Professor John Maynard

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Committee
Term: 4 March 2020 – 30 June 2026

John Maynard is of the Worimi people of Port Stephens, New South Wales. He is the Director of the Purai Global Indigenous History Centre and Chair of Aboriginal History at the University of Newcastle. He completed a Diploma of Aboriginal Studies from the University of Newcastle in 1995 and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of South Australia in 1999. He was awarded a PhD from the University of Newcastle in 2003, examining the rise of early Aboriginal political activism. Professor Maynard was an Australian Research Council post-doctoral fellow and was Deputy Chairperson of Council with the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) in Canberra until 2016. He was the recipient of the Aboriginal History (Australian National University) Stanner Fellowship for 1996 and the New South Wales Premier’s Indigenous History Fellowship for 2003–04. As a member of the Executive Committee of the Australian Historical Association 2000–02 and the Indigenous Higher Education Advisory Committee 2006–07, he has worked with and within many urban, rural and remote Aboriginal communities. Professor Maynard is the author of twelve books.