Vice-Chancellor's occasional address at June graduation
The following occasional address was delivered by Western Sydney University Vice-Chancellor, Professor George Williams AO during the graduation ceremony where he was accorded the title of Distinguished Professor on Saturday, 14 June 2025 at the University's Parramatta South campus.
I would like to begin by congratulating our wonderful graduates.
As your Vice-Chancellor, I am proud of what you have achieved.
Many of you here have a first-rate legal degree from a top law school, I know this has prepared you well for your future. I know equally our other graduates from the Graduate Research School and College are on a path to success.
I look forward to hearing your stories as our alumni as you represent us in the legal profession and other fields.
I thank our Provost, Professor Deborah Sweeney for such a generous citation of my work.
It covers my career spanning 33 years from the day I sat in an auditorium like this as a newly minted law graduate.
Like yourself, I was full of hopes and dreams, and a lot of excitement about what the future would bring.
You have heard the citation of my professional achievements, but it is wrong to think a career is a linear path.
I am grateful every day to have the privilege of being your Vice-Chancellor, but this is far from what I expected I would be doing when I sat in your seat 33 years ago.
In fact, I remember thinking that my days at university were over!
Being here today is the last thing I would have expected.
33 years ago I had the good fortune of securing an associateship with a High Court judge, where I worked on the Mabo case as one of my first tasks, and saw a future mapped out as a barrister.
I did end up practising as a barrister for a long time, though not in the way I expected, and my career has had many twists and turns.
It's hard to tell this from the citation, which in retrospect looks like a series of hits.
In fact, the citation misses many of the most important moments in my professional life that have shaped who I am and the values I hold dear, such as integrity, fairness and importance of kindness.
A more complete citation for this ceremony would have included a list of failures and disappointments.
These are some of the most impactful moments in my life.I could speak of:
- The decade I campaigned for a national Human Rights Act, only to see it jettisoned amongst the turmoil of the Rudd government.
- Missing out three times for preselection for the Federal Parliament.
- Smaller failures where academic work was rejected by anonymous peer reviewers. This included reviewers suggesting my work was so poor I needed the help of someone who understood constitutional law or on another occasion the reviewer saying my article was unpublishable because it was a poor plagiarism of the work of George Williams.
These failures were hurtful, but necessary to future success.
We have not achieved a national Human Rights Acts, but have done in the states and territories.
I did not enter the Federal Parliament, but have found other more-than-fulfilling ways to contribute to the community.
And to be frank, my articles were rejected for good reason, which taught me the need for humility in my research and to never be complacent in seeking excellence.
The point here is that striving and failing is an essential part of professional success.
If you are not failing occasionally, you are not doing enough to get out of your comfort zone.
True to our values at Western I encourage you to be bold.
Now is the time for this with professions in the midst of technological change, and opportunities emerging for graduates willing to think differently about serving the community.
These failures also shaped me personally.
They taught me that one of the most important attributes of any successful person is a willingness to pick themselves up after they have fallen down.
If the citation of my professional achievements reflects anything, it is my refusal to stop fighting for the causes I believe in, including justice and human rights for all.
This determination shapes my role today as your Vice-Chancellor.
We show who we are and are values by who we fight for, and you can expect I will fight every day for you as our students and alumni.
My experience has also taught me the importance of other people to our journey.
I would especially call out my wife Emma who is here today.
We met in first year law school in a different century, and as fellow honours graduates sat next to each other at our own graduation ceremony 33 years ago.
We have shared the ups and downs of our lives and our careers and two wonderful teenagers (though don't tell them I said that!). There is no more important person to explaining my success and who I am today. Thank you Emma.
Your own professional life will also be shaped by your family, loved ones and colleagues, including your fellow graduates today.
They will celebrate with you when you succeed, and lift you up when you fail.
It is here I would like to pay tribute to your friends and family who are in the room today.
Your success today is also theirs.
Their support and sacrifice has helped bring you to this moment of triumph.
They rightly take as much joy in your achievement as you do yourself.
I know, given this, that you will celebrate this important achievement today together.
Thank you.
ENDS
20 June 2025
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