BHP Curtin Indigenous Chair, Biodiversity & Environmental Science;
Director ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre for Healing Country;
Deputy Leader & Senior Indigenous Facilitator NESP Resilient Landscapes Hub
Australia’s first Indigenous Chair of Biodiversity and Environmental Science at Curtin University is a proud Wardandi Noongar with strong connections to Country in the Busselton – Margaret River region of south-west Western Australia.
As a botanical ecologist, research scientist and executive manager Stephen has established a diverse pedigree across biodiversity inventory, landscape ecology, threat mitigation, nature conservation and sustainable land management domains. He has worked for over 40 years across Western Australia, principally in the rangelands (Pilbara and Western Desert) and the Kwongan sandplains of the biodiversity hotspot that is south-west Western Australia. Stephen is empowered with the skills to combine his broad scientific competencies with a commitment to leadership in biodiversity conservation and sustainable natural resource management research.
Stephen is a member of the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment’s Indigenous Advisory Committee, Senior Indigenous Facilitator and Deputy Hub Leader of the National Environmental Science Program’s Resilient Landscape Hub and also contributes to the Threatened Species Scientific Committee, State of Environment 2021 Indigenous Authors Team, National Landcare Review Expert Reference Panel and other national, state and non-government committees. Stephen is also the Director of the Healing Country Industry Transformation Training Centre at Curtin University which is focused on the restoration economy for Indigenous Australians.
Stephen is passionate about Closing the Gap on Indigenous disadvantage and achieving self-determination. He believes that to realise self-determination it is critical that decisions about the livelihoods and wellbeing of Indigenous Australians and most importantly their cultures, customs, heritage and stewardship of land, water and sea Country are made with them, if not by them – ‘Always Was, Always Will Be Aboriginal Land’.
