The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Corporation (NATSIEC) mourns the passing of Professor Paul Hughes AM FACE, a towering figure in Aboriginal education, a trailblazer in policy and pedagogy, and a cherished Elder and mentor across the continent.

Professor Hughes was a proud Yankunytjatjara Narungga Kaurna man who committed his life to transforming the landscape of education for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. He was a primary school teacher who rose through the ranks to become the first South Australian Aboriginal person promoted to Professor. This was a remarkable achievement that reflected both his brilliance and his resilience.

His influence extended through classrooms, government departments, university corridors and national policy forums. Professor Hughes served as Director of the Aboriginal Centre at the University of South Australia, Superintendent of Aboriginal Education for the South Australian Department of Education, and Director of the Yunggorendi First Nations Centre at Flinders University. In every role, he advanced a vision of education that honoured Aboriginal knowledge systems, communities and leadership.

Professor Hughes was one of the architects of the National Aboriginal Education Policy developed in the 1980s, a foundational framework that shifted the landscape of Indigenous education. He was also a member of the ACARA reporting authority, contributing to national accountability measures that recognised the importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives in curriculum and assessment.

Professor Hughes chaired and contributed to some of the most significant policy platforms in Aboriginal education. These included the National Aboriginal Education Committee, the MCEETYA Taskforce on Aboriginal Education, the Commonwealth Aboriginal Education Policy Taskforce, and the DEST committee for the evaluation of the National Indigenous Education Literacy and Numeracy Strategy. He also served on the Commonwealth Curriculum Council, Schools Commission and Schools Council, the South Australian Centre for Lifelong Learning, and the Commonwealth Ministers Strategic Thinkers Forum. His wisdom and leadership helped shape the Dare to Lead program and the What Works initiative, both of which strengthened school and community partnerships and increased national focus on Indigenous student success.

Professor Hughes received numerous accolades, including a Member of the Order of Australia, a Flinders University Honorary Doctorate, the UNESCO Medal, and a Fellowship of the Australian College of Education. On his retirement, he was awarded the title of Emeritus Professor in recognition of his outstanding contribution to higher education and national service. But to those of us who worked with him, learnt from him, and walked alongside him, his true legacy lies in his relentless commitment to our children, our communities and our right to define our own futures.

He modelled what it means to be an intellectual grounded in culture, a strategist guided by community, and a changemaker unafraid of structural power. He believed education could be both a shield and a tool for liberation. He spent his life ensuring it was used to serve our people.

NATSIEC pays tribute to his life’s work, his family, and his communities. We send our deepest condolences to those who loved him and learned with him. We recommit to the vision he carried throughout his life: that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples shape our own educational futures, in our own voices, with our children at the centre.

Vale Professor Hughes. You cleared a path for us. Now we walk further.