RightsTalk: Ron McCallum biography

Ron McCallum AO has been totally blind since his birth in 1948. He is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Sydney.  In 1993 he was the first totally blind person to be appointed to a full professorship at any Australian or New Zealand university when he became the Blake Dawson Waldron Professor in Industrial Law, University of Sydney. He served a five year term as Dean of the University of Sydney Law School from 2002 to 2007, and in January 2011 the Senate of the University awarded him the title of Emeritus Professor. Ron’s field of expertise is labour and employment law, and he served as the inaugural President of the Australian Labour Law Association from 2001 to 2009.

Professor McCallum is a Deputy-Chair of the Board of Directors of Vision Australia which assists blind and visually impaired persons. He is also a consultant to HWL Ebsworth Lawyers.

Professor McCallum was made an Officer in the Order of Australia (AO) in the 2006 Queen’s Birthday honours list for his services to tertiary education, for industrial relations advice to governments, for assistance to visually impaired persons and for social justice. In January 2011, Prime Minister Ms Julia Gillard designated Ron as Senior Australian of the Year for 2011.The Government has just appointed Professor McCallum to be the Patron of the 2013 International Day of People with Disabilities which is 3 December 2013.

Professor McCallum is one of eighteen persons from around the world who are elected members of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The primary function of the Committee is to monitor the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. He commenced his position as Chairperson of the Committee in February 2010, and his term as Chairperson concluded in April 2013. He is currently a Vice-Chairperson, and his term on the Committee continues until December 2014.

His interests include reading, listening to music and meditation. Ron is married to Mary Crock who is Professor of Public Law, University of Sydney.  They have one daughter and two sons.