Honorary Doctor of Laws
Citation delivered by Professor G.Q. Max Lu AO, Vice-Chancellor and President, at the University of Wollongong on the occasion of the admission of Megan Davis as a Doctor of Laws (honoris causa) on 21 April 2026.
Pro-Chancellor, I present to you Professor Megan Davis AC.
Professor Megan Davis AC is one of Australia’s leading constitutional lawyers and human rights advocates, with a national and international reputation for advancing the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through law, scholarship and public leadership.
A Cobble Cobble woman, Professor Davis has devoted her career to Indigenous constitutional reform and public law. Since 2011, she has been at the forefront of efforts to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia’s Constitution, bringing together rigorous legal expertise and deep engagement with Indigenous communities across the country.
In 2015, Professor Davis was appointed by the Prime Minister to the Referendum Council, where she designed and led the deliberate dialogue process that engaged communities nationwide. This work culminated in the historic gathering of more than 250 Indigenous leaders at Uluru in 2017 and the creation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart. Professor Davis read the Statement aloud at the National Constitutional Convention, presenting a clear and principled framework for reform.
Professor Davis's leadership extends beyond Australia through her work with the United Nations. She was elected twice by the United Nations Economic and Social Council to the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York, and was elected as Chair of the Forum.
Professor Davis was also appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council to the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples serving as its Chair and contributing to the advancement of Indigenous rights and legal standards at a global level.
Her commitment to public service is reflected in her roles as a Commissioner of the New South Wales Land and Environment Court, a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law, a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Social Sciences and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities. And in 2026 she was appointed a Fellow of the Australian Institute of International Affairs for her distinguished work in diplomacy and the United Nations. Through these appointments, she has helped shape legal thinking, policy development and institutional practice in Australia.
Professor Davis’s contributions have been widely recognised. She has been awarded Australia’s highest civilian honour, the Order of the Companion of Australia, for eminent service to the law, social justice, and international Indigenous rights advocacy. She was awarded the Sydney Peace Prize for her work on the Uluru Statement from the Heart. Her influence within the legal profession has also been widely recognised, with peers ranking her among Australia’s most influential legal figures. And in 2024 she was awarded the Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser Chair in Australian Studies at Harvard University.
Alongside her public leadership, Professor Davis is a distinguished scholar, publishing extensively in the fields of Indigenous law, human rights and constitutional reform, and advising governments, institutions and communities on inclusive and participatory approaches to law-making.
Through her sustained commitment to justice, constitutional reform and the recognition of Indigenous peoples, Professor Megan Davis exemplifies the values of equity, academic excellence and social responsibility that underpin the mission of the University of Wollongong.
Pro-Chancellor, it is a privilege to present Professor Megan Davis AC for admission to the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa.