The late Robert Riley had a life-long commitment to advancing Indigenous issues in Australia. Soon after his birth, Mr Riley was removed from his family and placed in state care at Sister Kate's in Perth. He was almost ten years old before he knew his mother was alive and was only reunited with his family when he was 12. His experience of forced removal would later be reflected in the publication he produced through the Aboriginal Legal Service, Telling Our Story, the most comprehensive description of the experience of Aboriginal people removed from their families undertaken in Western Australia.
He was well known for drawing public attention to the issue of Indigenous land rights during his time as Chairperson of the National Aboriginal Council, and he was also part of the negotiating team on the Native Title Act. On the national political stage, Mr Riley was senior advisor to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, as well as Head of the Aboriginal Issues Unit of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. However, he also devoted himself to improving the conditions of the Noongar community through helping to establish the Perth Aboriginal Medical Service, the Aboriginal Child Care Agency, the Centre for Aboriginal Studies at Curtin University and the Western Australia Aboriginal Media Association.
Human rights medal
Winner