Rhonda Galbally AC has been a CEO, Chair and board member for over thirty years, across business and the not for profit sector, the public sector and philanthropy.
As a woman with a lifelong disability, Galbally first began focusing on disability rights and policy in the early 1980s while working as the senior policy officer for the
Victorian Council for Social Services. Galbally next became the CEO of the
Sidney Myer Fund
The Myer Foundation is a major Australian philanthropic organisation.
History
The Sidney Myer Charitable Trust was established by the will of Sidney Myer, who died in 1934, leaving a portion of his estate for the benefit of the community. Myer's ...
and the
Myer Foundation
The Myer Foundation is a major Australian philanthropic organisation.
History
The Sidney Myer Charitable Trust was established by the will of Sidney Myer, who died in 1934, leaving a portion of his estate for the benefit of the community. Myer's ...
, in that role she served as Chair of the Australian Association of Philanthropy.
Galbally was appointed as the founding CEO of a number of new organisations, including the
Australian Commission for the Future, the
Australian International Health Institute, the
Australian National Preventative Health Agency and
OurCommunity Pty Ltd. Galbally established the
Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (
VicHealth
The Victorian Health Promotion Foundation is a statutory authority in the Australian state of Victoria, originally funded by hypothecated taxation raised by the ''Victorian Tobacco Act 1987''. It was the first health promotion body in the world ...
) as the first organisation in the world to use a levy on tobacco for
tobacco control, reducing demand for alcohol, tackling risk factors for heart disease, cancer and diabetes, injury prevention, sexual health and mental health promotion. Galbally was appointed as the Independent Chair of the
Review of Drugs Poisons and Controlled Substances Legislation (the Galbally Review).
Galbally chaired the
Royal Women's Hospital. She was a member of the expert four-person panel that developed the
Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities
The Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 is an Act of Parliament of the state of Victoria, Australia, designed to protect and promote human rights.
It does so by enumerating a series of human rights, largely developed from thos ...
. Galbally then went on to chair the Federal Government's National People with Disability and Carers' Council.
Galbally was a board member of the
National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA)
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, ce ...
and Principal Member of the Independent Advisory Council which provided advice to the NDIA about the importance of self-determination, social and economic inclusion, peer support and contemporary living models including the right to a mainstream life for people with disabilities.
With a career spanning many decades and positions at the highest levels, Galbally considers that a highlight was developing the National Disability and Carer Alliance that brought together people with disabilities, families and carers with services to campaign for the
National Disability insurance Scheme by developing the
Every Australian Counts
Every may refer to:
People
* Every (surname), including a list of people surnamed Every or Van Every
* Every Maclean, New Zealand politician in sunda 19th century
* Every baronets, a title in the Baronetage of England
Other
* Suzuki Every, a kei ...
Campaign.
As a Commissioner of the
, Galbally is keen to utilise what she has learned from her broad experience which gives her a detailed understanding of some of the major interfacing systems, including health, education, justice and housing. But most of all Galbally brings decades listening to and working shoulder-to-shoulder with people with disabilities and families in fighting for the human right to be able to live lives fully in the community, without fear of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation.
Honours and awards
In 1991 Galbally was appointed an
Officer (AO) of the Order of Australia. She has received honorary doctorates from
RMIT University
RMIT University, officially the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology,, section 4(b) is a public research university in Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city ...
in and
La Trobe University
La Trobe University is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its main campus is located in the suburb of Bundoora. The university was established in 1964, becoming the third university in the state of Victoria an ...
, and was awarded 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 ...
in 2001.
In 2019 Galbally was appointed a
Companion (AC) of the Order of Australia.
Published works
*
References
External links
www.sciencealert.com.au*
The Victorian Council of Social Services (VCOSS)Myer FoundationNational Disability Insurance SchemeRoyal Women’s HospitalCompassionate Friends
{{DEFAULTSORT:Galbally, Rhonda
1948 births
Living people
Officers of the Order of Australia
Companions of the Order of Australia
Australian disability rights activists