the Avon River at Stratford dotted by the glow of dozens of campfires,{{R, IndXDJ and her mother being asked to leave a whites only hotel in

Warrnambool Warrnambool ( Maar: ''Peetoop'' or ''Wheringkernitch'' or ''Warrnambool'') is a city on the south-western coast of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 census, Warrnambool had a population of 35,743. Situated on the Princes Highway, Warrnambool (Al ...

.{{R, TheAgeSharedPride

Career

In her early twenties, and a single mother, Gallagher regretted leaving school at an early age. She applied for, and was accepted into a training scheme for Aboriginal young people at the

.{{R, AbHonRoll She took up a position at the

Victoria Archaeological Survey The Victorian state government established the Archaeological and Aboriginal Relics Office under the Chief Secretary's Department, following the enactment of the Archaeological and Aboriginal Relics Preservation Act 1972. One of the original aims o ...

, which offered her the opportunity to learn about Aboriginal history including culture, language and the devastating effect of European settlement had on Aboriginal people. She took on a role as manager of the heritage branch of Aboriginal Affairs Victoria which enabled her to pass her knowledge on to young people.{{R, AbHonRoll While with Museums Victoria Gallagher worked on the return of the Murray Black Collection,{{efn, name=MurrayBlack to Aboriginal communities in northern

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

and Southern

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 ...

. She continues to serve on the National Committee for the Repatriation of Skeletal Remains.{{R, SMHImproving In 1998 Gallagher took a position at the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO),{{efn, name=fnVACCHO and in 2001 she became its

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

. She quickly recognised tobacco as a major cause of health problems within the Aboriginal community and, in 2008, gave up smoking after 40 years. She actively encouraged VACCO employees and each Aboriginal health organisation in Victoria to develop a stop smoking campaign and to become smoke free. The idea was to provide leadership in aboriginal communities, and reduce the burden on a stretched health services.{{R, Kick As CEO of VACCHO Gallagher obtained bi-partisan support from the Victorian Government for the statement of intent to close the 17 year life expectancy gap between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. The statement was signed in 2008 by Victorian

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

John Brumby John Mansfield Brumby (born 21 April 1953) is the current Chancellor of La Trobe University and former Victorian Labor Party politician who was Premier of Victoria from 2007 to 2010. He became leader of the Victorian Labor Party and premier ...

. She lists this as one of her most significant achievements as CEO of VACCHO.{{R, SMHImproving, Wheeler In January 2018 Gallagher took 18 months leave of absence from VACCHO when she was appointed Commissioner of the Victorian Treaty Advancement Commission.{{R, PBAus The commission was set up to create an Aboriginal representative body to establish rules for future treaty negotiations with the Victorian Government.{{R, Mandarin The commission will be wound up once the representative body is formed. In 2009 Gallagher was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer which had spread to her liver and diaphragm. She had two surgeries and chemotherapy and has used her experience to promote cancer awareness in the Aboriginal community.{{R, VN2014, CancerMOU Gallagher has served on a number of state government and statutory advisory committees, including the Victorian Early Childhood Development Advisory Committee, the Equal Opportunity Commission Victoria Indigenous Reference Group, the Child Death Review, the Cooperative Research Centre on Aboriginal Health, and the Premiers Aboriginal Advisory Committee.{{R, AbHonRoll Gallagher has cited mentors Jim Berg{{efn, name=fnBerg of the

Koorie Heritage Trust The Koorie Heritage Trust is an Indigenous not-for-profit cultural organisation based in Melbourne. It holds over 100,000 items in its collection from paintings and artefacts through to books, videos and photographs. It has "...a commitment to p ...

and Terry Garwood{{efn, name=fnGarwood of Aboriginal Affairs Victoria as great influencers, but is inspired mostly by her mother for her resilience and determination in the face of the hardship she endured.{{R, AbHonRoll

Awards

*Victorian Honour Roll for Women inductee 2009{{R, VHRW *Officer of the Order of Australia 2013 "For distinguished service to the indigenous community of Victoria, through leadership in the area of health and contributions to cultural, welfare and professional organisations."{{R, GGAO, SMHAO *Victorian Aboriginal Honour Roll inductee 2015{{R, AbHonRoll

Notes

{{notelist, 30em, refs= {{efn, name=MurrayBlack, The Murray Black Collection is a collection of 800 Aboriginal skeletal remains estimated to be 10,000 to 14,000 years old. The remains were held by the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

and were transferred to the custody of Museums Victoria for return to their burial grounds along the

Murray River The Murray River (in South Australia: River Murray) (Ngarrindjeri: ''Millewa'', Yorta Yorta: ''Tongala'') is a river in Southeastern Australia. It is Australia's longest river at extent. Its tributaries include five of the next six longest r ...

, after the Aboriginal Legal Service took action in the

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

. {{efn, name=fnVACCHO, VACCHO is the peak body representing and advocating for the community controlled Aboriginal health services in Victoria. {{efn, name=fnBerg, Jim Berg is a

artist. He was the CEO of the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service when he founded the Victorian Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Trust in the mid-1980s. He was instrumental in the repatriation of the Murray Black Collection. {{efn, name=fnGarwood , Terry Garwood is a Yorta,

Wemba Wemba The Wemba-Wemba are an Aboriginal Australian people in north-Western Victoria and south-western New South Wales, Australia, including in the Mallee and the Riverina regions. They are also known as the Wamba-Wamba. Language Wemba-Wemba bears st ...

and

Wergaia The Wergaia or Werrigia people are an Aboriginal Australian group in the Mallee and Wimmera regions of north-Western Victoria, made up of a number of clans. The people were also known as the Maligundidj (in the Wotjobaluk language) which means ...

. He is a career Victorian public servant. During his time at Aboriginal Affairs Victoria his key work included co-ordinating Victoria's responses to the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and the National Inquiry into the Forced Removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from their Families. He ensured that Victoria co-operated fully with the stolen generation enquiry.

References

{{Reflist, 30em, , refs= {{cite web, url=https://www.vic.gov.au/aboriginalvictoria/community-engagement/leadership-programs/aboriginal-honour-roll/2015-victorian-aboriginal-honour-roll/jill-gallagher-ao.html, title=Jill Gallagher AO, website=vic.gov.au, url-status=dead, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170315123632/https://www.vic.gov.au/aboriginalvictoria/community-engagement/leadership-programs/aboriginal-honour-roll/2015-victorian-aboriginal-honour-roll/jill-gallagher-ao.html, archive-date=13 January 2017 {{cite web, url=https://indigenousx.com.au/daniel-james-jill-gallagher-and-the-road-ahead-for-victorias-treaty/, title=Jill Gallagher and the road ahead for Victoria's Treaty, last=James, first=Daniel, website=indigenousx.com.au, date=9 July 2018, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191012032327/https://indigenousx.com.au/daniel-james-jill-gallagher-and-the-road-ahead-for-victorias-treaty/, archive-date=4 September 2018 {{cite web, url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/aboriginal-treaty-is-about-shared-pride-not-your-backyard-commissioner-says-20171212-h03c9s.html, title=Aboriginal treaty is about shared pride, not your backyard, commissioner says, last=Carey, first=Adam, date=12 December 2017, access-date=14 October 2019, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191014011338/https://web.archive.org/screenshot/https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/aboriginal-treaty-is-about-shared-pride-not-your-backyard-commissioner-says-20171212-h03c9s.html, archive-date=14 October 2019 {{cite web, url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/australia-day-2013-honours-list-20130125-2dcrg.html, title=Australia Day 2013 Honours List, website=smh.com.au, date=25 January 2013, access-date=14 October 2019, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130128074627/https://www.smh.com.au/national/australia-day-2013-honours-list-20130125-2dcrg.html, archive-date=25 January 2013 {{cite web, url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/improving-outcomes-in-aboriginal-health-20130125-2dc1u.html, title=Improving outcomes in Aboriginal health, date=26 January 2013, last=Stark, first=Jill, website=smh.com.au, access-date=15 October 2019, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130130091923/https://www.smh.com.au/national/improving-outcomes-in-aboriginal-health-20130125-2dc1u.html, archive-date=30 Jan 2013 {{cite web, url=https://www.themandarin.com.au/98384-please-dont-be-bystanders-treaty-commissioner-calls-for-public-support/, title=Please don't be bystanders': treaty commissioner calls for public support, last=Donaldson, first=David, date=10 September 2018, website=themandarin.com.au, access-date=15 October 2019, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191015003514/https://www.themandarin.com.au/98384-please-dont-be-bystanders-treaty-commissioner-calls-for-public-support/, archive-date=15 October 2019 {{cite web, url=https://probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2018/01/vision-culturally-confident-aboriginal-community/, title=A Vision for a Culturally Confident Aboriginal Community, last=Michael, first=Luke, date=29 January 2019, website=probonoaustralia.com.au, access-date=15 October 2019, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180129011648/https://probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2018/01/vision-culturally-confident-aboriginal-community/, archive-date=29 January 2019 {{cite journal, url=https://issuu.com/vaccho/docs/vaccho_autumn_2014_web_abaa451d3a3856, title=Rethinking cancer, Rising Hope Workshop brings leaders together, journal=Vaccho News, page=8, date=Winter 2014 {{cite web, url=https://www.cutyourcancerrisk.org.au/blogs/mou_signing.html, title=Having a yarn about bowel cancer - the official launch, date=26 September 2011, website=cutyourcancerrisk.org, access-date=4 November 2019, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191104095912/https://web.archive.org/screenshot/https://www.cutyourcancerrisk.org.au/blogs/mou_signing.html, archive-date=4 November 2019 {{cite web, url=http://old.gg.gov.au/sites/default/files/files/honours/ad/ad2013/Media%20notes%20-%20AO%20(final).pdf, title=Officer (AO) in the General Division of the Order of Australia, website=gg.gov.au, page=14, date=26 January 2013, access-date=5 November 2019, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191105012811/http://old.gg.gov.au/sites/default/files/files/honours/ad/ad2013/Media%20notes%20-%20AO%20(final).pdf, archive-date=5 November 2019 {{cite web, url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/kicking-the-habit-of-a-lifetime-20081212-6xkq.html, title=Kicking the habit of a lifetime, last=Miller, first=Nick, date=13 January 2008, work=The Sydney Morning Herald, location=

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191122003731/https://www.smh.com.au/national/kicking-the-habit-of-a-lifetime-20081212-6xkq.html, archive-date=22 November 2019 {{cite web, url=https://www.wheelercentre.com/people/jill-gallagher, title=Jill Gallagher, website=wheelercentre.com, access-date=22 November 2019, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191122013911/https://www.wheelercentre.com/people/jill-gallagher, archive-date=22 November 2019 {{cite web, url=https://whise.org.au/assets/docs/policy/Victorian%20Honour%20Roll%20of%20Women%202001-%202011.pdf, title=VICTORIAN HONOUR ROLL OF WOMEN List of Inductees 2001 to 2011, website=whise.org.au, access-date=22 November 2019, url-status=live, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170218002129/http://whise.org.au/assets/docs/policy/Victorian%20Honour%20Roll%20of%20Women%202001-%202011.pdf, archive-date=18 February 2017

External links