Dr Doris Paton

Academic qualifications

PhD in Philosophy (Education) from RMIT University, MEd (Aboriginal Education) from University South Australia, GDipEd (Secondary) from Monash University,  BA/BSocSc from Monash University and Certificate IV in Training and Assessment from Gippsland TAFE.

Summary of previous experience

Dr Doris Paton is an accomplished academic passionate about the advancement of First Nations People through education and the reclamation and revival of Aboriginal languages across Australia.

Speaking Gunai and Monero Ngarigo languages, Doris is a respected Elder who has taught language for more than 20 years. Her skills and expertise have been acknowledged through roles as Director and Vice-Chairperson of the Victorian Aboriginal Languages Corporation (VACL) and Chairperson of the Victorian Indigenous Languages Implementation Reference Group.

As Chairperson of the Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority, she developed the framework to accredit ‘Indigenous Languages of Victoria: Revival and Reclamation’, a VCE-accredited subject contributing toward the preservation of Indigenous languages across Australia.

Doris’s cross-cultural awareness programs have enhanced communication in the community and with groups, including Parks Victoria, the Department of Sustainability and Environment, Latrobe Community Health Service, Berry St, Latrobe Hospital, Bairnsdale Hospital, East Gippsland Shire, and Lifeline.

A Federation University Council Member since 2020, Doris is also a long-serving Director of the Nindi Ngujarn Ngarigo Monero Aboriginal Corporation and has served on boards for Parks Victoria, the Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Council, and the East Gippsland School for Aboriginal Health Professionals, among others.

Her work has been presented at conferences, including the World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education and recognised with several awards, including the GippsTAFE Staff Excellence Awards in the Community Development, and Personal Achievement categories, the Wurreker Award for Community Based Employee, and the Parks Victoria Regional Achiever Award.