Professor Peter Shergold AC
BA (Hull), MA (Illinois), PhD (LSE), Hon. DLitt (UNSW), FASSA, FANZSOG, FIPPA, FAICD, FAIM, FRSN
Chancellor of Western Sydney University
The Board of Trustees elected Professor Peter Shergold AC as its chair and the University’s new Chancellor in 2010. His term began on 1 January 2011 and ends on 31 December 2022. He was Convenor of the University Chancellors Council from 2016 to 2018.
Peter received a B.A. Hons (First Class) in Politics and American Studies from the University of Hull; an M.A. in History at the University of Illinois at Chicago Circle; and a PhD in Economics from London School of Economics.
Peter migrated to Australia in 1982 to take up a lecturing position at the University of New South Wales. He became Head of the Department of Economic History in 1986. As an academic he received two Fulbright scholarships to study in the U.S.A. In 2017 he was awarded a Doctor of Letters (Honoris Causa) by the University of New South Wales.
He was elected a Fellow of The Academy of Social Sciences (FASSA) in Australia in 2005. He has also been made a Fellow of the Australia and New Zealand School of Government (FANZSOG), the Institute of Public Administration Australia (FIPAA), the Australian Institute of Company Directors (FAICD) and the Australian Institute of Management (AIM).In 2018 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of NSW (FRSN). From 2017-2019 he served as National President of IPAA.
In 1987, Peter became a CEO in the Australian Public Service (APS) for two decades, working with Prime Ministers and Ministers from both sides of politics. His first job was to establish the Office of Multicultural Affairs. From 1991 he headed the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) and from July 1994 he was Chief Executive Officer of Comcare. He was appointed Australian Public Service Commissioner from September 1995 to February 1998. He served as Secretary of the Department of Employment, Workplace Relations and Small Business from 1998 until 2002 and then became the Secretary of the Department of Education, Science and Training.
In February 2003, Peter was asked by the Prime Minister, John Howard, to serve as Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, becoming the nation’s most senior public servant. He did so for 5 years. During that time the so-called ‘Shergold Report’ (actually the report of the Task Group on Emissions Trading) was presented to – and accepted by – the Commonwealth government. He managed the transition to government of the new Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, leaving the APS in February 2008.
In addition to his Western Sydney University role Peter is also Coordinator General for Refugee Resettlement in NSW. He chairs Opal Aged Care (residential aged care) and Joblife (disability employment). He has also served as a non-executive director on the Boards of AMP Ltd and its subsidiaries, AMP Life and AMP Bank from 2008–2017; and as an external director of Corrs Chambers Westgarth from 2009-2016. He is a member of O’Connell Street Associates.
In the not-for-profit field Peter has been the chair of the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation, the deputy chair of the Sydney Writers’ Festival, patron of the Left-Right Think Tank and a member of the State Library Council of NSW. He was CEO of the Centre for Social Impact from 2008–2011 and is now its chair. He is also chair of the AMP Foundation and serves on the board of Australia for UNHCR.
In the government arena he chaired the NSW Public Services Commission Advisory Board from 2011-2019. He has also been chair of the Aged Care Reform Implementation Council, the Aged Care Sector Committee and the Forum on Western Sydney Airport. He headed the Ministerial Expert Group on Gambling for the Commonwealth government under Prime Minister Rudd. In Western Australia he was asked to lead the government/not-for-profit Partnership Forum under Premier Colin Barnett. In 2013 he completed a report on community service sector reform for the Victorian government. He served on the Queensland Public Sector Renewal Board on public projects.
Peter wrote a major report, Learning from Failure, which was handed to the Commonwealth government in 2015. He has also chaired reviews into Medicare Card Security (2017); the Implementation of the National Construction Code (2017–2018), Refugee Settlement (2019) and Senior Secondary Pathways for Students (2020).
Peter remains active in education. He was appointed chair of the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) in 2020. He has been chair of the TEQSA Advisory Council (oversighting the regulation of universities) and the Higher Education Standards Panel. For a decade he chaired the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER).
Peter was made a Member in the Order of Australia (AM) for public service on Australia Day 1996. He was presented with the Centenary Medal in 2003. In 2007, he received Australia’s highest award, the Companion in the Order of Australia (AC) for service to the community.
Peter continues to speak widely and publish articles on public administration, refugee settlement, education and aged care.
University Profile
Celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2019, Western Sydney University is a research-led metropolitan university operating over multiple teaching campuses in Western Sydney – one of Australia’s fastest growing regions, and home to over two million people.
It is an anchor institution for the region. Although a young university, Western Sydney University has a long tradition of providing higher education for over 200 years through its predecessor institutions. It prides itself on being a ‘University of the People”.
Today, Western Sydney University is one of the largest universities in Australia with almost 49,500 students and a growing international reputation for academic excellence and impact-driven research.
It is ranked amongst the top two per cent of universities in the world and has also been named one of the world’s top 100 young universities. The University placed an impressive 3rd in the world in the 2020 Times Higher Education (THE) University Impact Rankings for social, ecological and economic impact.
With 80 per cent of its research also named as “world standard” or above in the Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) assessment, Western Sydney University is committed to making a positive impact – at a regional, national and international level.
The values of Western Sydney University are:
Excellence and quality
Scholarly rigour and integrity
Equity and inclusiveness
Collegiality and participatory
Academic responsibility and freedom
Revelance and responsibility
Ethics and accountability
Western Sydney University is unlocking the potential of the next generation of global citizens, leaders and change-makers. With a focus on equipping graduates to be workplace ready, the University’s curriculum reflects the needs of the world we live in. It acknowledges that in today’s fast-paced and changing world universities don’t have the monopoly on knowledge or education.
In pioneering a model of co-created learning that treats strategic partners as co-creators in education, Western Sydney University works with business and industry leaders to develop course content that meets the needs of employers, the jobs of the future and responds to the challenges of a global workplace.
Western Sydney University’s approach recognises that learning doesn’t just happen in the classroom. Instead, it offers a combination of on-campus, online and clinical learning environments, with real-life work experience in professional and community settings.
With a focus on preparing students to go places and do great things, graduates of Western Sydney University are part of a strong network of global citizens who remain connected to and engaged with the University.
To find out more, visit the Western Sydney University website www.westernsydney.edu.au
Governance
Western Sydney University Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees is the governing authority of Western Sydney University and has the following functions:
the appointment of the Vice-Chancellor
the strategic development of policies and plans with respect to the University, including major capital developments
oversight of the University’s educational directions and external profile
ensuring high ethical standards and effective management of risk
monitoring the management of the University’s resources and performance
representation of the University including at graduation, fund raising initiatives and community events.
For further information, refer to Western Sydney University’s Board of Trustees Charter .
Membership of Western Sydney University’s Board of Trustees is as follows:
Ex-Officio Members
Professor Peter Shergold AC – Chancellor (to 31 December 2022)
Professor Barney Glover – Vice-Chancellor
Associate Professor Alphia Possamai-Inesedy – Chair of Academic Senate
Appointed Members – Ministerial
Dr Linda O’Brien AM – Pro-Chancellor (to 31 December 2021)
Mr Joseph Carrozzi (to 31 December 2021)
Ms Holly Kramer – Pro Chancellor (to 31 December 2021)
Ms Elizabeth Dibbs – Deputy Chancellor (to 31 December 2021)
Appointed Members – Board
Professor MaryAnn Bin-Sallik AO (to 31 December 2021)
Ms Gabrielle Trainor AO (to 31 December 2020)
Mr Bob Sahota (to 30 June 2023)
Mr Peeyush Gupta AM (to 13 June 2024)
Ms Carmel Hourigan – Graduate Member and Deputy Chancellor (to 30 June 2021)
Ms Kerry Stubbs – Deputy Chancellor (to 31 December 2020)
Ms Georgia Lee (to 31 December 2022)
Elected Members
Dr David Harland – Professional Staff (to 31 December 2021)
Dr Ben Etherington – Academic Staff (to 31 December 2021)
Ms Naomi Hastings – Postgraduate Student (to 30 June 2021)
Miss Rose Lewis – Undergraduate Student (to 31 December 2021)
Other Governing Bodies
Other Governing bodies within the University include:
Academic Senate
Chair – Associate Professor Alphia Possamai-Inesedy
Audit and Risk Committee
Chair – Ms Liz Dibbs, Deputy Chancellor
Board Executive Committee
Chair – Professor Peter Shergold AC, Chancellor
University Infrastructure Committee
Chair – Ms Carmel Hourigan, Deputy Chancellor
Finance and Investment Committee
Chair – Ms Kerry Stubbs, Deputy Chancellor
Foundation Council
Chair – Pending