SNAICC is proud to announce Dr Paul Gray as the new co-chair of the Family Matters National Leadership Group. Family Matters is SNAICC’s national campaign to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people grow up in family, community, and culture.
Paul is a proud Wiradjuri man from New South Wales with immense experience in the child and family sector, upholding the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families.
“I am grateful to be able to serve my community as co-chair of this important national campaign to ensure our kids can grow up safe and strong with their families, in their communities, and immersed in culture. Contemporary child protection systems are in desperate need of reform to safeguard the rights of our children, and SNAICC and the Family Matters campaign know that our communities have the solutions,” says Dr Gray.
Paul has a Doctorate in Experimental Psychology at St Catherine’s College, Oxford, as an inaugural Charlie Perkins Scholar, and has worked in various positions with the New South Wales Department of Communities and Justice [formerly Department of Family and Community Services (FACS)], prior to becoming the Executive Leader of Strategy, Policy and Evidence at AbSec – NSW Child, Family and Community Peak Aboriginal Corporation, the state’s Aboriginal peak body in child protection.
For the past year Paul has held the role of Associate Professor for the Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research, University of Technology Sydney (UTS), where he works in close partnership with Aboriginal communities and organisations to develop and undertake research, policy development, and advocacy in the child protection sector.
Paul joins Wurundjeri and Ngurai illum wurrung woman Sue-Anne Hunter as the community representatives in co-chairing the Family Matters campaign to reduce the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care.
“I am delighted that Paul is joining Sue-Anne Hunter as co-chair to the campaign to amplify the voices of our children. Paul has been dedicated to the safety and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people for many years and understands the issues our children are facing”, says SNAICC CEO Catherine Liddle.
“Paul brings a wealth of experience in the child and family sector, along with a thirst for gaining knowledge and implementing practical strategies. SNAICC and Family Matters looks forward to working closely with Paul so that we can continue to advocate for the rights of our children and looking after our mob.”
— Catherine Liddle, SNAICC CEO
“I look forward to continuing to work with my Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander colleagues, and our non-Indigenous allies and supporters, to realise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-led approaches to end the over-representation of our children in out-of-home care.”
— Dr Paul Gray, Associate Professor UTS & Family Matters Co-Chair
The Family Matters Report 2020 was launched in November 2020. It reveals that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children continue to be removed from family and kin at disproportionate rates – disrupting their connection to community and culture. The report identified a concerning trend towards permanency and adoption that is driving separation of children from family, community, and culture.
Media release 25 March — Family Matters welcomes Dr Paul Gray as new co-chair (PDF, 656KB)
