Keynote Biographies

Dr Peter Sutton
Dr Peter Sutton is an anthropologist and linguist who has worked with Aboriginal people since 1969. He speaks three Cape York languages and as an expert on Aboriginal land ownership has assisted with fifty land rights cases. Peter has published over one hundred academic and other papers, mainly in the fields of Aboriginal land tenure, languages, art, and Indigenous policy. He has authored or edited thirteen books, including Native Title in Australia: an Ethnographic Perspective, regarded as the most authoritative work in its field. His most recent work entitled Politics of Suffering: Indigenous Australia and the end of the Liberal Consensus and published in 2009, provides unique insight into the policy since the 1970s. Peter is an Australian Research Council Professorial Fellow at the University of Adelaide and the South Australian Museum, and a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia.

Dr Marlene Kong
Dr Marlene Kong grew up surrounded by an extended Aboriginal family (the Worimi people of Port Stephens), experiencing the struggles Aboriginal people face on a daily basis. An Indigenous woman aspiring to succeed in life, Marlene chose a career in medicine. After completing her general practice training, mostly in Darwin and Lismore, Marlene obtained her Fellowship from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. She also holds a Family Planning Association certificate; a certificate in Early Management of Severe Trauma; a Diploma in Obstetrics and Gynaecology; and a Masters of Public Health in Jerusalem, Israel. Marlene has worked in South Sudan and Sierra Leone in Africa as part of the humanitarian organisation - Medicins Sans Frontiers. During 2007-2009, Marlene was a Medical Officer for the Australian Indigenous Doctors Association (AIDA) in Canberra, where she worked in an advocacy role engaging with the Australian Government on Indigenous issues. Today, Marlene is a locum GP, preferring to work in Aboriginal medical services all across Australia, she is based in the Hunter region of NSW

Dr Tammy Kimpton
A Pallawa woman from the west coast of Tasmania, Dr Tammy Kimpton graduated from the University of Newcastle in 2003 and is currently a GP registrar and Secretary of the Australian Indigenous Doctors Association (AIDA) Board. Since her commencement in the AGPT program, Tammy has been actively involved in promoting Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Health Training. As a registrar liaison officer, Tammy provides a point of contact between registrars and GPET. In November 2009, Tammy was elected to Co-chair the GPET Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Health Training Advisory Group. As a founding member of the Indigenous GP Registrars Network, Tammy’s contribution to AGPT has been considerable. Tammy is also a mother of three young children and recently moved to Scone, NSW.

Professor Claire Jackson
Professor in General Practice and Primary Health Care and Head of Discipline, at the University of Queensland, Claire Jackson has been active in general practice undergraduate and postgraduate education and research for many years. She has been extensively involved in health services research and reform since the early 90s. In 2009 she was appointed to the 12-member National Primary Care Strategy Expert Reference Group and provided a commissioned paper for the National Health and Hospital Reform Commission on new models in primary care. Claire’s current area of research interest is in improved health system integration. Claire co-authored Achieving Effective Health Care Integration – the Essential Guide in 2000, a publication that has sold over 1000 copies to date. Claire has been involved in numerous educational, research and policy development projects at state and national level, including Health Connect, and the National GP/Hospital Demonstration Sites Program. She is an active clinician in part-time general practice in Brisbane, and a member of the iSOFT Board (previously IBA Health).