Founded in 1949, the University of New South Wales is a renowned institution committed to academic excellence, groundbreaking research and societal impact. As one of Australia’s leading universities, the University of New South Wales has a strong reputation for fostering innovation, providing transformative education and cultivating a diverse and inclusive community.
The Balnaves Foundation has supported the University of New South Wales (UNSW) across several areas since the partnership began in 2009. These include a scholarship program, the Indigenous Law Centre and Nura Gili.
School of Medicine
The Balnaves Foundation’s inaugural grant to UNSW in 2019, facilitated the creation of the Balnaves Foundation Indigenous Medical Scholarships for Indigenous students commencing full-time study in the Bachelor of Medicine (BMed MD) program. The scholarship is afforded to one student each year and covers the entirety of their six-year degree. The support is designed for the scholar to use as they need to support success in their studies.
Speaking on the scholarship program Hamish Balnaves, CEO of The Balnaves foundation said, “We provided these scholarships in recognition that one of the main difficulties Indigenous students face is financial, with many having disadvantaged backgrounds and financial responsibilities above and beyond that of non-Indigenous students.”
The Indigenous Law Centre and the Balnaves Chair in Constitutional Law
Established in 1981 and an integral part of the Faculty of Law at UNSW, The Indigenous Law Centre (ILC) is the only Indigenous Law research centre in Australia. The ILC contributed to the recognition, protection and development of the legal rights and freedoms of Indigenous peoples in Australia.
In memory of Alexandra Balnaves, the Foundation in partnership with the UNSW Indigenous Law Centre established The Balnaves Foundation Chair in Constitutional Law for Scientia Professor Dr Megan Davis. Alexandra, the eldest child of Neil and Diane, was a passionate and forceful advocate for First Nations peoples right to self-determination, recognition and equity.
Professor Davis is a renowned constitutional lawyer and public law expert specialising on Indigenous peoples and the law, the constitutional recognition of First Nations and democracy. She has been the leading Australian lawyer on constitutional recognition of First Nations peoples for two decades and designed the Referendum Council’s deliberative process that led to the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
From 2022-2023 Professor Davis served on the Referendum Working Group, the Referendum Engagement Group and the Attorney General’s Constitutional Expert Group. She was a member of the Prime Minister’s Referendum Council (2015-2017) and the Prime Minister’s Expert Panel on the Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in the Constitution (2011-2012). She is Co-Chair of the Uluru Dialogue, the group of First Nations leaders who led the Uluru Statement from the Heart work.
“It is an honour to be named The Balnaves Foundation Chair in Constitutional Law. My priorities as Chair will be to provide the academic rigour needed to inform development of proposals for constitutional amendment and institutional design of a Voice to Parliament, as well as the foundations of a future Makarrata Commission as set down in the Uluru Statement [from the Heart], to oversee agreement making across the federation and to facilitate truth telling processes,” Professor Davis said in 2020.
In 2021, The Uluru Statement from the Heart was awarded the Sydney Peace Prize. Professor Megan Davis along with other First Nations leaders Pat Anderson AO and Noel Pearson accepted the award on behalf of all First Nations people that worked on the Statement. The judging panel said the Uluru Statement was a “powerful and historic offering of peace” that was crucial to the “healing within our nation” but had not yet been acted upon.
In 2023, the Uluru Statement’s call for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament enshrined in the constitution culminated in a referendum. Despite the tireless efforts of Professor Davis and other Indigenous leaders the referendum was unsuccessful. Professor Davis will continue her work as a leader and champion for First Nations rights in Australia.
If you wish to learn more about Professor Megan Davis you can do so here.
Nura Gili
From 2012-2014 the Foundation supported the University of New South Wales to build a new home for Nura Gili, the University’s Centre for Indigenous Programs. At Balnaves Place UNSW’s Indigenous students have access to educational facilities and technology, a library and private rooms for group and individual study.