It is a sad time for South Australia, in particular for our South Australian Aboriginal community, to learn the news of the passing of one of our State's great Aboriginal leaders – Professor Peter Buckskin PSM FACE.
Professor Peter Buckskin, a proud Narungga man from Guuranda (Yorke Peninsula), was one of Australia's most influential Aboriginal education leaders, with a career spanning more than four decades. His work shaped policy, strengthened institutions, and advanced the rights and educational outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across Australia and internationally.
Beginning his career as a teacher, Professor Buckskin held senior executive roles in both state and Commonwealth governments, served as a Ministerial Adviser, and led major reforms in Indigenous education. He was the inaugural Chair of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Corporation (NATSIEC), the national peak body for Indigenous education, that advises government across the education sector from early childhood to higher education.
His academic leadership included serving as Dean of the University of South Australia's David Unaipon College of Indigenous Education and Research, where he championed culturally grounded teacher education and Indigenous research excellence. He has also chaired the South Australian Aboriginal Training and Employment Consultative Committee (SAATECC), driving systemic change in training and employment pathways.
Professor Buckskin's influence extended globally. He represented Australia in international forums including UNESCO and the Working Group of Experts to the UN Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, contributing to policy frameworks that recognise and protect Indigenous rights worldwide.
He was an international representative of World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education (WIPCE) and was instrumental in bringing WIPCE to Adelaide in September 2022, where he was on the Organising Committee.
His leadership has been recognised through numerous honours, including:
- Public Service Medal (PSM) for outstanding public service (2001)
- Frank G. Klassen Award for leadership in teacher education (2001)
- National Deadly Award for Outstanding Achievement in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education (2002 and 2005)
- Fellowship of the Australian College of Educators (2007)
- Inaugural Board Member of the National Congress of Australia's First Peoples (2010)
Professor Buckskin's legacy is defined by his unwavering commitment to educational justice, cultural integrity, and the empowerment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
The Government extends its deepest condolences to Professor Buckskin's two children Peter and Lorraine, great-nephew Haymish and all the Buckskin family.
Vale Professor Peter Buckskin.
As put by Peter Malinauskas
We mourn the loss of a phenomenal South Australian in Professor Peter Buckskin.
Professor Buckskin was a tireless champion and advocate who dedicated his life to improving outcomes and advancing the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
It's impossible to overstate the importance of Professor Peter Buckskin's contribution to Indigenous education.
Countless generations of Aboriginal South Australians will no doubt benefit from his significant legacy.
I extend my condolences on behalf of all South Australians to Peter's children, family, and loved ones, and all those whose lives he touched over so many decades.
As put by Kyam Maher
I was fortunate to have known Peter for most of my adult life, long before he became Professor Peter Buckskin. He had a profound impact on me, and on so many others fortunate enough to know him.
There will rightly be countless reflections in the days ahead about Professor Peter Buckskin's extraordinary contribution to Indigenous education in South Australia, across the nation and around the world.
During his time in SA Government leading Aboriginal Affairs, he worked on significant and difficult challenges facing Aboriginal communities, including work to combat petrol sniffing, which was devastating communities across South Australia at the time.
Professor Buckskin played an integral role in helping shape South Australia's Voice to Parliament legislation. His contribution to many of the reforms and conversations that have helped move our state forward cannot be overstated.
I will be eternally indebted to Peter for the time, care and belief he invested in helping shape me into the proud Aboriginal man I am today.
