Profile
Dr. Wayne Atkinson
BA Hons (Old Hum) 1996, BA (Old Hum) 1993, PhD (Law & Legal St) 2001
Academic
Course of study:
Dr Wayne Atkinson is an elder of the Yorta Yorta and Dja Dja Wurrung Indigenous Nations of the Murray-Goulburn and Central Victoria region. Dr Atkinson has worked extensively as a leader in Indigenous Affairs specialising in research, writing, and in land and heritage reform.
Dr Atkinson is a Senior Lecturer and Fellow at the University of Melbourne. He has lectured on Indigenous studies at educational institutions across Australia and overseas.
Dr Atkinson was the first Victorian-based and traditional owner of the Yorta Yorta Dja Dja Wurrung people to complete a PhD at a Victorian University, which was achieved at La Trobe University in 2001. He was also awarded the Indigenous Scholar of the Year in 1996.
Dr Atkinson’s studies are in the disciplines of Archaeology, History, Politics and Legal Studies, which he used to complete his PhD on the Yorta Yorta Struggle for Land Justice in 2000. The thesis analyses the extent to which the Yorta Yorta have gained land justice on the basis of their inherent rights. In the words of his great Uncle William Cooper, the thesis argues that ‘Not One Iota’ has been delivered to his people.
In his pursuit of knowledge and cross cultural understanding, Dr Atkinson has travelled extensively. He has built bridges between, local and Indigenous groups throughout the world. His journeys of learning have included North America, Europe, the South Pacific and Asia where he has conducted research and presented papers on comparative Indigenous issues.
Dr Atkinson’s On Country course, taught at the University of Melbourne has consistently achieved exceptional results since it started in 2003.
